I think like an attacker because I was one.

Hacker

In 2016, I hacked Bitfinex, the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the world, and stole 119,700 Bitcoin - one of the largest hacks in history. I found exploits that every other security expert had missed.

Cooperator

After I was arrested, I was approached by the FBI. While I was serving a 5 year sentence in federal prison, I was also consulting with several government agencies on a variety of cybercrime cases.

Founder

Earlier, I founded two software startups, graduated from Y Combinator, and built and managed technical teams.

Security Researcher

Now, I apply my skills to do good. I'm working with several top startups to help build the next generation of AI security tools.

U.S. Department of Justice logo
“The government believes that the defendant will be able to use his considerable skillsets for legitimate ends, and hopes that he will make positive contributions to the cybersecurity and anti-money laundering industries following his sentence.”
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Skills and Expertise

Founded a Y Combinator-backed startup

I founded and was CEO of MixRank, a data analytics startup. I hired and managed dozens of employees across product, marketing, and sales roles. I led the product vision and developed the roadmap. The platform scraped and processed gigabytes of data from across the web and mobile.

Project Management Technical Leadership Full-Stack Development Web Scraping Linux Servers Python Postgres Docker/Containers

Built a blockchain identity platform

For my next startup, I cofounded Endpass, a blockchain identity startup. The idea was single sign on across the web using Ethereum digital signatures. As the CTO, I was responsible for the technical architecture and led a remote engineering team. I wrote a lot of the code and designed the APIs and protocols.

Web3 Smart Contracts Remote Team Management Full-Stack Development API Security Javascript Ethereum/Solidity Golang Redis

Hacked one of the world's largest crypto exchanges

In 2016, I penetrated the systems of Bitfinex, a major cryptocurrency exchange. This required exploiting a complex chain of vulnerabilities in a Rails app and maintaining persistent access to a highly secured network.

Penetration Testing Exploit Development Blockchain Security Cloud Security Ruby on Rails WAF Bypass

Consulted with federal agencies on cybercrime investigations

While serving my sentence, I worked directly with multiple government agencies to help trace stolen cryptocurrency, unwind mixer transactions, and assist in ongoing cybercrime cases. I also testified in a related criminal trial.

Blockchain Analysis Anti Money Laundering Threat Intelligence Dark Web Intelligence

Researched AI Security

In prison, I spent my time studying the mathematical and theoretical foundations of deep learning. Now, I am applying this knowledge and my hacking background to researching the frontier of AI powered offensive security.

Linear Algebra Vector Calculus Probability Theory Deep Learning Neural Networks AI Red Teaming Prompt Injection LLM Security

Get in Touch

I'm looking to work with a startup doing interesting things in AI security. If that's you, let's connect.