A Purdue CIT cyberforensics course where I studied digital evidence, file systems, storage behavior, caching, encryption, and investigation methods through simulated case work.
\nCNIT 32300 introduced the fundamentals of cyberforensics and cyber-crime scene analysis. The course focused on how investigators identify, preserve, interpret, and explain digital evidence while considering legal, regulatory, and professional standards.
\nThis course helped me think more like an investigator. I learned that cyberforensics is not only about finding files; it is about explaining what the evidence means, how reliable it is, and how it fits into a broader incident or case narrative.
"}},{"node":{"frontmatter":{"title":"CNIT 34400 Network Engineering Fundamentals","description":"A network engineering course where I worked with switching, routing, VLANs, ACLs, DHCP, subnetting, wireless access points, and firewall concepts.","tech":["Routing and Switching","VLANs","ACLs","Subnetting"],"github":"","external":"","icon":"Network","date":"2025-05-01","order":9,"highlightOrder":9},"excerpt":"A Purdue CIT network engineering course where I worked with enterprise networking fundamentals, including switches, routers, wireless access points…","html":"A Purdue CIT network engineering course where I worked with enterprise networking fundamentals, including switches, routers, wireless access points, firewalls, VLANs, ACLs, DHCP, and subnetting.
\nCNIT 34400 built on earlier systems and infrastructure coursework by moving deeper into network design, implementation, and troubleshooting. The course focused on how wired and wireless networks are structured, how network devices interact, and how addressing decisions affect real environments.
\nThis course helped me understand networking as the foundation that everything else depends on. It strengthened how I think about traffic flow, segmentation, device roles, address planning, and troubleshooting in enterprise-style environments.
"}},{"node":{"frontmatter":{"title":"CNIT 51100 Foundations in Homeland Security Studies","description":"A homeland security course where I studied risk assessment, physical security, emergency management, crisis response, and infrastructure protection.","tech":["Risk Assessment","Physical Security","Emergency Management","Crisis Response"],"github":"","external":"","icon":"ShieldLock","date":"2025-12-01","order":11,"highlightOrder":12},"excerpt":"A Purdue CIT homeland security course where I studied risk assessment, physical security, emergency management, crisis response, and protection of public…","html":"A Purdue CIT homeland security course where I studied risk assessment, physical security, emergency management, crisis response, and protection of public and private infrastructure.
\nCNIT 51100 explored homeland security from an interdisciplinary perspective, including prevention, mitigation, preparation, response, and recovery. The course connected security planning to real-world infrastructure, emergency management, business continuity, crisis communication, and collaborative response.
\nThis course expanded my view of security beyond computers and networks. It showed me how physical access, crowd movement, emergency planning, communication, and risk management all affect the security of real places and critical operations.
"}},{"node":{"frontmatter":{"title":"CNIT 47000 Incident Response Management","description":"An incident response course where I am studying IDS concepts, log analysis, network flows, anomaly detection, remediation, and enterprise response planning.","tech":["Incident Response","IDS","Log Analysis","Network Flows"],"github":"","external":"","icon":"Terminal","date":"2026-12-01","order":5,"highlightOrder":5},"excerpt":"A final-semester Purdue CIT incident response course focused on detecting anomalous behavior, analyzing network flows and system logs, and connecting…","html":"A final-semester Purdue CIT incident response course focused on detecting anomalous behavior, analyzing network flows and system logs, and connecting technical response work to business operations.
\nCNIT 47000 connects business operations with the IT and security systems that support day-to-day work. The course focuses on intrusion detection, incident handling, remediation, and the standards and processes behind enterprise-level response plans.
\nThis course lines up with my blue-team and SIEM interests. It helps connect detection, alert triage, response planning, remediation, and business impact into one practical incident response workflow.
"}},{"node":{"frontmatter":{"title":"CNIT 24200 System Administration","description":"A foundational systems administration course where I built hands-on experience with Windows Server, Active Directory, virtualization, backups, storage, and troubleshooting.","tech":["Windows Server","Active Directory","Virtualization","Backup and Storage"],"github":"","external":"","icon":"Server","date":"2024-05-01","order":12,"highlightOrder":10},"excerpt":"A foundational Purdue CIT systems administration course where I built hands-on experience with Windows Server, Active Directory, virtualization, storage…","html":"A foundational Purdue CIT systems administration course where I built hands-on experience with Windows Server, Active Directory, virtualization, storage, backups, and troubleshooting.
\nCNIT 24200 introduced the core systems administration skills behind cybersecurity, networking, IT operations, and infrastructure work. The course focused on managing enterprise-style Windows client and server environments while connecting authentication, authorization, system security, and reliability.
\nThis class became one of the major starting points for my cybersecurity path and teaching assistant work. It gave me the foundation to understand how real environments are built, managed, secured, backed up, and repaired when something goes wrong.
"}},{"node":{"frontmatter":{"title":"CNIT 47100 Vulnerability Analysis and Testing","description":"An authorized security testing course where I practiced vulnerability analysis, controlled exploit testing, endpoint defense awareness, AI security concepts, and responsible documentation.","tech":["Vulnerability Analysis","Penetration Testing","Endpoint Defense","AI Security"],"github":"","external":"","icon":"Bug","date":"2026-05-01","order":4,"highlightOrder":4},"excerpt":"A Purdue CIT security testing course where I practiced authorized vulnerability analysis, controlled exploit testing, endpoint defense awareness, AI…","html":"A Purdue CIT security testing course where I practiced authorized vulnerability analysis, controlled exploit testing, endpoint defense awareness, AI security concepts, and responsible security documentation.
\nCNIT 47100 introduced advanced security testing methods in a controlled lab environment. The course focused on how weaknesses are identified, how defenders evaluate exposure, and how testing can be performed ethically without putting real systems or networks at risk.
\nThis course helped me understand penetration testing as more than breaking into systems. The bigger lesson was learning how to test carefully, explain risk clearly, and use offensive security knowledge to improve defensive decision-making.
"}},{"node":{"frontmatter":{"title":"CNIT 34220 Network Administration","description":"A network administration course where I configured Unix-based services, firewalls, DNS, mail, web services, proxies, and secure distributed infrastructure.","tech":["Unix Services","DNS and Mail","Firewalls","Proxies"],"github":"","external":"","icon":"Cloud","date":"2026-05-01","order":8,"highlightOrder":8},"excerpt":"A Purdue CIT network administration course where I configured Unix-based network services and practiced securing distributed systems with firewalls…","html":"A Purdue CIT network administration course where I configured Unix-based network services and practiced securing distributed systems with firewalls, service hardening, and secure protocols.
\nCNIT 34220 focused on the installation, administration, and maintenance of distributed computing systems. The course connected network operating systems, interoperability, and service infrastructure through hands-on lab work.
\nThis course helped me understand how network services are built, exposed, monitored, and secured. It connected server administration to the practical security decisions behind websites, mail systems, DMZs, proxies, and distributed infrastructure.
"}},{"node":{"frontmatter":{"title":"CNIT 45500 Network Security","description":"A network security course where I am studying VPNs, firewalls, authentication, encryption, wireless security, packet filtering, and secure network architecture.","tech":["VPNs","Firewall Policy","Packet Filtering","Network Security"],"github":"","external":"","icon":"ShieldLock","date":"2026-12-01","order":7,"highlightOrder":7},"excerpt":"A final-semester Purdue CIT network security course focused on VPNs, firewall strategy, authentication, encryption, wireless security, packet filtering…","html":"A final-semester Purdue CIT network security course focused on VPNs, firewall strategy, authentication, encryption, wireless security, packet filtering, and secure network architecture.
\nCNIT 45500 explores the business, conceptual, and technical sides of securing voice and data networks. The course focuses on analyzing weaknesses, designing secure infrastructure, and applying policy-driven network security controls.
\nThis course ties directly into the network defense work I want to keep building. It strengthens the connection between routing, segmentation, access control, policy, and real-world security architecture.
"}},{"node":{"frontmatter":{"title":"Honeypot and Firewall Homelab","description":"A defensive homelab branch where I test honeypots, firewall rules, VLAN segmentation, VPN access, logging, and directory-aware administration.","tech":["Honeypots","Firewall Rules","VLANs","VPN Access","Active Directory"],"github":"https://github.com/esixtosr/12U-Bare-Metal-Homelab","external":"","icon":"ShieldLock","date":"2026-08-01","order":1,"highlightOrder":1},"excerpt":"A security-focused branch of my homelab where I test honeypots, firewall rules, VLAN segmentation, VPN access, logging, and directory-aware infrastructure…","html":"A security-focused branch of my homelab where I test honeypots, firewall rules, VLAN segmentation, VPN access, logging, and directory-aware infrastructure design.
\nThis project extends my larger bare-metal homelab into a controlled defensive security environment. The goal is to understand how exposed services behave, how network controls limit access, and how segmentation can protect infrastructure while still allowing remote access for trusted users.
\nThis lab helped me move from building infrastructure to defending it. It strengthened my understanding of how firewall policy, segmentation, identity, logging, and controlled test systems can work together to support blue-team learning and incident response practice.
"}},{"node":{"frontmatter":{"title":"n8n Security Automation Lab","description":"An in-progress automation lab where I use n8n to test email triage, content monitoring, workflow routing, and blue-team response ideas.","tech":["n8n","Workflow Automation","Email Triage","Incident Response"],"github":"","external":"","icon":"Waypoints","date":"2026-12-01","order":17,"highlightOrder":6},"excerpt":"An in-progress automation lab using n8n to experiment with workflow routing, email triage, content monitoring, and blue-team response ideas. What this is…","html":"An in-progress automation lab using n8n to experiment with workflow routing, email triage, content monitoring, and blue-team response ideas.
\nThis project explores how automation can support personal productivity and security operations. I am using n8n to test workflow ideas around email checks, profile-related updates, content filtering, alert routing, enrichment, and early-stage incident response triage.
\nThis project is helping me understand automation as a security operations tool. The biggest lesson so far is that useful automation is not just about connecting apps. It requires clear triggers, reliable filtering, useful context, and guardrails so the workflow supports decisions instead of creating noise.
"}},{"node":{"frontmatter":{"title":"3D-Printed TrueNAS Homelab","description":"A custom NAS and self-hosting lab built with a 3D-printed enclosure, TrueNAS storage, backups, Jellyfin testing, and Active Directory experimentation.","tech":["TrueNAS","Storage","Active Directory","Self-Hosting"],"github":"https://github.com/esixtosr/3D-Printed-TRUENAS","external":"","icon":"HardDrive","date":"2025-12-01","order":19,"highlightOrder":3},"excerpt":"A custom 3D-printed NAS project built as a personal homelab platform for storage, backups, self-hosted services, and Active Directory experimentation. What…","html":"A custom 3D-printed NAS project built as a personal homelab platform for storage, backups, self-hosted services, and Active Directory experimentation.
\nThis project combined hardware, storage planning, and infrastructure services into one small-form-factor NAS build. The goal was to create a practical lab environment for learning how storage, directory services, backups, and self-hosted applications fit into a real network.
\nThis project helped me connect physical infrastructure with systems administration. It showed how storage, identity, backups, and self-hosted services depend on careful planning, reliable hardware, and clear documentation.
"}},{"node":{"frontmatter":{"title":"WiFi Pineapple Mark VII Wireless Security Lab","description":"A controlled wireless security lab where I studied Wi-Fi attack surfaces, rogue access point behavior, client trust, captive portal risks, and defensive awareness.","tech":["Wireless Security","Rogue AP Awareness","Reconnaissance","Captive Portals"],"github":"","external":"","icon":"Router","date":"2025-12-01","order":18,"highlightOrder":2},"excerpt":"A personal wireless security lab using the Hak5 WiFi Pineapple Mark VII to study Wi-Fi attack surfaces, rogue access point behavior, client trust, and…","html":"A personal wireless security lab using the Hak5 WiFi Pineapple Mark VII to study Wi-Fi attack surfaces, rogue access point behavior, client trust, and defensive awareness in controlled environments.
\nThis project used the WiFi Pineapple Mark VII as a learning platform for understanding how wireless networks can be audited, monitored, misconfigured, and defended. I focused on how devices discover and trust networks, how access points and clients appear in the wireless environment, and why scope control matters during security testing.
\nThe biggest takeaway was that wireless security is not only about passwords. Client behavior, signal exposure, access point impersonation, network segmentation, monitoring, and user awareness all affect real-world risk. This lab helped me connect wireless attack concepts to safer network design, defensive monitoring, and security awareness training.
"}}]}}}