Bio
Tom Van de Wiele is a cyber security speaker, ethical hacker and advisor
Drawing from his 23+ years of authentic, international cyber security industry experience as an ethical hacker for hire and security consultant, Tom performs public speaking, consultancy and acts as an advisor cyber security and technology. His career has taken him from uncovering international industrial espionage rings, hacking power plants and ATMs, to remotely taking over container ships, mainframes and teaching law enforcement and journalists on how hacker techniques work - and how to defend against them.
As founder of the company Hacker Minded, Tom is on a mission is to help create and develop a cyber security culture within organisations that goes beyond compliance and technical solutionism.
Cyber security culture goes beyond marketing slogans and brute-forcing a
multiple-choice awareness quiz once a year
Professional Background
Tom Van de Wiele is a cyber security speaker, ethical hacker, advisor and consultant with over 23+ years of authentic, international cyber security industry experience.
After starting his professional journey as a Linux/UNIX system administrator, Tom quickly delved into professional security consultancy, helping customers with security solutions and consultancy.
Over the course of his career spanning more than two decades, he has gained specialisations in offensive and defense security domains including online and physical intrusion testing, red teaming and threat emulation having worked for customers in more than 20 countries.
After having worked for various cyber security consultancy houses in Belgium, including C-CURE, UNISKILL, Cybertrust and Verizon Business, Tom started working for the Nordic cyber security company nSense in 2010 as a Principal Security Consultant and partner. nSense was later acquired by F-Secure in 2015 where he continued his role as Principal Security Consultant and Red Team Lead for Denmark. The company was further split up into the company WithSecure where Tom carried the role of Principal Threat Researcher for two years as part of the CTO office, ultimately leaving the company in 2024. Since then, Hacker Minded was founded where Tom serves as Director and Head Hacker.
He developed extensive experience in attack and penetration testing, social engineering, phishing simulations, investigative response and computer forensic investigation, application security, security auditing and other risk assessment domains such as critical infrastructure protection and cyber crime fighting.
Tom gives regular guest lectures at various universities and public instances on the topic of cyber security, offensive security, professional management of penetration testing and topics such as cybercrime and computer forensics.
He gives regular media commentary and writes articles on cyber security topics and has appeared on TV, radio, and podcasts.
Tom has been a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP ID 74362) in good standing since 2005 and carries a large number of industry certifications such as:
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Certified Expert Penetration Tester (CEPT) (included practical exam) since 2008
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Certified SCADA Security Architect (CSSA) since 2008
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SANS GIAC Certified Forensic Analyst (GCFA) Alumni since 2008
Personal Background
Born and raised in the Flanders region of Belgium, Tom demonstrated an early curiosity for technology.
From disassembling toys as a child without a clear plan for reassembly, to exploring the phone networks and the early computer and Internet as a teenager, his childhood and teenage years were filled with adventures in technology. During his teenage years, playful pranks on friends utilizing everyday technology in creative ways helped reveal to him how ingrained our expectations of technology's workings are.
Setting up computers, software and networks for various purposes and with varying security needs where everything was going electronic and remote controlled was a perfect training ground for learning and experimentation. Skills that were key influences in being able to develop offensive and defensive cyber security experience. Something that later evolved into his career in ethical hacking and consultancy work, helping organizations defend themselves against cyber incidents.
Tom has been living and working from Copenhagen, Denmark for over 15 years, embracing the country's leading stance in digitization.
Outside his professional life he enjoys tinkering with technology projects, sci-fi, martial arts and reading.
