Daniel Bradberry

As part of the global cybersecurity organisation at HSBC, I lead the Offensive Security team with a particular passion for security research. We look at some of the newest, most critical, and most unusual projects and technologies in HSBC to help the bank understand and manage its cybersecurity risk.

Staying ahead of threats

A big part of our role is understanding our current technologies and thinking like an attacker to find and exploit new vulnerabilities, and to predict how threat actors may attack an organisation such as HSBC in the future. As we introduce new technologies into the bank, we need to understand their security posture and how our control landscape can protect against weaknesses or must evolve to offer the level of protection we need to offer our customers. I’ve worked on a variety of projects and discovered and reported many zero-day vulnerabilities to our technology vendors.

Cybersecurity is not just a technical problem. As the frequency and sophistication of cybercrime continues to increase worldwide, protecting our customers and colleagues is a crucial priority at HSBC. We work closely with other teams within cybersecurity, such as operations, education and awareness, to keep the bank safe.

From start-up to big bank

I joined HSBC as a cybersecurity researcher from a start-up and had worked in a cybersecurity consultancy before that. Moving from a start-up to one of the biggest banks in the world was a shock initially, but I quickly integrated into our ways of working with the help of my team. Our culture is incredibly supportive and everyone I’ve worked with is always happy to help.

“We have a strong learning culture which I really appreciate. As an engineer, it’s important for us to stay on top of new, emerging technologies.”

We’re encouraged to learn in the ways that suit us – whether it’s taking a course, doing some independent study or getting involved in new projects or stretch assignments. As for myself, I like to block out my Friday afternoon for learning, such as reading up on new technologies or working on a pet project where I’m trying out something new.

I got my first computer when I was seven or eight years old, taught myself how to code and built a web startup company when I was 14. What I love about coding is that I can build something new, improve customer outcomes or develop better technical solutions very quickly. As a Principal Engineer, I can stay hands-on with the technical work, experiment with new technologies and create impact across the entire engineering organisation.

Learn more about working in Engineering at HSBC.