Prof Paradox

About

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Usman Mushtaq

A CTF Player & Security Engineer
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👋 I'm Usman a.k.a Prof Paradox ⏱

Cybersecurity analyst with hands-on experience in digital forensics, malware analysis, and penetration testing. Proven ability in incident response, network traffic analysis, and development of custom security tools. Active participant in Capture The Flag (CTF) competitions with a focus on OSINT and investigative techniques.

Skills

Programming Languages: C, C++, Python, C#, Bash
Tools & Frameworks: BurpSuite, pfSense, Metasploit, Nessus, Nmap, Autopsy, Volatility
Platforms: Windows, Linux, Vercel
Others: Malware Analysis (Static, Dynamic)

Experience

Forensics Investigator & Red Team Analyst at CyberFix Pvt. Ltd (July 2025- October 2025)

Education

Bachelors in Cyber Security from Air University, Islamabad (2023-2027)

Achievements

  • 7th Place at Ignite Islamabad Qualifiers (2025)
  • 9th Place in Softec CTF by FAST NUCES Lahore (2024)

Projects

  • VPN - A lightweight and secure VPN implementation using Python. This project leverages TUN/TAP devices and AES encryption for secure communication in a client-server architecture.

  • Cortex CLI - A C based modern Linux shell developed with Rana Uzair Ahmad (a dear friend of mine) which has integrated AI capabilities powered by LLMs, supporting multilingual interactions and advanced command execution.

  • Password Validator - Password Validator written in Assembly language with Rana Uzair Ahmad. It evaluates the strength of a user-provided password based on various criteria such as length, character types, repetition, and strength.

  • Pipex-Swiss-Army - Pipex is a powerful Python-based networking tool developed with mate Rana Uzair Ahmad which extends the capabilities of traditional tools like Netcat. It supports interactive shells, one-shot command execution, file uploads, and SSL/TLS encryption, all in one versatile utility.

  • Forensic Evidence Acquisition System (FEAS) - The Forensic Evidence Acquisition System (FEAS) is a secure, full-stack solution designed for law enforcement and digital forensic investigators. It automates the acquisition of evidence from social media URLs and local files, ensuring strict integrity through SHA-256 hashing and automated PDF reporting. (Group Project - My role was Backend Engineer & Debugger)

Additional Experiences

  • Member at AUCSS Red Team (2024 - Present)
  • CTF Player & Practitioner at TryHackMe | HacktheBox | CTFTime (2024 - Present)

TryHackMe

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HacktheBox

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Reach Out to Me

Feel free to reach out if you want to collaborate or discuss cybersecurity!