Ngô Minh Hiếu (Hiếu PC) is a Vietnamese cybersecurity expert whose remarkable journey spans from convicted hacker to globally respected defender of cyberspace. Born in 1989 in Gia Lai, Vietnam, Hieu was arrested in 2013 in the U.S. for orchestrating an identity-theft ring affecting approximately 200 million Americans. After serving part of his sentence and cooperating with authorities, he was released in 2019.
Returning to Vietnam in 2020, Hieu redirected his technical prowess toward cybersecurity. He joined the National Cybersecurity Centre (NCSC) as a security expert, where he co-founded ChongLuaDao, a pioneering anti-scam initiative that quickly became a trusted national platform to detect and block phishing and fraud. Since late 2020, the initiative has evolved into a major social enterprise, protecting thousands of users and influencing industry stakeholders.
In 2022, Apple recognized his expertise in uncovering web infrastructure vulnerabilities, and in 2023, Verizon formally acknowledged his contributions to network security improvements. Hieu now serves part-time as a Cyber Threat Investigator at TRM Labs, continuing to tackle threats on a global scale.
He is a sought-after speaker across the cybersecurity ecosystem. He has presented at major events including GISEC, GITEX, Google I/O Extended, TEDx, and Vietnam Security Summit. Notably, Hieu shared his transformation story at the 5th InterCOP Conference at INTERPOL headquarters in Lyon and led a session on AI-driven scam detection at the INTERPOL Asia & South Pacific Cybercrime Working Group in Hanoi. He also contributed threat intelligence to two major reports for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC): "Transnational Organized Crime and the Convergence of Cyber-Enabled Fraud, Underground Banking and Technological Innovation in Southeast Asia: A Shifting Threat Landscape", and "Inflection Point: Global Implications of Scam Centres, Underground Banking and Illicit Online Marketplaces in Southeast Asia."
Recognitions: Named Make in Vietnam 2022 and 2025 honoree and received Vietnam Talent Awards 2023 and 2025 for community contributions
Hieu embodies the power of reinvention - leveraging deep technical insight to empower others, bridge communities, and build safer internet ecosystems.
Speaker / Contributor:This individual participates in SANS events, presentations, written content, or other community resources as an external contributor. They are not a SANS employee, instructor, or affiliate.
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