The Hague, Netherlands — 6th of January 2026 — Microsoft today announced that Vaisha Bernard, Chief Hacker at Dutch based Eye Security, has been ranked #1 worldwide on the Microsoft Security Response Center (MSRC) Security Researcher Leaderboard for Q4 2025, becoming the first researcher from the Netherlands to ever reach the top position.
The MSRC leaderboard recognizes security researchers who responsibly disclose impactful vulnerabilities across Microsoft’s global technology stack. Bernard secured first place after submitting 52 critical and important vulnerabilities in a single quarter, contributing directly to the security of platforms used by millions of organizations worldwide.
What makes the achievement exceptional is not just the ranking itself, but the path to get there. After years of methodical research, persistence, and deep technical work, Bernard’s first-place finish breaks a long-standing trend: over the past four years, the leaderboard has been dominated by researchers from China, with only a small number of first-place rankings attributed to the United States, India, and Serbia.
“This result comes from doing what we do every day at Eye Security: systematically enumerating attack surfaces and thinking like real attackers,” said Vaisha Bernard, Chief Hacker at Eye Security. “I approached Microsoft the same way we approach our own customers: assume compromise, test everything, and don’t stop at the obvious.”
From Offensive Research to Real Customer Protection
As Chief Hacker at Eye Security, Bernard’s research is not academic. His vulnerability discoveries directly inform how Eye Security protects organizations — strengthening detection, response, and prevention with insights drawn from real-world exploitation paths.
In practice, this means Eye Security customers are protected by expertise that is not only battle-tested, but globally recognized at the highest level.
“This achievement validates how Europe is becoming leading at cyber security,” said Job Kuijpers, CEO at Eye Security. “Especially the Netherlands is a perfect breading ground for cyber talent. We have very strong cyber capabilities in our intelligence and security services, lot's of financial institutions and large corporations, and above all world class tech universities”
Assume Breach, Global Impact
Founded in the Netherlands, Eye Security is built on a simple belief: assume breach and make the digital world safer by putting the best security experts to work for every organization, not just the largest ones.
Vaisha Bernard’s #1 global ranking is a direct reflection of that philosophy. His work shows how deep, hands-on security expertise, applied with an assume-breach mindset, translates into earlier detection, faster response, and real risk reduction for customers.
By embedding world-class security research into daily operations, Eye Security helps organizations stay resilient in an environment where breaches are inevitable, but damage is not.
