Hi! I'm0xparad0xx3d

Welcome to my corner of the internet. I am a penetration tester and cybersecurity professional with a background in system administration, defensive security, and offensive security. Most of my work involves figuring out how systems can be broken, understanding why they can be broken, and helping make them harder to break.

I think its funny when people tell me ethical hacking isn’t a real job like im lying to them.

Who am I?

My name is 0xparad0xx3d, and I’ve always been interested in figuring out how things work. That curiosity eventually turned into a career in IT and cybersecurity.

I started out working with systems administration and support before moving into cybersecurity roles supporting environments for the Department of Defense (clearance related work). I’ve worked with enterprise systems, secure environments, vulnerability management, incident response, system hardening, and security standards before eventually moving toward penetration testing.

Today, I work primarily in offensive security. My work has taken me from web applications and APIs to internal networks, cloud environments, wireless systems, IoT devices, and hardware (including things like IoT and medical devices).

What I do

• Penetration Testing — Web applications, APIs, internal and external networks, cloud environments, wireless systems, hardware, IoT, embedded systems, and medical devices.
• Offensive Security — Reconnaissance, enumeration, exploitation, privilege escalation, authentication and authorization testing, and finding ways around assumptions made by developers and engineers.
• Hardware & IoT Security — Firmware analysis, binary analysis, reverse engineering, and working with interfaces such as I²C, SPI, UART, and CAN.
• Security Research — Taking things apart, writing custom tooling, testing ideas, and going down the occasional rabbit hole when something doesn’t behave the way I expect.
• Continuous Learning — Cybersecurity changes constantly, so there is always something new to learn. I’m continuing my education through the SANS Institute while working toward additional certifications and experience.

Professional Experience

I don’t list employers here, but this is the path my career has taken so far.

Engagement Lead Penetration Tester

July 2026 – Present

Leading penetration testing engagements while remaining hands-on with technical testing, client-facing delivery, findings, and the overall quality of an assessment.

DRI / Senior Penetration Tester

August 2025 – Present

Senior-level penetration testing work across offensive security engagements, with responsibility for technical execution, testing methodology, reporting, and helping drive engagements through completion.

Microsoft 365 Tech Dev Migration Administrator

September 2024 – December 2024

Worked in Microsoft 365 administration and migration-focused environments, supporting technical development and enterprise migration work.

Cybersecurity Analyst

May 2023 – August 2024

Worked across defensive cybersecurity responsibilities including vulnerability management, system hardening, security standards, analysis, and enterprise security operations.

MHS GENESIS EHR Site Integrator / Training Role Manager / System Administrator

July 2022 – April 2023

Supported MHS GENESIS EHR environments through site integration, system administration, access and role management, and technical support responsibilities.

System Administrator — Level II (Windows / AHLTA / CHCS EHR)

August 2021 – April 2023

Administered Windows and healthcare IT environments, including AHLTA and CHCS EHR systems, while supporting enterprise users and infrastructure.

Help Desk Technician

May 2021 – August 2021

Started in hands-on IT support, troubleshooting user and system issues and building the systems administration foundation that eventually led me into cybersecurity.

Education

• Bachelor’s in Cybersecurity — SANS Institute — In progress
• Associate of Applied Science — CIS / Secure System Administration — Completed

Certifications

I’ve accumulated certifications across offensive security, incident handling, general cybersecurity, systems administration, Microsoft technologies, and IoT/hardware security. The ones highlighted on the homepage are only a small selection.

Offensive Security & Cybersecurity

• GIAC Penetration Tester (GPEN)
• Burp Suite Certified Practitioner (BSCP)
• GIAC Certified Incident Handler (GCIH)
• GIAC Security Essentials (GSEC)
• GIAC Foundational Cybersecurity Technologies (GFACT)
• eLearnSecurity Junior Penetration Tester (eJPTv2)
• CompTIA Security+ (SY0-501)
• Certified Linux Security and Network Essentials
• Certified IT Fundamentals

Microsoft & Systems Administration

• Microsoft Solutions Associate
• Server Pro 2016: Identity
• Microsoft Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900)
• Microsoft 365 Fundamentals (MS-900)

Enterprise / DoD Security Training

• DISA ACAS 5.3
• ACAS Best Practices
• Endpoint Security Solutions S 201/301

Hardware, IoT & Embedded Security

Completed ExplIoT certifications and training covering:

• IoT hardware hacking
• Software Defined Radio
• ARM IoT
• OT security
• Automotive security
• IoT security assessments

I have also completed the TCM Guide to IoT Hacking.

Certifications are useful, but I care more about being able to actually apply what I’ve learned. A certificate can tell you that someone passed a test. It doesn’t tell you what happens when you put someone in front of a strange device with no documentation and tell them to figure it out.

Outside of Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity is a big part of my life, but it’s definitely not the only thing I’m into.

I’ve trained and competed in a wide array of martial arts for years, including competing at the world level. A lot of what I’ve learned through training carries over into everything else I do: discipline, repetition, adapting when things don’t go as planned, and sticking with something until I figure it out.

Outside of that, I’m a pretty big gamer.

I have around 360 games on Steam and an unreasonable number of hours logged across them. Dota 2 used to absorb my life, but currently I am absorbed by Deadlock. I have a few thousand more spread across games like Final Fantasy (Older ones, 7 remake, XIV), Counter-Strike (back in the day), Dark Souls, Baldur’s Gate 1, 2, and 3, and a lot of others.

My taste is all over the place. I play RPGs, MOBAs, competitive shooters, MMOs (I hate all forms of pay to win), older PC games, and pretty much anything else that looks interesting enough to give a shot.

This site

This site is where I document the things I’m working on, learning, and occasionally breaking.

You’ll find posts about penetration testing, cybersecurity, security research, tools, CTFs, hardware, IoT, and other projects that I find interesting. Some posts will be detailed write-ups, while others may be notes from something I was working through and decided was worth documenting.

I don’t expect to ever stop learning in this field, so this site will probably change along with me.

If you’re interested in cybersecurity, ethical hacking, technology, or just curious about what I’ve been working on, welcome. Feel free to contact me.