# Xiaochen Zou

> Xiaochen Zou, who publishes as Eten (ETenal) and signs his work with the Chinese name 笑尘, is a Linux kernel security researcher turned founder. He earned a PhD in cybersecurity at UC Riverside under Zhiyun Qian, building automated tools that discovered dozens of kernel vulnerabilities, then worked as a security researcher at Microsoft before co-founding Nebula Security (YC S26), an AI-native cybersecurity company where he serves as CEO. Nebula pairs elite human hackers with an autonomous agent, VEGA, that finds bugs, writes proofs of concept, and proposes patches.

- **Role:** CEO & Cofounder at Nebula Security
- **Organizations:** Nebula Security, Microsoft, University of California, Riverside
- **From:** China
- **Nationality:** Chinese
- **Education:** PhD in Cybersecurity (dissertation: 'Navigating Linux Kernel Bugs: Discovery, Triage, and Exploitation'), advised by Zhiyun Qian, University of California, Riverside
- **Known for:** PhD in cybersecurity from UC Riverside with a body of work on Linux kernel fuzzing, triage, and exploitation, Pwn2Own 2021 Austin winner (NETGEAR R6700v3 router LAN interface), Google Research Scholar Program reward (2023) for SyzScope

## Career timeline

- **2020** — Publishes KOOBE at USENIX Security on automated exploit generation for kernel out-of-bounds write bugs
- **2021** — Wins at Pwn2Own Austin, exploiting the LAN interface of a NETGEAR R6700v3 router
- **2022** — Publishes SyzScope at USENIX Security, revealing high-risk impacts hidden in fuzzer-exposed kernel bugs
- **2023** — Receives a Google Research Scholar Program reward for the SyzScope work
- **2024** — Publishes SyzBridge and K-LEAK at NDSS on kernel bug exploitability and multi-step infoleak exploits
- **2025** — Defends PhD at UC Riverside (March 27, 2025); works as a security researcher at Microsoft in the Bellevue area
- **2026** — Co-founds Nebula Security and becomes CEO; company joins Y Combinator's Summer 2026 batch

## Achievements

- PhD in cybersecurity from UC Riverside with a body of work on Linux kernel fuzzing, triage, and exploitation
- Pwn2Own 2021 Austin winner (NETGEAR R6700v3 router LAN interface)
- Google Research Scholar Program reward (2023) for SyzScope
- Peer-reviewed publications at USENIX Security, NDSS, and IEEE S&P (KOOBE, SyzScope, SyzBridge, K-LEAK, StepStone)
- Discovered numerous CVEs including CVE-2024-0131, CVE-2022-27666, and CVE-2021-42008
- Cofounder and CEO of Nebula Security, credited with 90+ CVEs, 100+ accepted Linux kernel patches, and $400K in bug bounties as a team
- Nebula team was first to build an nginx RCE and first to root Android 17

## Latest updates

- **2026-07** — Leading Nebula Security through Y Combinator's Summer 2026 batch as CEO; company is active and building the VEGA security agent.

## Links

- Website: https://etenal.me
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/xiaochen-zou-phd-29540b168/
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/ETenal7
- GitHub: https://github.com/plummm
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/et.enal/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/xiaochen-zou
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-07-31