About James
James Smith’s path into offensive security started at age 12, the moment he watched WarGames and realized computers were something you could argue with. That instinct to probe, test, and break things properly has never left him.
Before landing in cybersecurity full-time, James built a broad technical foundation as a systems analyst and administrator, then IT manager at one of the UK’s largest health food distribution companies. That background gave him something many pure hackers lack: a ground-level understanding of how real organizations are built, how people use technology, and where the gaps actually live.
He moved into penetration testing and worked his way up to principal penetration tester, then Head of Offensive Security at an award-winning UK cybersecurity consultancy.
Along the way he earned CREST CPSA, CREST CRT, CyberScheme CSTM, and CHECK Team Member certifications, reflecting the rigour of his testing background.
His CEH, MCSE, and MCP credentials round out a technical foundation that spans both offensive and systems expertise.
James joined CovertSwarm in November 2025. His focus spans red teaming, network and web application penetration testing, physical security, social engineering, and operational technology. He has a particular obsession with RF and satellite communications, having built iNTERCEPT, an open-source SIGINT platform that supports over 200 protocols across 34 signal intelligence modes.
He’s a long-time Linux and Unix enthusiast, a contributor to the Fedora Project, and a photographer when he’s not staring at a spectrum analyzer. His work has been quoted in the BBC, The Independent, and the Daily Mail.
Research & Publications
James’s writing covers offensive security, social engineering, and emerging threats. His work has appeared across industry publications and his personal blog:
- “False Friends: Defending Businesses Against the Rising Tide of Social Media” – Finance Derivative
Bylined article on how social media is exploited for targeted cyber attacks against financial services organizations - smittix.net – Personal blog covering Linux, InfoSec, SDR and SIGINT topics
- iNTERCEPT – Open-source SIGINT platform supporting 200+ protocols across 34 signal intelligence modes.
Media Appearances & Press Quotes
James has been quoted as a cybersecurity expert across national and international press:
- BBC News – Quoted on ransomware data exfiltration risks (April 2021)
- The Independent – Expert commentary on webcam security and home working risks (April 2020)
- The Independent – Quoted on the EasyJet data breach and dark web implications
- Daily Mail – Hands-on demonstration recovering data from a journalist’s wiped phone (January 2021)
- Daily Mail – Commentary on the security risks behind the smart home tech boom
- SC World – Expert commentary on the Verkada surveillance camera breach
- Cyber News Group – Quoted on the NPower mobile app data breach (February 2021)
James has also appeared in the YOU DESERVE TO BE HACKED podcast, talking about operational technology and how it is everyone’s blind spot. Find the episode here.
Connect with James
Social Media Links
iNTERCEPT – How A Small RF Experiment Turned Into A Community SIGINT Platform
I've always been fascinated by RF. There's something about the fact that it's invisible, the fact that you might be…
Threat Actors Don’t Wait For Your Annual OT Pen test
Annual OT pen tests provide snapshots. Real attackers operate continuously. This is why your operational technology security strategy needs to…