Chris Meistre

Port Elizabeth · South Africa · (084) 583-1337 · chris@meistre.co.za

I love breaking things and providing solutions on how to secure them

I have been in the IT industry since 1998, and have spent 18 of those years as a professional software developer. I have always had a hacker mentality and officially made the transition to Cyber Security in 2020.

I obtained my OSCP, OSEP, OSWE, OSED, and OSCE3 certifications from Offensive Security within a year of starting to study.

At Checkmark Cyber I worked as a Lead Red Teamer and Lead Penetration Tester on a vast number of projects, including international big brand clients. I successfully performed a number of blackbox, whitebox, physical access and social engineer simluations against clients.

During my time at Halborn, I was exposed to various Web 3 technologies (smart contracts, blockchain, and DeFI) and was promoted to Lead Offensive Security Engineer within the first three (3) months of starting at the company. I was also tasked with performing penetration testing on web applications and cloud infrastructure. I was also responsible for performing code audits on web and desktop applications, as well as browser extensions. My main role was as a member of the Cosmos auditing team.

I am passionate about hacking and love learning daily. To this end I am always looking at courses or certifications to improve my knowledge and skillset. The more difficult the challenge, the more satisfying it is when the solution is found. I take pride in providing work that is of the highest quality.

I know how to work well in a team, and can operate independently as well. The majority of the work that I am involved with is remote, so I can be disciplined enough to stick to deadlines. In the past I have been employed in various positions where I had to lead a team.


Employment History

Halborn

Lead Offensive Security Enigneer

As a leader offensive security I am responsible for:

  • performing audits on Web 3 smart contracts, blockchain and DeFI technologies
  • secure code review of Golang projects
  • penetration testing of cloud infratructure, web applications, desktop applications and browser extensions
  • report writing with proof of concepts
  • provide remediation recommendations
  • interacting with and managing client expectations
  • research and development

June 2022 - Current

Checkmark Cyber

Senior Cyber Manager | Penetration Tester

As a whitebox and blackbox penetration tester I am responsible for:

  • performing penetration tests on infrastructure and applications
  • report writing with proof of concepts
  • provide remediation recommendations
  • interacting with and managing client expectations
  • research and development

July 2021 - June 2022

CM Computer Services

Software Developer / IT Support Manager

As the owner of the business I am responsible for:

  • bringing in new business and maintaining relations
  • training up employees to work as software developers and IT support staff
  • managing projects and time frames
  • lead developer on projects
  • managing creditors/debtors

The business started as an IT Support provider, and later branched out and focused on Software Development. Software developed included Desktop, Server, Web and Mobile Application solutions.

February 1999 - Present

Work Experience


Education

Newton Technical High School

High School Diploma
  • Afrikaans First Language
  • English First Language
  • Mathematics
  • Physics
  • Computer Science
  • Electrical / Electronics (Theory and Practical)
January 1995 to November 1999

University of Port Elizabeth

Bachelor of Science
  • Information Systems
  • Geographic Information System
  • Software Development
  • Applied Mathematics
  • Calculus Mathematics
  • Statistics Mathematics
January 2000 to December 2003

Skills

Programming Languages & Tools
Skills & Experience
Workflow
  • Mobile-First, Responsive Design
  • Cross Browser Testing & Debugging
  • Cross Functional Teams
  • Agile Development & Scrum

Interests

Apart from being a hacker, I enjoy most of my time being outdoors.

Healthy Hobbies:
  • Openwater Adventure Swimming
  • Ultra Running (both on and off road)
  • Mountain Biking
  • Hiking
  • Diving

Extra Curricular Activities:
  • 4x4 Driver / Part Owner, EC Offroad Adventures (Jan 2008 to Aug 2011)
  • Wells Estate Animal Project (Jan 2011 to Jun 2013)
  • Skipper & Rescue Swimmer, Bluewater Bay Rescue (Jan 2012 to Present)
  • Swimmer & Training Officer, Coastal Water Rescue (Aug 2014 to Present)


Courses

OSCP Penetration Testing with Kali Linux (PEN-200)

Offensive Security
April 2021

Offensive Security Experienced Penetration (OSEP) Tester (PEN-300)

Offensive Security
June 2021

Offensive Security Web Expert (OSWE) (WEB-300)

Offensive Security
August 2021

Offensive Security Exploit Developer (OSED) (EXP-301)

Offensive Security
November 2021

Offensive Security Certified Expert 3 (OSCE3)

Offensive Security
November 2021

Practical Network Penetration Tester (PNPT)

TCM Security
December 2021

Certified Enterprise Security Specialist (PACES)

Pentester Academy
April 2022

Burp Suite Certified Practitioner

PortSwigger
May 2022

Go Audit and Code Review

FuzzingLabs
July 2022

Practical Ethical Hacking - The Complete Course

Udemy
June 2020

Windows Privilege Escalation for OSCP & Beyond!

Udemy
January 2021

References

Online Innovations

Dirk Erasmus
dirk@onlineinnovations.com
+27 41 365 4919

ATAS Development

Caroline Morgan
caro@exbo.co.za
+27 82 553 6185

Nitro Park

Andrew Beuster
andrew@nitropark.co.za
+27 73 305 1995

Lunatech

Francois Odendaal
francois@lunatech.co.za
+27 84 208 6085

Bigbay SA

Anton van de Venter
anton@bigbaysa.co.za
+27 83 650 0011

ChainEX

Otto Lessing
otto@chainex.io
+27 79 873 6815

Lunatech / Particl

Ryno Mathee
ryno@lunatech.co.za