THE OPERATOR

DR DAVID
SYKES

█

Practicing dentist. Independent cybersecurity consultant based in Durban, South Africa. 25 years in offensive security research and 13 years in clinical dentistry — operating with precision at the intersection of regulated clinical care and offensive security.

UMHLANGA · DURBAN · SOUTH AFRICA
Dr David Sykes — half hacker, half dentist
25 YRS HACKING · 13 YRS CLINICAL
DUAL DISCIPLINE
[ VERIFIED ]
CLINICAL PRECISION ◆ AUTHORIZED ACCESS ONLY ◆ INDEPENDENT CONSULTANCY ◆ HEALTHCARE BACKGROUND ◆ ETHICAL HACKING ◆ STRICT NDA ◆ KZN BASED ◆ PENETRATION TESTING ◆ CLINICAL PRECISION ◆ AUTHORIZED ACCESS ONLY ◆ INDEPENDENT CONSULTANCY ◆ HEALTHCARE BACKGROUND ◆ ETHICAL HACKING ◆ STRICT NDA ◆ KZN BASED ◆ PENETRATION TESTING ◆
DUAL DISCIPLINE

TWO WORLDS. ONE MINDSET.

The disciplines that shaped Greyhat4hire don't just coexist — they reinforce each other in ways few practitioners can claim.

DISCIPLINE 01

CLINICAL DENTIST

UMHLANGA DENTAL · EST. JAN 2012

Founder and principal of Umhlanga Dental, one of KwaZulu-Natal's leading private dental practices. First in KZN to adopt Waterlase Express dual-wavelength laser technology — a willingness to invest in precision tools before they become standard practice.

A regulated clinical environment demands zero ambiguity: every intervention is documented, every outcome is measured, and every action is taken under informed consent. Those habits don't stay at the surgery door.

Laser Dentistry Implantology Patient Care Healthcare Reg.
DISCIPLINE 02

SECURITY PRACTITIONER

GREYHAT4HIRE · INDEPENDENT

A continuous and disciplined focus on information security, vulnerability research, and ethical hacking spanning more than 25 years — maintained in parallel with a 13-year clinical dental career. Not a career transition. A genuine dual vocation.

Operating as an intentionally limited-capacity independent consultancy ensures every engagement receives direct senior involvement rather than being delegated down a consultant chain.

Penetration Testing Vuln. Research OSINT Healthcare Sec.

"I was trained in a field where one mistake can change someone's life forever. You don't unlearn that level of discipline — you deploy it."

— DR DAVID SYKES · GREYHAT4HIRE
0
YEARS ACTIVE
IN SECURITY
0
ENTERPRISE TOOLS
IN ACTIVE USE
0
DIRECT SENIOR
INVOLVEMENT
0
YEARS CLINICAL
HEALTHCARE OPS
VERIFIED CREDENTIALS

QUALIFIED TO TEST YOUR DEFENCES

Industry-recognised certification backed by hands-on tooling and structured methodology — not just theoretical knowledge.

PenTest+
COMPTIA CERTIFIED
ACTIVE · VERIFIED
// CERTIFICATION DETAIL
CERTIFICATION
CompTIA PenTest+ (PT0-003)
COVERS
Planning · Scoping · Recon · Exploitation · Post-Exploitation · Reporting
METHODOLOGY ALIGNMENT
MITRE ATT&CK · OWASP Top 10 · PTES · NIST SP 800-115
VALIDATED SKILLS
Web App · Network · Cloud · Social Engineering · Wireless · Physical
CONTINUING DEVELOPMENT
Ongoing — threat landscape evolves, training keeps pace
BACKGROUND

HOW TWO CAREERS
BECAME ONE EDGE

While most people choose a single path, Dr Sykes built two — in parallel, with full commitment to both. The result is a perspective on security that practitioners who came up entirely through IT cannot replicate.

EARLY CAREER

Clinical Foundation

Established Umhlanga Dental, building a practice defined by conservative treatment philosophy, patient transparency, and continuous investment in emerging technology.

PARALLEL PURSUIT

Security Research Begins

Curiosity about how systems fail — rooted in the same diagnostic mindset applied clinically — evolves into structured vulnerability research and ethical hacking practice.

INNOVATION

First in KZN: Waterlase Express

First practitioner in KwaZulu-Natal to adopt Biolase Waterlase Express dual-wavelength laser technology — evidence of a pattern: evaluating new tools seriously, then committing to them fully.

TODAY

Greyhat4hire

A formalised independent security consultancy — deliberately limited in capacity to preserve quality, confidentiality, and direct senior-practitioner involvement on every engagement.

Dr David Sykes — Founder, Greyhat4Hire
// WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOU

SCOPE DISCIPLINE

Decades of operating within clearly defined clinical boundaries translate directly into security work. Nothing outside the agreed scope is touched — ever.

DOCUMENTATION RIGOUR

Clinical practice demands meticulous recordkeeping. Security reports from Greyhat4hire reflect that same standard — precise, reproducible, and litigation-ready if required.

HEALTHCARE SECTOR FLUENCY

Understanding of POPIA compliance, patient data sensitivity, and the operational constraints of healthcare environments — from the inside, not from a textbook.

ABSOLUTE CONFIDENTIALITY

Patient confidentiality is non-negotiable in dentistry. The same principle governs every security engagement — findings, methodologies, and client identities stay private.

PROFESSIONAL PHILOSOPHY

THE STANDARD THAT GUIDES
EVERY ENGAGEMENT

WRITTEN AUTHORIZATION

Every engagement begins with documented, explicit authorization. No exceptions. No grey areas.

CONTROLLED EXECUTION

Testing is methodical, measured, and minimally disruptive — never reckless or exploratory beyond defined scope.

CLEAR DELIVERABLES

Findings are presented in language that leadership teams can act on — not jargon-dense reports that gather dust.

"I don't test to impress you with what I can break.
I test to show you exactly what an attacker will find when no one is watching."

— DR DAVID SYKES
ARSENAL

TOOLS OF THE TRADE

Enterprise-grade platforms used by the world's leading security teams — operated by a practitioner who understands both the technical output and the business context.

WEB APP TESTING
Burp Suite Pro
Industry-standard web application security testing platform. Used for manual and automated discovery of OWASP Top 10 vulnerabilities, auth flaws, business logic issues, and API weaknesses.
Intercepting Proxy Active Scanner Intruder Repeater API Testing
VULNERABILITY SCANNING
Nessus Pro
The gold standard in vulnerability assessment. Used for comprehensive network scanning, CVE identification, and configuration auditing across servers, endpoints, cloud, and network devices.
CVE Detection Config Audit Compliance Checks Cloud Scanning
AUTOMATED PENTEST
RidgeBot
AI-driven automated penetration testing platform. Continuously discovers, exploits, and validates vulnerabilities across the attack surface — used alongside manual testing for complete coverage.
AI-Driven Exploitation Attack Chaining Risk Validation Continuous Testing
PHISHING SIMULATION
Evilginx2
Advanced adversary-in-the-middle phishing framework. Used for authorised social engineering simulations that bypass MFA — testing whether staff can detect and resist real-world credential harvesting attacks.
AiTM Phishing MFA Bypass Sim Session Hijack Credential Harvest
// ATTACK DOMAIN COVERAGE
Web Application Security95%
Network Penetration Testing88%
Social Engineering / Phishing90%
Vulnerability Assessment95%
OSINT & Reconnaissance92%
Cloud Security Assessment78%
// SUPPORTING TOOLKIT
Metasploit Nmap Wireshark BloodHound Impacket Responder FFUF Nuclei Shodan theHarvester Kali Linux OWASP ZAP SQLMap CrackMapExec John the Ripper Hashcat
// FRAMEWORKS & STANDARDS
MITRE ATT&CK OWASP Top 10 PTES NIST CSF POPIA POPIA / HIPAA
INDEPENDENCE

WHY SMALL IS
INTENTIONAL

Greyhat4hire operates with intentionally limited engagement capacity. This is not a constraint — it is a deliberate design choice.

Large consultancies distribute work across teams of varying experience. At Greyhat4hire, Dr Sykes is directly involved in every engagement — from scoping to final report. The person who signs the engagement is the person doing the work.

Strict confidentiality is maintained throughout. Client identities, findings, and engagement details are never disclosed. All work is performed under NDA and within clearly defined legal and ethical boundaries.

SENIOR-ONLY DELIVERY

Your engagement is handled by Dr Sykes personally — from kick-off through to report delivery and remediation review.

FULL NDA PROTECTION

Every engagement is protected by a comprehensive non-disclosure agreement before any information is shared.

LEGAL BOUNDARIES ONLY

All work conducted within clearly defined written scope — no unilateral expansion, no testing of out-of-scope assets.

// READY TO ENGAGE?

LET'S TALK ABOUT
YOUR EXPOSURE

Engagements are limited. If you're looking for a practitioner who treats your security with the same diligence they apply in a regulated clinical environment — reach out.

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