Lucky Mashudu Tshavhungwe

-Municipal ERP Security: Architected and hardened the SOLAR ERP (Expenditure, Revenue, SCM modules) with database encryption (TDE/SSL), role-based access, and audit trails, reducing insider threat risk.

-Revenue Protection: Collaborated with Finance and Legal to identify and mitigate billing data manipulation in Siyakhokha and POS systems, safeguarding millions in municipal revenue.

-Forensic Readiness: Led forensic imaging and log correlation for ABSA BIO and SOLAR fraud cases, enabling SAPS Cybercrime and SABRIC investigations.

-Cloud & Digital Transformation: Developed the CoE Cloud Strategy, incorporating cost-benefit analysis and regulatory compliance (PFMA, mSCOA, POPIA, National Cloud & Data Policy).

-Integrated Security Architecture: Delivered secure integrations between municipal systems (ILEMS, Siyakhokha, IMS, UMS, eNatis, ArcGIS, CRM, SAPS, etc.) with WSO2 API Manager under Zero Trust principles.

-SOC Enablement: Deployed SIEM solutions (Wazuh XDR, Elastic SIEM) with custom dashboards for municipal threat detection, aligned to NIST 800-53.

-Resiliency: Oversaw security of Huawei-powered Germiston primary datacentre, Alberton redundancy, and Boksburg DR site — ensuring continuity of municipal services.

-Cybersecurity Awareness: Designed and rolled out ICT-wide awareness programs, including phishing defense simulations and POPIA compliance training.

-Policy & Governance: Authored the updated Cybersecurity Strategy & Implementation Plan, embedding NIST Zero Trust standards and aligning with AGSA audit requirements.

-Successfully modernized the company’s ICT infrastructure, including upgrading servers, storage, and network equipment, improving uptime and system resilience by 30%.

-Implemented secure Wi-Fi and LAN connectivity across all EHC offices and housing depots, enhancing staff mobility and efficiency.

-Rolled out Office 365 / Exchange Online migration, ensuring reliable email, collaboration, and cloud storage for all employees.

-Spearheaded the deployment of a Property Management System to streamline tenant billing, lease management, and arrears tracking, reducing manual processing errors by 40%.

-Integrated EHC systems with the City of Ekurhuleni’s Siyakhokha platform for efficient billing, revenue collection, and financial reconciliation.

-Supported implementation of SOLAR finance modules (Expenditure, SCM, and Revenue) for alignment with municipal financial standards (mSCOA).

-Strengthened security posture by introducing endpoint protection, access controls, and regular patch management, mitigating insider and external threats.

-Deployed data backup and disaster recovery processes, ensuring critical housing and financial data could be restored within RTO/RPO requirements.

-Ensured compliance with POPIA, embedding data privacy into tenant information handling and ICT workflows.

-Designed and enforced ICT policies and standard operating procedures (SOPs) that aligned with EHC governance frameworks.

-Introduced a helpdesk ticketing system that reduced resolution times and improved ICT service delivery reporting.

-Optimised vendor and licensing management, reducing annual ICT operational costs by 15%.

-Provided ICT support and training to staff, improving digital literacy and adoption of systems across housing, finance, and facilities departments.

-Acted as the ICT liaison with the City of Ekurhuleni ICT Department, ensuring EHC remained aligned with citywide technology standards and initiatives.

-Conducted cybersecurity awareness campaigns to sensitize staff on phishing, password hygiene, and safe data handling

Penetration Testing & Security Assessments Incident Response & Forensic Analysis Advisory & Security Architecture Innovation & Knowledge Contribution

-City Power Johannesburg – Led end-to-end penetration testing engagement covering external perimeter, internal networks, and web applications. Discovered critical privilege escalation and SCADA network segmentation flaws; delivered remediation roadmap that reduced exploitable risk by 65%.

-Competition Commission of South Africa – Conducted red-team style penetration test including phishing simulation, Active Directory exploitation, and cloud security assessment. Identified misconfigurations in IAM policies and lateral movement paths, helping the client achieve ISO 27001 audit readiness.

-Delivered over 15 penetration tests across municipal, financial, and enterprise clients, leveraging OSSTM/NIST methodology and custom exploit frameworks to simulate real-world APT-style attacks.

-UBank Incident Response – Coordinated rapid containment of a ransomware-style breach targeting financial systems. Led forensic imaging of compromised servers, log correlation, and malware reverse engineering, enabling recovery of 80% of affected systems within SLA.

-Produced forensic chain-of-custody reports admissible for legal and regulatory proceedings, supporting UBank’s engagements with SARB and external auditors.

-Built an incident response playbook for Verishield clients, reducing mean-time-to-detect (MTTD) and mean-time-to-respond (MTTR) by more than 50%.

-Advised municipal entities on strengthening critical infrastructure security (energy and utilities) with Zero Trust principles, network segmentation, and SOC integration.

-Assisted clients in aligning cybersecurity programs with POPIA, King IV, and NIST 800-53 requirements.

-Designed cybersecurity awareness campaigns for executives and employees, focusing on phishing defense and insider threat mitigation.

-Developed internal Verishield methodology for penetration testing that combined automated tooling with manual exploitation techniques, increasing depth of findings and client value.

-Authored technical whitepapers and client reports that influenced ICT governance decisions in both the public and private sector.

-Mentored junior consultants in ethical hacking, log analysis, and forensic techniques, strengthening Verishield’s internal capacity.

-Strategic Partnerships & Incubation
Partnered with Wits Ventures and became the first incubatee at Tsimologong / JCSE innovation hub, establishing credibility in South Africa’s emerging cybersecurity ecosystem.

-Product Innovation & IP
Conceived, designed, and led the development of Intakt DLP (Data Loss Prevention), securing 3 patents that positioned the company as a pioneering local cybersecurity product developer.

-Funding & Growth
Secured R1,650,000 in matching finance from the Support Programme for Industrial Innovation (SPII), administered by the IDC, enabling commercialization of Intakt DLP.
Drove company growth from incubation stage to a R3.5 million revenue business, selling over 250,000 licenses across enterprise and public sector clients.

-Market Traction & Client Success
Secured three PoC deployments with major entities — SASOL, Gauteng Department of Finance’s GSSC, and Bojanala District Municipality — validating product-market fit in both private and public sectors.
Expanded adoption across South Africa, delivering enterprise-grade DLP solutions to organizations facing growing compliance, insider threat, and IP protection challenges.

-Leadership & Ecosystem Building
Positioned Synergic Internet Security as one of the earliest South African cybersecurity product startups with export potential.
Built and led a multidisciplinary team across R&D, sales, and support, while mentoring young innovators in the Johannesburg tech ecosystem.

-High-Profile Investigations
Collaborated with the SAPS Directorate of Special Operations (Scorpions) on complex digital evidence collection, preservation, and analysis in corruption and organized crime investigations.
Provided expert forensic support in matters requiring chain-of-custody rigor and courtroom admissibility, strengthening prosecutorial cases.

-Specialized Technical Engagements
Partnered with CSIR DefenceTek on advanced forensic research projects, including malware reverse engineering, secure evidence handling methodologies, and offensive cyber countermeasure studies.
Delivered forensic analysis of encrypted systems, mobile devices, and network traffic to support national security objectives.

-Tax & Financial Crime Investigations
Worked with SARS Forensics to uncover fraudulent schemes, including tax evasion and illicit financial flows, by performing detailed forensic audits of digital records and enterprise databases.
Supported SARS forensic teams in recovering hidden or manipulated financial evidence critical to enforcement actions.

-Knowledge Contribution
Developed forensic procedures and SOPs for handling digital evidence in line with ISO/IEC 27037 and South African legal frameworks.
Trained multidisciplinary teams on forensic best practices, improving investigative capacity across agencies.

-Web-Based Email Testing
Performed functional and regression testing on Commtouch’s flagship webmail platform to ensure stability, usability, and performance under diverse conditions.
Executed test cases for email sending, receiving, filtering, and attachment handling, identifying defects and logging them into bug-tracking systems.

-Automation & Tools Exposure
Assisted QA engineers in creating and running automated test scripts, gaining exposure to early Selenium-like frameworks, IBM Rationale and in-house testing tools.
Conducted cross-browser compatibility testing to validate email rendering on Internet Explorer, Opera, and early Netscape Navigator builds.

-Collaboration & Agile Practice
Worked closely with developers, QA leads, and product managers in an Agile (scrum-like) environment, contributing to daily stand-ups and sprint retrospectives.
Documented test results and contributed to quality metrics reporting, supporting decision-making for production releases.

-Achievements
Identified critical defects in the webmail user interface that improved usability and reduced customer support tickets.
Built foundational skills in software QA, bug lifecycle management, and web application security considerations, laying the groundwork for later cybersecurity focus.

Key Responsibilities

-Provided technical support for school computer labs and teacher ICT initiatives across South Africa, ensuring reliable access to ICT resources during the early stages of e-learning adoption.

-Installed, configured, and maintained Windows 95/98, NT4, and early Linux systems, including network cards, dial-up modems, and peripheral devices.

-Delivered LAN/WAN support, troubleshooting switches, hubs, and TCP/IP configurations in school networks.

-Assisted educators in using productivity software (MS Office, Lotus Notes, Netscape Navigator, Internet Explorer) to integrate ICT into the classroom.

-Performed hardware repairs and upgrades (memory, hard drives, CRT monitors, printers) to extend the lifespan of donated and legacy equipment.

-Supported the rollout of the SchoolNet South Africa initiative, connecting schools to the internet for the first time via dial-up and ISDN lines.

-Played a role in bridging the digital divide, helping under-resourced schools gain access to ICT infrastructure.

-Implemented standardised imaging and ghosting solutions for classroom PCs, cutting setup time by 40%.

-Trained over 200 teachers and learners on basic ICT literacy and safe internet use, laying the foundation for South Africa’s early digital education movement.

-Contributed to pilot projects that later informed the Department of Education’s e-Education Strategy.