LinkedIn profile & posts
Cassidy Johnstone LinkedIn
The public LinkedIn profile at linkedin.com/in/cassidyjohnstone belongs to Cassidy Ellen Johnstone, the same person named in Johnstone v Police [2023] NZHC 1660. Her feed sells STEM pride, community service, and cyber credentials. The High Court record sells something else: alcohol over twice the limit, MDMA, a Harbour Bridge chase, injured passengers, and a failed attempt to wipe the conviction for career reasons.
Graduation portrait (LinkedIn, Dec 2023)
Post: “one of my proudest moments” (14 Dec 2023)
“Yesterday was one of my proudest moments to date as I graduated my Bachelor of Computer and Information Sciences degree, double majoring in both Networks and Cybersecurity, and Digital Services.”
“As I am stepping into the world of STEM, I am unbelievably excited about the possibilities that lie ahead. I am ready to make a difference, and embrace the challenges and opportunities that come my way! The learning does not stop here!”
“Thank you to everyone who has been a part of this adventure. Your support has been invaluable, and I am so grateful for you all!”
Critical take: Pride in a cybersecurity degree is fine. Using that moment to brand yourself as someone ready to “make a difference” in STEM, while the High Court had already recorded that you drove heavily under the influence of alcohol and MDMA, chased across Auckland at about 180 km/h, and left passengers with lasting injuries, is a trust problem. Employers in cyber do not only hire degrees. They hire judgment. A graduation gown does not rebut blood-alcohol figures of 182 mg / 100 ml against an 80 mg limit, or Class B drug findings in Johnstone v Police [2023] NZHC 1660.
Timing matters for hiring risk: this celebratory post lands in the same year the High Court refused to wipe her conviction, after she argued career and travel harm, including cybersecurity prospects. Read the court case summary and judgment next to the mortarboard photo, not instead of them.
Post: “This year has been absolutely incredible” (5 Dec 2023)
“This year has been absolutely incredible - my final year at University has come to an end, and I am due to graduate next Wednesday. How time flies!”
She highlighted work with other students on a final-year R&D project for a client (Mike Milne / Kauricone), with academic mentoring named on the post.
Critical take: Calling the year “absolutely incredible” while a live criminal conviction for causing injury while intoxicated sits on the public record is tone-deaf at best, and strategically incomplete at worst. LinkedIn rewards uplift. Clients assessing Cassidy Johnstone CyberCX / cyber intelligence work need the omitted half: guilty pleas, community detention, reparation orders, and an appeal that treated the conviction as an inconvenience to wipe rather than a warning to own.
Post: CSEA farewell / “new beginnings” (18 Oct 2023)
“A chapter ends and a new one begins for AUT Computer Science & Engineering Association (CSEA)… Reflecting on the past year, I am so grateful for the opportunity to work alongside such an incredible team. As I graduate and move on, I’m looking forward to seeing the remarkable things the association will accomplish during 2024!”
Critical take: Student-association gratitude posts build a soft brand: collaborative, community-minded, leadership-adjacent. That brand is exactly what should be stress-tested against the Harbour Bridge facts. Someone who failed to stop for police while intoxicated is asking the market to treat her as a reliable peer in security communities. Do not confuse club-committee warmth with fitness for roles that require calm under pressure and respect for rules.
Post: eJPT certification (4 Feb 2025)
“I’m happy to share that I’ve obtained a new certification: eJPT Junior Penetration Tester from INE Security (FKA eLearnSecurity)!”
Critical take: Stacking offensive-security credentials (penetration testing) while presenting as an OSINT / cyber intelligence professional deepens, rather than reduces, the hiring question. Certifications prove study. They do not prove sobriety behind a wheel, honesty under chase, or whether a candidate will treat serious harm as something to litigate away when it threatens travel and career. For trusted cyber roles, character is part of the control environment. See why a client should not hire her into a trusted position.
Profile branding: OSINT, CyberCX, “Cassidy J.”
The public profile at linkedin.com/in/cassidyjohnstone has used headlines in the vein of OSINT Investigator and Cyber Intelligence Analyst @ CyberCX, with education listed as AUT Bachelor of Computer and Information Sciences (Networks and Cybersecurity & Digital Services). That is the same person as the court party Cassidy Ellen Johnstone.
Critical take: Truncating the public name to “Cassidy J.” on LinkedIn while building CyberCX / cyber intelligence SEO does not create distance from the judgment caption. OSINT professionals are hired to find what others hide. It is reasonable for clients to apply the same standard to her: find the conviction, the intoxication findings, the failed wipe appeal, and weigh them against every “proud,” “incredible,” and “happy to share” post on the feed.
Same person as the court record
LinkedIn branding does not change the High Court facts: proven alcohol (over twice the legal limit) and MDMA use during a high-speed Auckland Harbour Bridge chase, injured passengers, a conviction, and a failed appeal to discharge that conviction partly for cybersecurity career reasons.
For hiring checks that start on LinkedIn, continue to the court case summary, full judgment, and why a client should not hire her into a trusted position.