If you were 13 years old, what would you be doing right now? Perhaps playing video games, scrolling through social media, or walking with friends. But a teenager was busy doing something extraordinary, finding security flaws in Microsoft’s software and attracting the company’s attention at a very young age.
A teen cyber security prodigy
Microsoft recently depicted dylan in a company blog, calling her one of the youngest and most influential security researchers. Her journey with Microsoft began when she was just 13 years old, collaborating with the Microsoft Security Response Center. The talent of Dylan was so remarkable that Microsoft really changed the rules of his bug bounty program to allow 13 -year -old children to participate, so that he could officially join his community.
The story of Dylan is even more notable how soon his passion for technology started. While most of the children were still learning basic coding, the dylan was already searching for the source code of educational platforms in primary school, unlocking the game on the school computer and bypassing network restrictions during lockdown. These initial experiments may have put him in trouble, but instead of misusing his skills, he chose a responsible route. He reported a great vulnerability in Microsoft teams, which can allow anyone to handle any group. The moment marked their entry into moral hacking and responsible disclosure, a world where hackers help companies to cure problems rather than exploiting.
Get up
Since then, the achievements of the dialon have only increased. He has been designated twice in Microsoft’s Safety Response Center, 2022 and then twice in 2024, the most valuable researcher list. In the last summer, he filed 20 vulnerability reports, which exceeds his previous total triple.
In April 2025, Dialyn traveled all the way to Redmund, Washington, USA to compete at Microsoft’s prestigious Zero Day Quest Hacking event. Against some of the best brains of cyber security, he finished third, proving that it is not a hindrance when it talks about talent and determination.
Despite all these impressive milestones, the dylan still treats cyber security as a rewarding hobby. Like many school students, he balances his bug shikar with studies, family time and some sports. Microsoft’s blog has described him as someone with equally interested in science and civil scripture, with a plan to attend security conferences and learn from global experts when he is quite old when he is quite old.
Dylan’s journey is still coming out, and is not surprising what he will do next. For now, he is just a school student who is on the radar of Microsoft, juggling homework and hobbies, while quietly makes the digital world a little safe for everyone. Maybe next time you are sending a message or logging in a platform, you will think of a teenager who helped to protect things before finishing school.
