Hacking Your Way to the Top: How One Cyber Expert Turned Talent into an Unbeatable Reward

In cybersecurity, mastery rarely comes with medals.

Unlike athletes crowned with gold or scientists awarded Nobel Prizes, the most meaningful victories in security are the breaches that never happen, the crises quietly avoided, the systems that remain standing because someone found the flaw before an attacker did.

But what happens when a government asks you to prove you are world-class—using criteria designed for people with visible trophies?

That challenge is exactly what Jacob Riggs, a 36-year-old British cybersecurity expert, faced. And he solved it in the most cybersecurity way possible: by demonstrating real-world impact instead of talking about it.

His reward? Permanent residency in Australia through the ultra-selective 858 National Innovation Visa.

Proving the Unseen

The 858 National Innovation Visa (formerly the Global Talent Visa) is effectively immigration’s VIP pass. Fewer than one percent of applicants are approved, and eligibility hinges on internationally recognised, exceptional achievement.

For Riggs—a self-taught security researcher and Global Director of Information Security—traditional markers like academic citations, patents, or public awards didn’t fully reflect a career spent defending systems behind the scenes.

So while his application sat in the processing queue, he chose a different strategy.

Instead of explaining his value, he demonstrated it.

The Technical “Hack”: Turning Skill into Proof

Riggs focused on something the Australian government cares deeply about: national security.

He engaged with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) using its existing Vulnerability Disclosure Program (VDP)—a crucial detail that ensured everything he did was legal, ethical, and constructive.

Here’s what made his approach stand out:

1. Responsible Disclosure, Not Reckless Hacking

By operating within DFAT’s formal disclosure framework, Riggs showed professionalism, trustworthiness, and respect for governance—qualities governments value as much as technical skill.

2. Speed, Methodology, and Precision

In just one hour and 50 minutes, Riggs identified a critical-severity vulnerability. His methodology likely involved testing multiple attack surfaces and common high-impact weaknesses such as broken access controls, injection flaws, or server-side request forgery (SSRF).

This wasn’t luck. It was the result of years of disciplined practice.

3. Results That Mattered

Riggs didn’t just report a bug—he helped DFAT fix it. The department patched the vulnerability and added him to its Vulnerability Disclosure Honor Roll, creating something cybersecurity professionals rarely receive:

• A public, verifiable achievement.

• That recognition became the tangible evidence his visa application needed.

A Result-Oriented Mindset

Riggs’ story isn’t just about hacking. It’s about how expertise turns into opportunity when it’s applied with intent.

Here are three lessons any professional can take from his approach:

• Solve Problems for the Decision-Maker

Riggs understood what mattered to the Australian government: protecting national systems. By directly contributing to that goal, he positioned himself as an asset—not just an applicant.

Lesson: Align your work with the priorities of those who hold the decision-making power.

• Create Your Own Accolades

In fields without traditional awards, impact must be made visible. High-profile bug bounties, open-source contributions, independent audits, or documented outcomes can outweigh even the longest résumé.

Lesson: Evidence beats titles—every time.

• Mastery Is Built Long Before the Moment

The “two-hour hack” was really the product of years of self-directed learning, failure, refinement, and persistence.

Lesson: Opportunities reward those who are already prepared.

The Ultimate Reward

By turning his expertise into a direct contribution to Australia’s national interest, Jacob Riggs secured immediate permanent residency and a pathway to citizenship. He is now preparing to move to Sydney, where he plans to continue his work in public-interest security research.

As Riggs puts it:

“If the 858 visa asks for anything, it’s evidence that your efforts to master yourself have meant something.”

In cybersecurity—and in life—sometimes the most powerful proof isn’t what you say you can do, but what you quietly fix before anyone else even notices.