Resume

Bennie Venter

Cybersecurity Specialist

Profile

I am a Cybersecurity Specialist and Software Developer with over 7 years of experience across both private and government sectors. I specialize in designing and implementing secure systems and networks that protect organizations from a broad range of cyber threats. With a strong foundation in both offensive and defensive security practices, I am skilled in vulnerability assessments, penetration testing, and threat mitigation. I also bring solid expertise in business continuity development and cybersecurity governance, enabling organizations to remain operational during disruptions while adhering to best-practice risk management standards. Known for effectively translating complex technical concepts for non-technical stakeholders, I build strong, collaborative relationships across teams. I am seeking opportunities to apply my skills in developing and maintaining secure, resilient systems.

ISO/IEC 27001 NIST BC/DR Threat Mitigation Secure Development

Current Role

Specialist: Information System Security

State Information Technology Agency

Apr 2024 — Present

Location Kimberley, Northern Cape, South Africa

Relocate Yes

Reliable Transport Yes

Drivers License Yes

Criminal Record No

SSA Clearance Confidential

Languages Afrikaans, English

Experience

7+ yrs

Private & Government Sectors

Focus

Secure Ops

Risk, Resilience & Governance

Delivery

Full Cycle

Assess, Build, Maintain

Experience

2018 — Present

Specialist: Information System Security

State Information Technology Agency

Coastal Regions (Western Cape, Northern Cape, Eastern Cape)

Apr 2024 — Present

Conducted comprehensive risk assessments and vulnerability evaluations across public-sector infrastructure, aligning findings to ISO/IEC 27001 and NIST frameworks.
Led physical security assessments, business impact assessments (BIA), and resilience evaluations for departments and municipal entities.
Developed and implemented BC/DR plans, policies, and strategies to ensure operational continuity within regulated environments.
Delivered cybersecurity awareness programs and training sessions to technical and non-technical stakeholders.
Produced executive-level security posture, risk, and compliance reporting with actionable recommendations for leadership.
Managed incident response activities, overseeing containment, remediation, and post-incident improvements.
Designed internal security applications using Laravel and Pest testing to automate assessments and improve visibility.

Specialist: Information System Security (Acting)

State Information Technology Agency

Coastal Regions (Western Cape, Northern Cape, Eastern Cape)

Dec 2020 — Mar 2024

Junior: Software Developer

State Information Technology Agency

Kimberley

Nov 2020 — Mar 2024

Led development of scalable software solutions using Java, MySQL, and PrimeFaces across the full lifecycle from coding through deployment.
Streamlined DevOps workflows with JIRA and Git, managing repository access, branching, and merges.
Introduced containerization to standardize and optimize team environments.
Analyzed business requirements and translated them into technical solutions and documentation.
Mentored junior developers and interns through code reviews and technical guidance.
Delivered responsive web solutions with PHP 8, MySQL, and Bootstrap 4.

Experienced Trainee: Software Developer

State Information Technology Agency

Kimberley

Nov 2019 — Oct 2020

Designed and maintained scalable applications with Java, MySQL, and PrimeFaces across end-to-end delivery.
Performed comprehensive system and integration testing for reliable releases.
Standardized development environments through containerization initiatives.
Authored requirements documentation, UML diagrams, and service specifications.
Configured and maintained server infrastructure, focusing on access control and performance optimization.

Intern: Software Developer

State Information Technology Agency

Kimberley

Feb 2019 — Oct 2019

Delivered scalable web applications using PHP 7, MySQL, and Bootstrap 4.
Managed development lifecycle from build through deployment and release.
Developed Java and PrimeFaces solutions aligned to technical and business requirements.
Produced customer documentation and functional specifications.

Intern: IT Support

State Information Technology Agency

Kimberley

Nov 2018 — Feb 2019

Configured and supported computers and servers to ensure reliable day-to-day operations.
Diagnosed and resolved workstation and server issues to minimize downtime.
Maintained workstation and server environments with access controls and routine maintenance.

Volunteering

2025 — Present

Provincial Cybersecurity Technical Task Team

Office of the Premiere

Northern Cape

Aug 2025 — Present

A cross-functional coordination structure under the Office of the Director: Cybersecurity. It strengthens the Northern Cape Provincial Government’s resilience to cyber threats by bringing together different departments and interest groups to collaborate on cybersecurity strategy, awareness, compliance, and technical activities.

Provincial Cyber Security Incident Response Team Member

Office of the Premiere

Northern Cape

Aug 2025 — Present

A Cyber Security Incident Response Team (CSIRT) is a specialized group that manages and responds to cyber threats and incidents. The team focuses on detecting, analyzing, containing, and mitigating attacks, while also strengthening defenses to reduce future risks.

Education

Academic

Diploma in ICT Specialized in Application Development

Sol Plaatje University

2015 — 2017

National Senior Certificate

Adamantia High School

2008 — 2012

Certifications

Credentials

Ethical Hacker

CISCO

Credential ID: N/A

Issued Mar 2025

Security+

CompTIA

Credential ID: H0H3HWRHQGF4Q39C

Issued Oct 2020
Exp Oct 2023

Projects

Selected

GateKeeper

2025 — Present

GateKeeper is an access control and authentication management system built on Laravel, focused on permission management and secure access workflows.

Laravel 12 Filament PostgreSQL Pest Redis

ThreatLens

2025 — Present

ThreatLens is a centralized security risk management platform that unifies departmental, site, and vulnerability oversight in a secure Dashboard.

Laravel 12 Filament PostgreSQL Pest Redis

SIMS

2021 — 2024

SIMS (Student Information Management System) is a centralized platform designed to manage the full student lifecycle for Henrietta Stockdale Nursing College, including applications, registrations, academic records, assessments, communications, and reporting.

Java PrimeFaces MySQL WildFly

e-Rehab

2019 — 2024

e-Rehab is a centralized system developed for the Kimberley Rehabilitation Facility that manages patient enrollment, securely stores and supports access to medical information for clinical staff, and facilitates post-treatment planning and follow-up all within a single platform.

Java PrimeFaces MySQL WildFly

Core Skills

Toolkit

Security & Operations

Vulnerability Management Penetration Testing Digital Forensics Incident Response BC/DR Planning SIEM Wazuh Endpoint Management

Security & Forensics Tools

Nmap Metasploit Burp Suite OWASP ZAP Wireshark SQLmap Nikto Hydra John the Ripper Gobuster Rapid 7 InsightVM / Nexpose Tenable Nessus OpenVAS Autopsy The Sleuth Kit FTK Imager

Software Development

Laravel PHP MySQL / PostgreSQL Oracle APEX Java Pest Testing MongoDB Tailwinds CSS Docker Ansible Git GitHub Actions

Platforms & Systems

Microsoft Windows XP - 11 Windows Server Debian Ubuntu UNRAID TrueNAS MacOS SUSE PfSense Ubiquiti Unifi Manjaro Kali ParrotOS Proxmox

Specialized Training

Extended Skills

Security Blue Team

Introduction to Digital Forensics
Introduction to Vulnerability Management
Introduction to Dark Web Operations

AttackIQ

Foundations of Breach & Attack Simulation
Foundations of Purple Teaming

CISCO

Cyber Threat Management
NDG Linux Unhatched
Introduction to Cybersecurity Certificate
Cybersecurity Essentials Certificate
IT Essentials: PC Hardware and Software Certificate

Hack The Box Academy

Introduction to Networking
Introduction to Web Applications
Introduction to Active Directory
Web Requests
JavaScript Deobfuscation
Vulnerability Assessment
Using the Metasploit Framework
Penetration Testing Process

IBM

Deploy Your First App Using DevOps
Deploy Your First Container
Getting Started with IBM Cloud V2
Cybersecurity Intro
Identify and Investigate Cybersecurity Threats
Protect your Sensitive Data Against Threats

TryHackMe

Hash Cracker
cat linux.txt
Webbed
OWASP Top 10
World Wide Web
Networking Nerd

Oracle

Oracle APEX: Foundations

ISC2

Certified in Cybersecurity – Course Completion

Honors & Awards

Recognition

SITA Team of the Year

Team of the year. e-Rehab Team

Awarded Dec 2019

SITA Northern Cape Smart Solutions Winner

SITA Smart Solutions 2019 Northern Cape Winner
(Mobile ERP Solution)

Awarded Oct 2019

Technologies used in the development of this site

Tech Stack