No Manuals, No Shortcuts: Inside the Offensive Security Mindset at White Knight Labs | A White Knight Labs Brand Story With Co-Founders John Stigerwalt And Greg Hatcher

We’ve been in enough conversations to know when something clicks. This one did — and it did from the very first moment.

In our debut Brand Story with White Knight Labs, we sat down with co-founders John Stigerwalt and Greg Hatcher, and what unfolded was more than a company intro — it was a behind-the-scenes look at what offensive security should be.

John’s journey is the kind that earns your respect quickly: he started at the help desk and worked his way to CISO, before pivoting into red teaming and co-founding WKL. Greg’s path was more unconventional — from orchestral musician to Green Beret to cybersecurity leader. Two very different stories, but a shared philosophy: learn by doing, adapt without a manual, and never take the easy route when something meaningful is on the table.

That mindset now defines how White Knight Labs works with clients. They don’t sell cookie-cutter pen tests. Instead, they ask the right question up front: How does your business make money? Because if you can answer that, you can identify what a real-world attacker would go after. Then they simulate it — not in theory, but in practice.

Their ransomware simulation service is a perfect example. They don’t just show up with a scanner. They emulate modern adversaries using Cobalt Strike, bypassing endpoint defenses with in-house payloads, encrypting and exfiltrating data like it’s just another Tuesday. Most clients fail the test — not because they’re careless, but because most simulations aren’t this real.

And that’s the point.

White Knight Labs isn’t here to help companies check a box. They’re here to expose the gaps and raise the bar — because real threats don’t play fair, and security shouldn’t pretend they do.

What makes them different is what they don’t do. They’re not an all-in-one shop, and they’re proud of that. They won’t touch IR for major breaches — they’ve got partners for that. They only resell hardware and software they’ve personally vetted. That honesty builds credibility. That kind of focus builds trust.

Their training programs are just as intense. Between live DEF CON courses and their online platform, they’re giving both new and experienced professionals a chance to train the way they operate: no shortcuts, no watered-down certs, just hard-earned skills that translate into real-world readiness.

Pass their ODPC certification, and you’ll probably get a call — not because they need to check a hiring box, but because it proves you’re serious. And if you can write loaders that bypass real defenses? You’re speaking their language.

This first conversation with John and Greg reminded us why we started this series in the first place. It’s not just about product features or service offerings — it’s about people who live and breathe what they do, and who bring that passion into every test, every client call, and every training they offer.

We’ve got more stories with them on the way. But if this first one is any sign of what’s to come, we’re in for something special.

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Learn more about White Knight Labs: 

Guests:

John Stigerwalt | Founder at White Knight Labs | Red Team Operations Leader | https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-stigerwalt-90a9b4110/

Greg Hatcher | Founder at White Knight Labs | SOF veteran | Red Team | https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregoryhatcher2/

White Knight Labs Website | https://itspm.ag/white-knight-labs-vukr

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Keywords: penetration testing, red team, ransomware simulation, offensive security, EDR bypass, cybersecurity training, White Knight Labs, advanced persistent threat, cybersecurity startup, DEF CON training, security partnerships, cybersecurity services

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Resources

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