Open to opportunities

Choolwe Chiti Chilinda

@choolwechitichilinda

Message

I am an experienced cybersecurity professional specializing in penetration testing and digital forensics.

Zambia

Message

What I'm looking for

I seek a senior cybersecurity role focused on penetration testing, vulnerability research and incident response where I can lead teams, drive remediation, and apply emerging technologies (AI/ICS/SCADA-IoT) to deliver measurable security improvements.

I am a highly motivated cybersecurity professional specializing in penetration testing, vulnerability research, digital forensics and project management.

Since 2020 I have led technical services and delivered over 60 penetration testing projects across finance, government, manufacturing and energy, driving a 70% reduction in identified vulnerabilities for clients. I also authored over 100 winning proposals that secured more than $500,000 in new contracts.

I developed and implemented penetration testing methodologies that reduced testing time by 50%, and I lead and mentor multidisciplinary teams to deliver clear, actionable remediation reports. I coordinate training workshops on forensic toolsets such as Autopsy, FTK Imager, Cellebrite and Wireshark and stay current with threat intelligence. My freelance bug bounty work complements my corporate experience, where I reported critical vulnerabilities and honed manual and automated testing skills using Burp Suite, Amass and Postman.

I hold professional certifications including CEH and Fortinet FortiGate administration and I am completing an MSc in Cybersecurity researching AI-powered intrusion prevention for converged ICS/SCADA-IoT environments. I seek roles where I can lead security assessments, improve security posture, and apply emerging technologies to protect critical systems.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Current

Lead Technical Services

Current

Digitalsafe Limited

Jun 2020 - Present (5 years 2 months)

Managed and delivered over 60 penetration testing projects across finance, government, manufacturing and energy, reducing identified vulnerabilities by 70%. Authored 100+ winning proposals securing over $500,000, developed methodologies that cut testing time by 50%, and led a team of cyber analysts.

Penetration Testing Vulnerability Assessment Digital Forensics Incident Response Project Management Team Leadership Report Writing Autopsy Wireshark

Current

Bug Bounty Hunter

Current

Freelance

Feb 2017 - Present (8 years 6 months)

Identified and reported 10+ critical vulnerabilities and uncovered 6 injection flaws, 4 XSS issues, and 2 server misconfigurations across 100+ applications, earning recognition and rewards. Conduct regular manual and automated assessments using industry tools to improve application and API security.

Vulnerability Research Bug Bounty Application Security API Security Manual Testing Burp suite Amass Postman)

Education

Degrees, certifications, and relevant coursework

ZCAS University

Master of Science, Cybersecurity

2024 -

Master of Science in Cybersecurity with a proposed thesis on an AI-powered IPS for converged ICS/SCADA-IoT environments; coursework includes Penetration Testing and Ethical Hacking, Security Management, and Cyber Law & Ethics.

Information and Communications University

Bachelor of Information Security and Computer Forensics, Information Security and Computer Forensics

Completed a Bachelor of Information Security and Computer Forensics with coursework in Computer Hacking and Forensic Investigation, Cyber Law, Information Systems Audit, Information Systems Security, Artificial Intelligence, and Ethical Hacking.