Oct 2025
CompTIA PenTest+ Preparation Course Certificate
CompTIA · Coursera
About me
Breaking systems to engineer unbreakable defenses.
I am Rana Uzair Ahmad, a Cybersecurity & DevSecOps Engineer with extensive hands-on experience in offensive security, threat hunting, infrastructure defense, and systems-level security tooling. My expertise spans penetration testing, active SIEM detection engineering, CI/CD pipeline hardening, and reverse engineering.
At the National Cybercrime and Forensics Lab (NCCS), I engineered a high-performance C-based SIEM monitoring daemon utilizing Linux kernel inotify APIs for real-time file integrity and event correlation, integrated into active production infrastructure. Concurrently, as a Cybersecurity Engineer & Penetration Tester at ZeroxInnovation, I lead web application VAPT and network assessments, delivering deep technical reports with actionable remediation frameworks.
Beyond enterprise engagements, I actively build and research. I have engineered and published 34+ open-source security tools in Python, C, Rust, and x86 Assembly, ranked Top 3% globally on TryHackMe, Top 900 on HackTheBox, and earned 17+ industry security certifications. I am currently open to Security Engineering, DevSecOps, and Penetration Testing opportunities.
34+ Open Source Projects
Top 3% TryHackMe Global Rank
Top 800 HackTheBox Rank
3+ Yrs Hands-On Experience
The path so far
Experience & Education
A timeline of the roles, internships, and study that shaped how I work.
Security Engineer
Apr 2025 - Present- Integrate security controls into CI/CD pipelines using GitHub Actions and Jenkins; automate SAST/DAST scanning, dependency analysis, and vulnerability reporting as part of DevSecOps workflows.
- Deploy and manage containerized security environments using Docker and Docker Compose; maintain system configuration automation using Ansible for local labs and client environments.
- Lead end-to-end vulnerability lifecycle management; triage findings using CVSS, prioritize by exploitability and business impact, and coordinate remediation with engineering teams.
- Conduct adversarial gap analysis between offensive findings and defensive controls; design and maintain incident response playbooks covering detection, containment, eradication, and recovery.
- Develop Python and Bash automation scripts for continuous security monitoring, threat intelligence integration, and exposure tracking across client infrastructure.
GitHub ActionsJenkinsDockerDocker ComposeAnsiblePythonWazuhSemgrepBash
Penetration Tester
Apr 2024 - Present- Conducted full-scope red team engagements across web applications, APIs, internal networks, and external perimeters; delivered CVSS-rated reports with actionable remediation guidance.
- Performed API security testing using Postman and REST Assured; identified authentication bypasses, IDOR vulnerabilities, broken object-level authorization, and injection flaws.
- Integrated custom scanning and exploitation scripts into GitLab CI pipelines for repeatable, automated security assessment workflows.
- Collaborated with development teams on OWASP Top 10 and secure SDLC assessments to embed security upstream in engineering workflows.
- Researched and replicated emerging CVEs; developed proof-of-concept exploits and documented findings for both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
Burp SuitePostmanREST AssuredMetasploitNmapGitLab CIPythonOWASP Top 10
Freelance Penetration Tester
Apr 2023 - Present- Conducted independent web application and network penetration testing engagements for clients; delivered risk-rated security assessment reports with prioritized remediation steps.
- Built and maintained custom offensive security tooling in Python and C to support reconnaissance, exploitation, and post-engagement reporting workflows.
- Competed actively in CTF competitions and HackTheBox/TryHackMe challenges, applying findings directly to client engagement techniques.
PythonCBurp SuiteMetasploitNmapLinux
Digital Forensics & Security Engineer
Jun 2024 - Sep 2024- Engineered a high-performance C-based SIEM daemon for real-time file integrity monitoring (inotify), network scanning, event correlation, and anomaly detection; deployed into live government infrastructure.
- Operated Wazuh, Splunk Enterprise, and Kibana for real-time threat detection, forensic packet investigation, and incident triage in active production environments.
CWazuh SIEMSplunkKibanaInotifyLinuxPOSIX
B.Sc. Cyber Security (GPA: 3.33 / 4.0)
2023 - 2027- Advanced specialization in Network Security, Applied Cryptography, Reverse Engineering, Malware Analysis, DFIR, Kernel Internals, and Secure Systems Design.
- Lead operative and captain in university CTF & Red Team competitions.
Capabilities
Skills & Expertise
$
TOOLS & FRAMEWORKS
Burp Suite
Web VAPT
Metasploit
Exploit
Nmap
Recon
Wireshark
Network
Hashcat
Crack
SQLMap
Database
Nessus
Scan
Nikto
Web
$
PLATFORMS & INFRASTRUCTURE
Kali Linux
Offensive
Parrot OS
Offensive
Docker
Containers
Kubernetes
Cluster
Terraform
IaC Cloud
Ansible
Automation
AWS Cloud
IAM & VPC
Ubuntu / Debian
Server
$
DEFENSIVE & SIEM ENGINEERING
Wazuh SIEM
Detection
Splunk
Analytics
Elastic / Kibana
Log Pipelines
CyberGuard Agent
C Daemon
Sysmon / DFIR
Telemetry
Trivy / Semgrep
SAST / SCA
$
LANGUAGES & SYSTEMS PROGRAMMING
Python
Scapy & Paramiko
C / C++
POSIX & Sockets
Rust
Systems & Memory
Assembly (x86)
Low-Level Registers
Ghidra / x64dbg
Reverse Eng
Bash / Shell
Linux Automation
Credentials
See all on resume Key Certifications
A few highlights from my certification stack.
Oct 2025
Cyber Threat Intelligence 101 (Foundation TIA)
arcX
Oct 2025
CSI Linux Certified Investigator (CSIL-CI)
CSI Linux
Oct 2024
Mastering Reverse Engineering & Malware Analysis (REMASM+)
OCSALY Academy · Udemy
Sep 2024
Digital Forensics Internship Certificate
National Center of Cyber Security (NCCS)
Hands-on
CTF & Competitions
Air University CTF 2024
1st Place WinnerWon 1st place across binary exploitation, web security, and cryptography categories.
Islamabad Cyber Challenge 2024
2nd PlaceFull-scope red team simulation and compromise competition.
Cyber Youth Competition 2024
Best Pentester AwardAwarded for advanced exploitation speed and report quality.
TryHackMe
Top 3% Globally (Rank 53,126)70+ rooms completed, 100% Offensive Path completion.
HackTheBox
Top 800 Globally (Rank Level 54)Professional rank on HTB main platform across Linux, Windows, and AD labs.