Self Taught Pakistani Researcher Recognized by NASA for Reporting Security Flaw

A 21-year-old self-taught cybersecurity researcher from a small village in Gujar Khan has achieved what no one from his region has done before, earning a Letter of Recognition from NASA and a place in the space agency’s Hall of Fame.

Sardar Zabi, who operates under the alias Sardar Anonymous, received the recognition through NASA’s Vulnerability Disclosure Program (VDP) after reporting and helping remediate a security vulnerability. The report underwent validation, received a severity rating, was fixed, and has since been publicly disclosed.

Hailing from Ghungrilla, a small village in Gujar Khan, Punjab, Zabi grew up without formal mentorship or structured cybersecurity education.

He taught himself the craft through years of self-directed learning and persistence, eventually establishing himself as an independent bug bounty hunter across major platforms, including HackerOne, Bugcrowd, Intigriti, and Bug Bounty Switzerland.

His growing list of accolades extends beyond NASA. Zabi has also received national-level recognition from Pakistan’s National Cyber Emergency Response Team for reporting a high-severity vulnerability and has earned recommendations from Bentley Motors for his security disclosures.

“I am the first from Gujar Khan to receive international-level recognition and a Letter of Recognition from NASA along with a Hall of Fame listing,” Zabi said, expressing hope that his journey would inspire other young Pakistanis to pursue careers in cybersecurity.