I’m a hacker - by heart, not by job title. Since a young age, my curiosity has been driven by a desire to understand how things work. The greatest discomfort I experience is not knowing why something functions the way it does. Ultimately, this curiosity has shaped me into who I am today: a problem solver constantly seeking new challenges to keep myself engaged. This journey led me to the cybersecurity field. It’s not just hacking that drives me, but the pursuit of understanding - whether I’m hacking, creating, or researching, I love it all, regardless of the circumstances.

Microsoft MVP: M365 + Security | Blogger | Podcaster | Speaker | Founder - YMD

Callian is a passionate DevSecOps Engineer with a development background rooted in system security. Driven by continual curiosity, he embraces new challenges that fuel both personal and organizational growth. As a dedicated lifelong learner and community leader of DevSecCon Cape Town, Callian actively fosters collaboration and knowledge-sharing within the DevSecOps and Application Security space.

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Security Consultant at iosiro. Not the Harry Potter director.

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I currently serve as the Head of Research, Development, and Innovation at BlueVision ITM, where I lead initiatives in cyber security innovation and capability development. I specifically focus on bridges the gap between theoretical research and practical application, particularly in areas like cryptography, network security, and cyber resilience.

I am passionate about fostering the next generation of cyber security talent through mentorship and community engagement. As such, I contribute to various cyber security events, community gatherings and cyber security challenges throughout South Africa.

I'm a cloud security consultant at MWR CyberSec.

I started my journey breaking web applications, and from there focused on Network Security and Active Directory hacking before migrating over to the wide world of cloud security. I also make educational cybersecurity videos on my youtube channel, PoppinShells, which is a side hobby of mine.

Jaco Swanepoel is a dedicated cybersecurity professional with 15 years of expertise in Digital Forensics, Incident Response, and Cyber Threat Intelligence.

After completing his BSc Hons degree in Computer Science at the University of Pretoria, he began his career as a Digital Forensic Analyst. From an early stage in his professional career, Jaco participated in Dawn Raids conducted by the South African Competition Commission, assisted law enforcement agencies with various high-profile investigations, and testified in court as a Digital Forensic expert.

Following his certification as a PCI Forensic Investigator by the PCI Security Standards Council, Jaco conducted multiple PCI Forensic Investigations across South Africa, the UK, and Europe. He has also earned certifications from SANS in Digital Forensics, Incident Response, Threat Hunting, Malware Reverse Engineering, and Cybersecurity Leadership.

Today Jaco leads the Threat Hunting and Intelligence team for one of South Africa's banking giants. This team of specialists is responsible for identifying and tracking cyber threats targeting the Group, as well as conducting continuous Threat Hunting activities to uncover potential malicious activity.

Jaco is passionate about sharing his knowledge on various cybersecurity topics and is currently involved in several projects aimed at inspiring others to develop a similar enthusiasm for the field.

Jared is the Head of Security at Synthesis, where he specializes in enterprise cloud architecture. Jared is passionate and deeply committed to guiding large organizations through the complexities of architecting, securing and operationalizing enterprise cloud environments. Beyond Jared’s professional responsibilities, Jared is an enthusiastic advocate for community building, serving as the organizer of several local security events, including 0xcon, BSides Cape Town, and BSides Joburg. Jared’s research focuses on cybersecurity topics that intersect with national security and foreign policy issues such as encryption, privacy, surveillance, disinformation, and nation-state activity.

Jason Jordaan is the Principal Forensic Scientist and Founder of DFIRLABS. As a recognised polymath, he is considered by his peers internationally to be a leading specialist in the fields of digital forensics, incident response, cybercrime investigations, and cybersecurity forensic engineering. He was one of the early pioneers in digital forensics in South Africa with his interest and activities in the field beginning in the mid 1990’s. Not only does Jason lead DFIRLABS, but he remains actively involved as a practitioner in these fields and regularly testifies as an expert witness in them.

He founded DFIRLABS in 2014 after leaving the Special Investigating Unit, where he was the national head of the Cyber Forensic Laboratory. In this role, he was responsible for the development and implementation of the digital forensics capacity of the Special Investigating Unit, and in conducting digital forensics engagements on several high-profile cybercrime, fraud, and corruption cases in the South Africa public sector. Prior to joining the Special Investigating Unit in 1998, Jason served as a Detective in the South African Police Service Commercial Branch from 1992, where he conducted numerous white-collar crime investigations, with a focus on organised crime.

Jason is an active researcher, academic, trainer, advisor and assessor in the international digital forensics and cybersecurity communities. He is a Principal Instructor with the internationally renowned SANS Institute. In this capacity he teaches digital forensics around the world, including to some of the leading international law enforcement, intelligence, and miliary units such as the Federal Bureau of Investigations, the US Secret Service, US Special Operations Command, Scotland Yard, the UK National Crime Agency, and many others. He also has provided digital forensics and incident response training to numerous companies in the Fortune 500 list. He is also as Assistant Professor at the SANS Technology Institute. He has also taught digital forensics at the University of Cape Town, the University of Pretoria, and Rhodes University.

He currently serves on the SANS Advisory Board and on the Advisory Board of the Department of Computer Science of the University of Pretoria. He also served on the expert advisory panel for the South African Deputy Minister of Justice for cybercrime legislation and has advised the South African Police Service on the South African National Cybercrime Strategy.

Jason is an assessor for the Netherlands Register of Court Experts and is responsible for the assessing the competency of digital forensics practitioners testifying in court in the Netherlands. He is a Director of the Institute of Commercial Forensic Practitioners of South Africa. He has previously served as a Director of the South African Academy of Forensic Sciences, and the South African Chapter of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners. His digital forensics, cybersecurity, and cyberlaw research has been published in textbooks and international peer-reviewed journals, and he is a frequent speaker at professional, scientific, and technical conferences internationally. He also sits on several international and local conference advisory boards.

Justin is an experienced security professional, a WiFi enthusiast and open-source intelligence dabbler, with years of hands-on experience using WiGLE and related platforms. Having mapped millions of WiFi access points globally, Justin searches for creative applications of public data for real-world insights. This work bridges technical experimentation and practical analysis, with a focus on privacy, security, and the social implications of ubiquitous wireless networks. Justin moonlights at Group CISO for MTN.

Keith Makan is an experienced cybersecurity consultant and researcher with a strong history of helping clients around the world manage information security risks. He is the co-founder of SonarSentry B.V. a cybersecurity startup based in the Netherlands. Keith is also a published author, having written "The Android Application Security Cookbook" and "Penetration Testing with the Bash Shell,". His security research contributions include identifying vulnerabilities in widely used software like Google Chrome. Recently, he completed his MSc in Computer Science, focusing on automated vulnerability analysis in binary formats.

Teddy is a Johannesburg-based security researcher with a background in breaking, making, and occasionally breaking the things he just made. With a BSc in Computer Science and experience across web, infrastructure, and binary exploitation, he now spends his days reverse engineering JVMs and his nights debating whether fuzzing counts as a personality trait.

Previously part of the SensePost crew, and currently working at Whirly Labs, Teddy's research blends deep technical insight with a sharp instinct for exploitation — especially when arbitrary class loading is involved. If there's a gadget chain, he'll find it. If there's a way to pop a shell, best believe he's trying his best to hit ret.