A British cybersecurity expert has successfully obtained one of Australia's most exclusive visas after demonstrating his skills in an unconventional way: by ethically hacking the government's own immigration system.
The Unorthodox Application
Jacob Riggs, a 36-year-old information security director from Bexley in London, set his sights on the notoriously difficult 858 National Innovation Permanent Visa. This visa category, typically reserved for global elite achievers like Nobel laureates and Olympians, boasts an overall applicant success rate of less than one per cent.
Rather than relying solely on a traditional application, Riggs, who describes himself as an ethical hacker, took a more hands-on approach. From his home in London, he infiltrated the Australian visa system, a process he said took only a few hours. His objective was not malicious but demonstrative: to uncover potential security weaknesses.
A Critical Discovery and Official Praise
Riggs's efforts were successful. He identified a critical security flaw within the system, a discovery that was subsequently praised by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). The find served as tangible proof of his advanced technical capabilities and his proactive dedication to protecting Australia's digital infrastructure.
"If the 858 visa asks for anything, it's evidence that your efforts to master yourself have meant something," Riggs stated. "For me, that meant demonstrating the value of my work in a way the system could actually recognise: by helping protect the nation assessing my application."
He approached the task as a routine professional security assessment, applying his standard methodology. "I can't say how much this tiny additional evidence influenced the outcome of my 858 application," he later reflected, "but I'd like to think it helped demonstrate, in a small and perhaps practical way, that I'm capable and committed to supporting Australia's cybersecurity interests."
A Move into National Cyber Defence
The direct result of his actions was the granting of full Australian residency. Riggs, who is the global director of information security for a major Software as a Service (SaaS) provider, is now preparing to relocate to Sydney to work in the field of cyber defence.
This extraordinary case unfolds against a backdrop of escalating cyber threats facing Australia. According to the latest annual Cyber Threat Report, authorities responded to over 1,200 cybersecurity incidents in the past year, marking an 11% increase from the 2023-24 period.
Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles has emphasised the severity of the situation, stating that cyber-enabled espionage and crime present "a real and increasing danger to the essential services we all rely on." The government and private organisations face constant pressure from ransomware attacks, state-sponsored hacking, and large-scale data breaches, making skilled professionals like Riggs a valuable national asset.
