ESEN

José Luis Rivas López

Cybersecurity lecturer, forensic auditor, CISO and court-appointed IT expert witness. Over three decades bringing together technology, evidence and regulation.

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Portrait of José Luis Rivas López
  • Digital forensicsDigital evidence
  • Expert witnessTechnical and legal reports
  • CISOCybersecurity governance
  • TeachingMUNICS · ICT Management for Defense
  • Publications18 books and articles
  • Patents1 granted · 2 applications
  • Regulatory complianceGDPR · ENS · NIS2 · DORA · ISO 27001
Each node is one facet of my profile; they all converge on digital evidence.

Over three decades in cybersecurity, digital forensics and critical infrastructure protection.

I am a consultant, CISO, forensic auditor and lecturer. I have led security, digital forensics, incident response and cybersecurity governance projects for public and private organizations, both in Spain and internationally.

I founded the European Computer Forensics Laboratory (LIFe) and Planciber, where I work on digital investigation, IT expert witness services, corporate security and regulatory compliance.

I combine this with teaching in master's and postgraduate programs on cybersecurity, digital forensics and digital evidence.

Teaching

Lecturer at the Department of Telematics Engineering, Universidade de Vigo.

Bachelor's

Bachelor's Degree in Telecommunication Technologies Engineering

  • Programming ICompulsory · 2022/23

Supervised theses

  1. Master's thesis · 2025/26Integrating machine learning models into an open-source IDS to visualize attack flows and explain network incidents
  2. Bachelor's thesis · 2024/25Optimizing firewall rules for network security using graph theory
  3. Bachelor's thesis · 2019/20Developing malware for Android mobile devices for teaching purposes

Source: Universidade de Vigo staff profile.

Career

Professional experience, education and certifications.

Selected experience

  • CISO (Chief Information Security Officer) at Volkswagen Financial Services Spain, since 2022.
  • Chief forensic auditor and partner in charge of the forensics department at LIFe.
  • Cybersecurity director and manager at international companies in banking, critical infrastructure and food.
  • Lead investigator in numerous security breaches.
  • Jury member in several editions of the international forensic analysis challenge organized by Spanish and Mexican CERTs.
  • Vice-Chair of the EURO-INF label Appeals Committee (ANECA) since 2019, and member of its Accreditation Committee from 2014 to 2019.
  • Speaker and trainer for CSIC, Vigo City Council, Xunta de Galicia, Govern de les Illes Balears, Microsoft and the universities of A Coruña and Vigo, among others.

Education

  • Systems Engineer.
  • Telematics Engineer.
  • Bachelor's Degree in Telecommunication Technologies.
  • Master's Degree in Information and Communication Technology Security.
  • Master's Degree in Free Software.
  • Master's Degree in Data Protection.
  • Professional Expert in Technology Law and Computer Forensics.
  • Comprehensive Security Director (degree).
  • Senior Technician in Occupational Risk Prevention.

Certifications and licenses

  • ISO/IEC 27001 consultant and lead auditor.
  • ISO 22301 consultant and lead auditor.
  • EuroPriSe.
  • Licensed Security Director (Spanish Ministry of the Interior).
  • Licensed Head of Security (Spanish Ministry of the Interior).

Expertise

Where technology meets evidence and regulation.

Digital forensics

Acquisition, preservation and analysis of evidence.

Expert witness

Technical and legal expert reports for courts.

Incident response

Security breach investigation.

Governance and compliance

ENS, NIS2, DORA, ISO 27001, ISO 22301, ITIL and PCI-DSS.

Critical infrastructure

Security in Industry 4.0 and industrial environments.

Data protection

GDPR, Spanish LOPDGDD and business continuity.

Publications

Books and articles I have authored or co-authored. Titles are shown in their original language, with an English translation.

Patents

One granted patent and two patent applications.

2002 · Granted patent · P200200869

Tactile interaction device for visually impaired people

Enables the use of graphical interfaces on any computer. With E. Ares, J. Rodeiro and B. Pérez Mascle.

2013 · Patent application · P201300340

System for the custody, safeguarding and management of valid digital evidence

Secure storage of digital evidence with technical and legal guarantees. With Eduardo Cunha.

2001 · Patent application · P200102223

Anti-limpet-bomb system (S.A.L.)

Detector of limpet bombs on vehicles. With E. Ares, J. Rodeiro and R. Cores.

International conferences

2019 · Speaker

ICQIS

“Phases of an expert investigation in the industrial sector”, with Enrique Mandado.

2009, 2010 and 2011 · Organizing committee

CISIS

Computational Intelligence in Security for Information Systems.

Outreach

Interviews and collaborations bringing cybersecurity and digital forensics closer to the public. All in Spanish.

Podcast · Faq-Mac Chat · Regular guest

Several talks as a guest digital forensics expert on the Faq-Mac technology podcast.

  1. 2025La Liga - Movistar: ¿poli bueno, poli malo?LaLiga's blocking of Cloudflare: legal implications and what those affected can do.
  2. March 2025Casos de actualidad con un forense informáticoCurrent cases analyzed from a digital forensics perspective.
  3. July 2024Privacidad y seguridad en dispositivos AppleEveryday security with Apple devices.
  4. February 2023Un perito informático salvó mi vidaHow forensic analysis proved the innocence of a falsely accused young man.
  5. December 2021PegasusThe Pegasus spyware explained from a forensic perspective.
  6. August 2021Peritajes en casos de pornografía infantilHow expert analysis is technically approached in child sexual abuse material cases.
  7. July 2021DNI digitalSecurity and privacy of digital identity.
  8. June 2021El apasionante mundo del perito forense informáticoWhat a forensic auditor and IT expert witness does.
Radio · RNE
5 June 2023

El gallo que no cesa

Conversation with Chema Langa about the cyberattack on Cangas City Council and ransomware: consequences for victims and for perpetrators.

Television · News
2014

Google and the right to be forgotten

Appearance as a network security expert on the case that gave rise to the right to be forgotten in search engines.

Press, radio and TV
April 2025

Forensic analysis of the UEFA-published video of Julián Álvarez's penalty

I took part as the digital forensics expert; the analysis was covered by media in Spain and Latin America.

José Luis Rivas speaking on a panel
Speaking on a panel discussion.

Contact

For academic collaboration, research or teaching.

Email
jlrivas (at) uvigo.es
LinkedIn
linkedin.com/in/jlrivas
Institution
Universidade de Vigo