Stefano `wisec` Di Paola is leaving Minded Security after a journey that began in 2007, and in his farewell post on LinkedIn, he dedicated heartfelt words to me (Francesco ascii Ongaro) as well, recalling the most intense and fun moments we experienced together in the beating heart of web security research.

Stefano Di Paola: when research was passion, and passion became innovation

There are encounters that happen at the right time, when everything is yet to be written. I met `wisec` (Stefano) in 2005, in a context where web application security was virgin territory, to be explored with method but also with a certain dose of irreverence.

Those were the years of the first OWASP conferences, nights spent testing exploits, and also less orthodox appointments like HackMeeting, HAT, and MOCA, where the Italian hacker community would gather to exchange ideas, without badges or formalities, but with very high technical content.

The beginning of a unique collaboration

When Minded Security was born in 2007, Stefano, together with Matteo Meucci and Giorgio Fedon, decided to channel that energy into creating a solid entity focused on application security. I was among the first collaborators in that initial phase, and I shared a rare technical synergy with Stefano: a few exchanges were enough to start a new research project, identify a promising attack surface, and write useful, concrete, and effective code.

Our days (and nights) were made of packet captures, debuggers, prototypes, and, often, insights that kept us one step ahead of the international landscape.

Real research, with real impact

Stefano never sought visibility: he sought technical truths. His analytical mind, his ability to model elegant exploits, and his dedication to scientific research made his publications and talks benchmarks in the field. We worked together on vulnerabilities that didn’t even have names back then, helping to define languages, methodologies, and tools.

His contribution to the growth of AppSec culture in Italy was substantial, often behind the scenes, but deeply incisive.

A legacy that continues

Today, Stefano closes the Minded Security chapter, but he leaves an indelible mark. Not only as a co-founder and CTO, but as a mentor and colleague to a generation of researchers who learned—thanks in part to him—to treat security with rigor, depth, and a critical spirit.

It is hard to imagine those early years of Minded without his calm enthusiasm, the clarity with which he approached complex problems, and his authentic passion for technical discovery.

Safe travels, Stefano. Wherever the future takes you, it will always be guided by your ability to look beneath the surface—and find something others don’t see.