Founder, Nick Aleks
- id:
- uid=1015(nick) gid=42(asec) groups=42(asec),416(dc416),1718(no-starch-press),1701(robinhood),1019(wealthsimple-ex),1016(td-bank-ex),2148(bsides-toronto-2015)
- fullname:
- Nick Aleks
- title:
- Chief Hacking Officer · CEO, ASEC
- aka:
- Founder, DEFCON Toronto (DC416) · Author, Black Hat GraphQL · Author, Black Hat Bash
- shell:
- /bin/bash (Black Hat Bash, No Starch Press, 2024)
- home:
- github.com/nicholasaleks · damn-vulnerable-drone · graphql-threat-matrix · CrackQL · awesome-drone-hacking · sikw00f
- history:
- TD Bank (Distinguished Security Engineer) → Wealthsimple (Head of Security) → Robinhood (Head of Security Operations) · ASEC (parallel, founder, 2015 present)
- patents:
- US 16/936229, Intelligent Security Automation and Continuous Verification and Response Platform
- advisory:
- University of Guelph M.Cybersecurity · George Brown College Cyber · HackStudent · House of Commons of Canada
- voice:
- "You have got to have a mindset of when, not if, you are going to be hit." (MapleSEC keynote, 2022)
Team
| user | role | shell | note |
|---|---|---|---|
| nick | Chief Hacking Officer · CEO | /bin/bash | Founder, ASEC (2015). Founder, DC416 (2016). |
| engineer-01 | Senior Offensive Security Engineer | /bin/zsh | Drone, UAV, robotics adversarial testing lead. [REDACTED · roster confirmed at engagement scoping] |
| engineer-02 | Senior Application Security Engineer | /bin/zsh | GraphQL, web, API specialist. [REDACTED · roster confirmed at engagement scoping] |
| engineer-03 | Cloud and Infrastructure Pentest Engineer | /bin/zsh | AWS, Azure, GCP, container, Kubernetes adversarial work. [REDACTED · roster confirmed at engagement scoping] |
| consultant-01 | Principal Consultant, Defense Sector | /bin/zsh | CADSI, ACDC, ITAR-CE engagements. [REDACTED · roster confirmed at engagement scoping] |
DC416, 10 years
- 416mkdir -p ~/dc416 && cd ~/dc416 && touch first-meetup.txt# 2016
- 419host meetup --venue "various" --talks "lockpicking, stuxnet, polymorphic malware"# 2016
- 502partner --org "Trace Labs" --project "OSINT Missing Persons CTF (worlds first)"# 2018
- 537launch ctf --name "DC416 Missing CTF 2019" --owner "Adrian Korn"# 2019
- 612sponsor --org "EY Cyber Threat Management" --venue "EY Tower, Toronto"# 2022
- 648feature talk --title "Attacks on Ethereum Smart Contracts" --speaker "Coinbase Blockchain Security"# 2022
- 671feature talk --title "We Taught Burp How to Speak GraphQL" --speaker "Jared Meit"# 2023
- 712launch track --name "AI Fight Club" --leads "Amir Hosseinpour, KC Udonsi"# 2024
- 758count members --source meetup.com/defcon416# 2026
- 759echo "2880 active members, 4.7 stars over 446 reviews, 150 attendees per meetup"# 2026
- 760celebrate --milestone "10 years, Toronto largest standing hacker community"# 2026
Industry memberships, expanded
Legal contact
- Legal name:
- Aleks Security Cyber Intelligence Inc.
- Trade name:
- ASEC
- Jurisdiction:
- Ontario, Canada
- Founded:
- 2015-08 (asec.io domain operational since 2015)
- Registered office:
- 18 King Street East, Suite 1400, Toronto, Ontario M5C 1C4, Canada
- Principal:
- Nick Aleks · Chief Hacking Officer · CEO
- Phone:
- +1-877-411-1337
- Email:
- contact@asec.io
# For procurement officers: ASEC is Canadian-owned, Canadian-controlled, ITAR Canadian-Exemption eligible, and a member of CADSI, ACDC, CCTX, and IN-SEC-M.