ABOUT ME
David Odes
David Odes is a cybersecurity and privacy researcher whose work sits at the intersection of technology, people, and policy.
He is the founder of Web Security Lab, where he leads the organisation’s mission to close the gap between Africa’s digital transformation and the security maturity needed to protect people and institutions.
He holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from the University of Port Harcourt, where his early curiosity about computer networks, telecommunication systems, and how systems fail led him into cybersecurity.
During this period, he volunteered with AIESEC on projects advancing the Sustainable Development Goals, and that experience reshaped how he thinks about technology, society, and responsibility.
It taught him that impact has meaning when people can understand it and take part in it.
This belief now anchors his mission, that cybersecurity at scale only works when no one is left behind, and digital safety must be accessible regardless of technical expertise.
He holds multiple industry certifications, including CompTIA Security+ and Microsoft SC-900. His work spans both technical and non-technical domains: from security operations and vulnerability assessment to governance, risk management, and privacy-aligned policy thinking.
David is a speaker, teacher, and commentator on cybersecurity, data protection, and digital rights. His commentary has been featured in national media, including The Punch Newspaper, and he has spoken at events hosted by the Nigeria Data Protection Commission and other industry groups, offering expert insight on emerging threats and digital safety issues.
He is also a published researcher—his paper examining Nigeria’s consent-based data protection model and proposing a harm-accountability framework appeared in the inaugural edition of the Nigeria Data Protection Commission’s International Journal of Data Protection and Privacy.
Beyond his work, David is a cinephile, a semi-retired football fan, an avid Egusi enjoyer, and someone who genuinely believes that technology should protect people as much as it empowers them.
If you would like to collaborate, invite David to speak, or book a consultation, you can reach him at his firstname @ websecuritylab.org.
How Critical Security Flaw in MTN Portal Could Have Exposed Personal Data of Millions
An independent security researcher uncovered critical flaws in MTN Nigeria’s self-service portal that could have let anyone logged in access the personal data of millions of users, including names, addresses, family links, phone numbers, airtime and data balances, and recharge histories
What began as an annoying spam message became one of Nigeria’s most talked-about digital rights cases. I spoke with the plaintiff, Chukwunweike Araka, a young lawyer who decided that his privacy was worth defending, and uncovered how one text from Domino’s Pizza turned into a precedent-setting legal battle.
Africa is rapidly digitising, but how secure is that growth? The 2024 Global Cybersecurity Index sheds new light on the continent’s strengths and weaknesses, from improvements in national frameworks to persistent gaps in skills, infrastructure, and coordinated response capabilities.