Donavan's World

"We must do justice to the abilities that we have been bestowed with." -- one of the values I personally believe in fervently.

Welcome to Donavan's homepage. Here you can see a collection of his milestones in life so far.




Who am I?

I grew up with an early diagnosis of Asperger's Syndrome at age 10. But I came to terms with it in secondary school and used some of my gifts to help others. I was privileged to study one of the toughest majors in NUS: Physics, with my tuition fees being paid for through the Kent Ridge Scholarship, before pivoting to cybersecurity, and had the opportunity to explore the most innovative country in the world, the United States, through school exchange.

Despite my diagnosis, I still contribute positively to society through my professional work, such as creating Vulnhub machines, offering career advice, and engaging in community service.







Cybersecurity: My Livelihood

I perform penetration testing (with CREST certification), security architecture review, security design, as well as threat and risk assessments. Beyond certifications, I have also provided my own take on the certification journey to help inspire the next generation of cybersecurity professionals.

In July 2023, I led a team of three to build a cybersecurity gamification experience, "Defend the Breach", which allows people to role-play CISOs to appreciate the immense difficulties faced while balancing between cybersecurity and other operational aspects of a business, such as finance.

I have presented "Defend the Breach" at both internal events, such as Thales's Cybersecurity Symposium, and external events such as CSA's Operational Technology Cybersecurity Expert Panel (OTCEP).

I have also written on several topics, including post-quantum cryptography and microeconomics in cybersecurity on ISACA's newsletters and blogs.




Giving a Voice for the Underprivileged

Beyond work, I lend my voice to the under-privileged, such as children with cancer through the Children's Cancer Foundation. I have been shaving my head for "Hair for Hope" annually for more than ten years.

I also currently volunteer with the Autism Resource Centre to assemble toolkits, through my own experiences, to empower autistics to cope and thrive in our complex world.

Please stay tuned for more updates as there are more exciting developments come 2024.

What Do I Do?

Below is a summary of the various areas I am involved in, past and present, beyond work.

Creating Vulnhub Machines

Vulnhub has graciously offered to host nine deliberately vulnerable machines I created as part of the digitalworld.local series. Some have reached out to me thanking for being part of their own cybersecurity journey, which I am gratified for.

Securing Cyberspace

Besides performing penetration tests, security architecture reviews and risk assessment for my customers, I also give cybersecurity talks and am a member of the advisory board for a cybersecurity conference, Vulncon.

Talks include niche web application vulnerabilities, how I approached building deliberately vulnerable machines, antivirus evasion, OT security and cybersecurity in the edtech context.

The Past: Tutoring

My tutoring journey began in Secondary 2, when I founded, led and ran a peer tutoring group in Clementi Town Secondary.

Subsequently, I have enjoyed tutoring and building up curriculum wherever I go. I find contributions such as Vulnhub machines and "Defend the Breach" my way of imbuing fun in learning.

Those interested in my previous works can find them here.

Content Creation

During COVID-19, I worked together with Leoson to set up a livestream called "Very Clear Cut" to opine on contemporary issues young people like ourselves care about. These range from energy to mental health, as well as the Future of Work. I have contributed to the Straits Times's "Future of Work" series. Occasionally, I muse on my own scratchpad as well.

Linking to the World

Back in Tembusu College, I learnt the merits of "bringing the world to Tembusu, and bringing Tembusu to the world" by hosting dialogues with Dr. Vivian Balakrishnan and Perm Sec Ngiam Siew Ying as a REACH youth ambassador.

Wherever I have been, I find a way to contribute back to those that have made me who I am. For instance, I was a panelist on career guidance forums, such as one in the NUS Physics Department, and recently went back to Clementi Town Secondary School to give a career talk as well.

ASD Advocacy

I have had the privilege of being relatively successful compared to my ASD peers. But not everyone has that privilege. I hope I can be a beacon of hope.

In DSTA, I partook in the Purple Parade. Beyond this, I have given talks in schools such as Raffles Junior College's Mental Health Awareness Week (in 2019). Once again, in the spirit of being open-source, the slides for this talk are available here and the poster here.

Get in touch

If you would like to reach out to me, you can reach out on LinkedIn or fill the form below to communicate by e-mail.