Oct 2025
CompTIA PenTest+ (PT0-002)
CompTIA · Coursera Specialization
About me
Breaking things to build better defenses.
I am Rana Uzair Ahmad, a cybersecurity student in my seventh semester at Air University, Islamabad. My focus sits at the intersection of offensive and defensive security: I enjoy taking systems apart to understand how they break, then using that insight to build stronger defenses and better tooling.
My hands-on path started early. During my internship at the National Cybercrime and Forensics Lab under the NCCS, I worked daily with SIEM platforms like Wazuh, Splunk, and Kibana, and built a custom C based agent for network scanning, log collection, and active response. Today I work as a penetration tester at ZeroxInnovation, assessing web applications and networks and translating findings into clear, prioritized remediation.
Outside of formal roles, I build. I have published 34 plus open source security tools, compete in CTFs on TryHackMe (Top 3 percent globally) and HackTheBox, and document what I learn so others can move faster. I am currently open to security internships and junior roles where I can keep growing alongside a strong team.
34+ Open Source Projects
Top 3% TryHackMe Global Rank
17 Certifications
2+ Yrs Hands-On Experience
The path so far
Experience & Education
A timeline of the roles, internships, and study that shaped how I work.
Penetration Tester
Apr 2025 - Present- Perform vulnerability assessments and penetration tests on client web applications and networks, mapping findings to OWASP Top 10 and MITRE ATT&CK.
- Identify, validate, and safely demonstrate exploitable weaknesses, then prioritize them by business risk for remediation.
- Deliver clear technical reports with reproduction steps, severity ratings, and actionable remediation guidance for both engineering and management audiences.
Burp SuiteMetasploitNmapSQLmapKali LinuxPython
Cybersecurity Intern, SOC & Security Tooling
Jun 2024 - Sep 2024- Operated and tuned SIEM platforms (Wazuh, Splunk, Kibana) to monitor, triage, and investigate security events across lab infrastructure.
- Designed and built a custom C based endpoint agent for network scanning, log collection, and active response, extending the lab’s detection coverage.
- Applied C, JavaScript, Python, and MySQL to automate data collection and reporting tasks during live security operations.
- Gained hands-on exposure to incident response, threat detection, and digital forensics workflows.
WazuhSplunkKibanaCPythonMySQL
Independent Security Researcher & Open Source Developer
2023 - Present- Designed and published 34+ open source security tools spanning packet analysis, SSH hardening, reconnaissance, SIEM agents, and system auditing.
- Compete in CTFs on TryHackMe (Top 3% globally) and HackTheBox, sharpening exploitation, forensics, and reverse engineering skills.
- Document techniques and writeups to share knowledge with the security community.
PythonCBashScapyLinux
BS in Cyber Security
2023 - 2027 (Expected)- Seventh semester. Coursework: Network Security, Cryptography, Malware Analysis, Digital Forensics, Operating Systems, Secure Software Design.
- Active member of the university cybersecurity community and CTF team.
Capabilities
Skills & Expertise
Offensive Security
Penetration TestingWeb Application SecurityNetwork Penetration TestingVulnerability AssessmentOSINT & ReconnaissanceExploit Development
Defensive Security
SOC OperationsSIEM (Wazuh, Splunk, ELK)Threat HuntingIncident ResponseThreat IntelligenceLog Analysis & Detection Engineering
Forensics & Malware
Digital Forensics (Autopsy, CSI Linux)Reverse Engineering (x64dbg)Malware AnalysisMemory & Disk ForensicsNetwork Forensics (Wireshark)
Programming & Scripting
PythonC / C++Bash & ShellJavaScriptPowerShellAssemblyRustSQL
Tools & Platforms
Burp SuiteMetasploitNmap & NessusSQLmap & OWASP ZAPWazuh / Splunk / KibanaGhidra & x64dbgGit & Docker
Operating Systems & Frameworks
Kali LinuxParrot OSUbuntu / DebianWindows InternalsMITRE ATT&CKOWASP Top 10NIST CSF
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
2024
Cybercrime & Forensics Lab Internship
National Center for Cyber Security (NCCS), Air University
Hands-on