kami@kali:~$ cd root/
I’m a cybersecurity professional focused on penetration testing, currently working as a Systems Engineer and Cybersecurity Analyst in the Philadelphia area. I have over five years of hands-on IT experience, and my background in Philosophy from Temple University shapes how I approach security; analytically, methodically, and with an attacker’s mindset. I hold certifications including PNPT (Practical Network Penetration Tester), eJPT (Junior Penetration Tester), CompTIA Security+, Network+, and A+, and I’m currently working toward the OSCP and CPTS. My practical security work spans 100+ solved Hack The Box machines and 525+ completed TryHackMe rooms. Along the way I’ve gotten hands-on with every stage of an engagement, from reconnaissance and enumeration through web, network, and binary exploitation, privilege escalation, lateral movement, pivoting, and post-exploitation, across Linux, Windows, and Active Directory environments.
I’m driven by curiosity and continuous learning, and I’m especially interested in understanding how systems break so they can be better secured. My goal is to apply offensive security skills to identify real-world vulnerabilities and help organizations strengthen their defenses.
This site will serve as a living record of my work and growth in cybersecurity, sharing achievements, penetration testing write-ups, and occasional random thoughts I find fascinating.
Latest posts
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Codify writeup
Codify writeup Box name: Codify Difficulty: Easy OS: Linux Overview: Codify is an easy Linux machine that features a web application that allows users to…
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Paper writeup
Paper writeup Box name: Paper Difficulty: Easy OS: Linux Overview: Paper is an easy Linux machine that features an Apache server on ports 80 and…
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Fluffy writeup
Fluffy writeup Box name: Fluffy Difficulty: Easy OS: Windows Overview: Fluffy is an easy-difficulty Windows machine designed around an assumed breach scenario, where credentials for…
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Love writeup
Love writeup Box name: Love Difficulty: Easy OS: Windows Overview: Love is an easy windows machine where it features a voting system application that suffers…
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Lesson writeup
Lesson writeup Challenge name: Lesson Difficulty: Very Easy Challenge Scenario: It’s time to learn some basic things about binaries and basic c. Answer some questions…
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Redminers writeup
Redminers writeup Challenge name: Redminers Difficulty: Very Easy Challenge Scenario: In the race for Vitalium on Mars, the villainous Board of Arodor resorted to desperate…
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Lock writeup
Lock writeup Box name: Lock Difficulty: Easy OS: Windows Overview: Lock is an easy-difficulty Windows machine that involves enumerating a Gitea repository to find a…
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Administrator writeup
Administrator writeup Box name: Administrator Difficulty: Medium OS: Windows Overview: Administrator is a medium-difficulty Windows machine designed around a complete domain compromise scenario, where credentials…
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Thoughts of AI usage
I see this reoccurring discussion very often of people absolutely despising AI usage in CTFs or any competitive penetration testing or programming. This post isn’t…
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DEFCON 34
DEFCON 34: My First Con Experience August 2026 Wednesday I left Philly around 6 AM for the airport and immediately made my first mistake. I…
Hacking Insights by Max Bautista 