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Thomas W.
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Thomas W.

Penetration Tester Professional | 25+ Years Experience

"Top Rated Plus" cybersecurity consultant and published author with 25+ years of experience specializing in penetration testing. Clients hire me when they need senior-level testing that includes clear scoping, reporting that drives remediation, and efficient execution. I’ve led red team and penetration testing work for Fortune 100 enterprises, government agencies, and startups. My assessments are designed to simulate realistic attacker behavior, prioritize what matters most, and produce results that are easy for technical teams to reproduce and fix. Areas of expertise: * Web application testing (OWASP Top 10, authentication/session flaws, access control, input validation, SSRF, IDOR, RCE) * API testing (token/session handling, authorization boundaries, input validation, business logic, fuzzing where appropriate) * Internal and external network testing (Windows, Linux, hybrid) with segmentation and control validation * Active Directory testing (enumeration, privilege escalation simulation, attack path validation) * AWS and Azure security reviews (misconfigurations, IAM privilege analysis, exposure discovery, logging and monitoring validation) * Compliance-aligned testing and guidance (PCI DSS, HIPAA, CIS, NIST and more) What you can expect: * Strong communication, documented scope, and no surprises * Findings prioritized by real-world impact, not just scanner output * Executive summary plus actionable remediation steps your team can use immediately * Optional live debrief and remediation testing Certifications: CISSP, CCSP, ISSMP, AWS Security Specialty, AWS Solutions Architect, CCNP Security, and more. Published author of multiple penetration testing books and a frequent security conference speaker.

🇺🇸Colorado Springs, United States$125/hr100% JSS5.00 (3)Since Jun 2023

Earnings and projects

MRR
$21

Last 6 months ÷ 6

World#164,743 / 412k
🇺🇸Country#21,794 / 62.1k
Revenue, last 30 days
$125

Last 6 months: $124

World#89,162 / 412k
🇺🇸Country#11,132 / 62.1k
Total earnings
$40k

Billed in all: $40k

World#89,740 / 412k
🇺🇸Country#15,888 / 62.1k
Per project
$5.8k

$124 in the last 6 months

World#29,933 / 412k
🇺🇸Country#4,949 / 62.1k
Projects, last 6 months
1
100% fixed0% hourly
World#128,092 / 412k
🇺🇸Country#16,472 / 62.1k
Projects in all
7
86% fixed14% hourly
World#236,188 / 412k
🇺🇸Country#33,699 / 62.1k

Earnings, last 30 days

$40.5k+$125 earned in the last 30 daysBilled in all, before Upwork's fee · drag across the chart to see what was earned in any stretch
$40.3k$40.4k$40.5kOct 8Oct 23Nov 7

Skill rankings: Top 36% in Red Team Assessment

Ranked by MRR among everyone on Upwork with the skill.

  1. #22Red Team Assessment61 freelancers · 🇺🇸 #5Top 36%
  2. #22Certified Information Systems Security Professional59 freelancers · 🇺🇸 #10Top 37%
  3. #43Kali Linux110 freelancers · 🇺🇸 #5Top 39%
  4. #43OWASP109 freelancers · 🇺🇸 #2Top 39%
  5. #70Security Assessment & Testing171 freelancers · 🇺🇸 #12Top 41%
  6. #82Network Penetration Testing212 freelancers · 🇺🇸 #8Top 39%
  7. #91Application Security251 freelancers · 🇺🇸 #17Top 36%
  8. #119Ethical Hacking320 freelancers · 🇺🇸 #9Top 37%