Blog

Field notes on security research, systems, and the web — CTF writeups, infrastructure deep-dives, and the occasional certification retrospective.

2026

2 posts

From CTF Flags to Real-World CVEs: The Art of Calculated Persistence

f1rst May 7, 2026 4 min read

From CTF Flags to Real-World CVEs: The Art of Calculated Persistence

Reflections on solving SocratesPanel, the differences between CTFs and the real world, and how AI agents are changing the game for security researchers.

ctf thoughts ai

HTB Certified Penetration Testing Specialist (CPTS) Post-Exam Reflection

f1rst January 26, 2026 4 min read

HTB Certified Penetration Testing Specialist (CPTS) Post-Exam Reflection

My post-exam reflection of the CPTS certification from Hack The Box

Certificate Penetration Testing CPTS HTB

2025

3 posts

f1rst December 16, 2025 4 min read

Pivoting with Ligolo-ng

pivoting tunneling ligolo-ng

Building My Blue Team Skills from the Ground Up

f1rst October 14, 2025 25 min read 3 parts

Building My Blue Team Skills from the Ground Up

Documenting my journey to enhance my blue team skills step by step.

cybersecurity blue team skills development

What I Learned After Passing the CEH Master Certification

f1rst September 15, 2025 7 min read

What I Learned After Passing the CEH Master Certification

CEH Master Certification Review: Theory, Practical, and My Experience

CEH CEH Master Certificate