Redazione RHC : 6 July 2025 12:50
At just 13 years old, Dylan became the youngest security researcher to collaborate with the Microsoft Security Response Center (MSRC), demonstrating how curiosity and perseverance can have a real impact, even in one of the most technical and competitive sectors. His passion for computer science began as a child, when he started programming with Scratch. He soon expanded his skills with HTML and other languages, arriving already in the fifth grade to analyze the code of school platforms. One of his first “accidents”—hacking a system to unlock educational games—turned into the start of a life-changing journey.
During the pandemic, Dylan found himself facing increasingly strict restrictions on Microsoft Teams from his school. Wanting to help his classmates stay connected, he found ways to chat and meet using Outlook. When those channels were also blocked, he decided to delve deeper into cybersecurity. After nine months of self-study, he was able to discover a critical vulnerability in Teams that allowed him to control any group: an extraordinary achievement for anyone, even more so for a teenager.
Microsoft took Dylan’s report with great attention, fixing the flaw and amending the rules of the bug bounty program to also include researchers aged 13 and over. From that moment, Dylan began an ongoing collaboration with MSRC, distinguishing himself not only for his technical skills but also for the mature way in which he faces discussions with the team. On more than one occasion he was able to defend his theses with respect, contributing to the expansion of the program itself: emblematic is the case of the vulnerability in Authenticator Broker, initially excluded and then recognized thanks to his clear and determined approach.
But his path was not without obstacles. Dylan had to face difficult moments both at school, with evaluations that often did not reflect his real skills, and in his personal life. A serious health problem forced him to undergo two surgeries on his voice, but even during that period he continued to cultivate his passion with determination. The support of his family — parents, stepparents, and grandparents — has been instrumental in helping him stay focused, resilient, and professional.
Today, as a junior high school senior, Dylan balances his studies with a variety of extracurricular activities, including science, math, swimming, cycling, and music competitions. Last summer alone, he filed 20 vulnerability reports, was named one of Microsoft’s Most Valuable Researchers in 2022 and 2024, and in April 2025, he placed third in Microsoft’s Zero Day Quest, a top-level competition.
For Dylan, cybersecurity remains first and foremost a passion: he dreams of attending conferences soon, meeting other experts and, perhaps, inspiring other young people like him to follow the path of discovery, with creativity, respect and an inexhaustible hunger for knowledge.
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