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Las Vegas, NV

IT & Cybersecurity

CyberCorps SFS Scholar. Security+ certified. Homelab enjoyer.

  • B.S. Computer Science
  • CompTIA Security+
  • CyberCorps: Scholarship for Service
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Character summary

About

I'm Keith, a UNLV computer science grad (Information Assurance concentration) and NSF CyberCorps Scholarship for Service scholar. My IT career started at my family's internet cafe, fixing PCs and cleaning malware off machines long before I knew what a threat model was.

These days I harden Linux boxes, run a segmented Proxmox homelab, automate the boring parts, and point machine learning at problems that need it. A background in healthcare taught me to treat sensitive data like it matters.

This site is a for-fun side quest. Prefer a regular page? There is a Plain mode link at the bottom.

  • Las Vegas, NV
  • IT & Cybersecurity
  • B.S. Computer Science, Spring 2026

Adventure log

Experience

  1. May 2025 to present

    Nevada National Security Sites logo

    Started as an MSIPP intern at the Nevada National Security Site and converted to Associate in Engineering.

    • Configured scientific Python environments and deep learning dependencies on HPC GPU clusters for reproducible large-scale training.
    • Refactored legacy neural network code and data pipelines for local GPU training.
    • Built an evaluation pipeline against classical solvers: 87% lower reconstruction error (NMSE) and 0.995 SSIM on synthetic benchmarks.
    • Documented every workflow and configuration into a repeatable pipeline so the work outlives the internship.
  2. Aug 2024 to May 2025

    UNLV Cyber Clinic logo

    Cybersecurity Intern (SFS Scholar)

    UNLV Cyber Clinic (opens in a new tab)

    Security assessments for Nevada small businesses, plus outreach and Security+ prep.

    • Rebuilt a stalled internal web platform in one week: member database and work-hour logging.
    • Ran vulnerability assessments and security audits for small businesses, with prioritized remediation reports.
    • Presented to 300+ attendees on building campus cybersecurity organizations, as part of NSF SFS outreach.
    • Led Security+ prep sessions with practice assessments.
    Group photo of the UNLV Cyber Clinic team in matching black shirts outside a campus building.
  3. Jan 2024 to Aug 2024

    NexOasis Enterprise Security logo

    Team Lead & Full Stack Developer Intern

    NexOasis (opens in a new tab)

    Promoted to lead five interns while building identity, access, and VM provisioning.

    • Architected a Proxmox environment with network isolation and a PHP API that provisions and tears down VMs securely.
    • Built role-based identity management, access control, and session validation for the TrustedWill platform.
    • Promoted to team lead of five interns to coordinate milestone delivery.
  4. Jan 2024 to Aug 2024

    UNLV logo

    Teaching Assistant

    University of Nevada, Las Vegas

    Mentored 120 students through programming assignments and debugging.

    • Raised class pass rates by 25% with targeted feedback.
    • Ran office hours and review sessions on data structures, algorithms, and debugging.

Quest log

Projects

  • Completed

    The Japan Itinerary

    2026

    A private, offline-capable trip planner for a 21-day trip to Japan for two.

    • TypeScript
    • Next.js
    • Supabase
    • Vercel
    • Tailwind CSS
    • MapLibre

    Quest journal · 2026

    The Japan Itinerary

    Short clip of the planner: adding a stop to a free hour in the day, then seeing it appear on the map.
    The planner on a laptop: a day in Asakusa and Ueno with a live "now" card for the current stop, the day's plan, a budget summary, and photos.
    A whole day at a glance, including what is happening right now.
    Map of Tokyo with the day's numbered stops joined by a dotted route, next to the day's stop list.
    The day's route on a real map.
    Zoomed-in map around Ikebukuro with one stop selected, showing its address and Open stop, Directions, and Nearby buttons.
    Tap a stop for its address, directions, and what is nearby.
    3D map of Shinjuku with extruded buildings and the day's stops pinned.
    3D view for finding your way around dense neighborhoods.
    Plan with Claude panel listing suggested changes to a day, a new coffee stop and two time changes, each with its own toggle.
    Plan with Claude: paste a reply, then review each suggested change before applying it.
    The same day on a phone: a swipeable date strip, the day details, and the current stop card.
    Built for the phone first, since that is where it gets used.

    A planner built for one trip: three weeks in Japan for two people. Each day gets an agenda that keeps itself in time order, with maps, photos, hotel reminders, and reservations or receipts one tap away.

    It also runs a shared budget ledger (yen or dollars, exchange rate frozen at purchase, who owes whom), packing lists, phrase and emergency cards, leave-by push reminders, and an offline mode that queues edits until there is signal again.

    Sign-in, data, realtime sync, and file storage run on Supabase with row level security, so only the people we invite can read it.

    Built with
    TypeScriptNext.jsSupabaseVercelTailwind CSSMapLibre
    Skills used
    ScriptingIdentity & Access
    Visit (login required) (opens in a new tab)
  • Proxmox VE web console showing a Kali Linux VM running a live Wireshark capture on eth0, with Ubuntu, Windows, and game server guests listed in the sidebar. The packet list is redacted.Completed

    Proxmox Cyber Lab

    2025

    A segmented homelab for defensive security practice, threat modeling, and monitoring.

    • Proxmox VE
    • Kali Linux
    • Ubuntu
    • Windows
    • Wireshark
    • WireGuard
    • n8n

    Quest journal · 2025

    Proxmox Cyber Lab

    Proxmox VE web console showing a Kali Linux VM running a live Wireshark capture on eth0, with Ubuntu, Windows, and game server guests listed in the sidebar. The packet list is redacted.
    Kali VM in the lab, mid packet capture.

    A Proxmox VE lab with network isolation and firewall controls, built for practicing defense, threat modeling, and continuous monitoring.

    It runs Windows and Linux VMs for identity management, firewall testing, and monitoring drills, plus security tooling (Wireshark, Fail2Ban, WireGuard, Nginx, n8n) and a couple of game servers with authentication, isolation, and abuse detection.

    Built with
    Proxmox VEKali LinuxUbuntuWindowsWiresharkWireGuardn8n
    Skills used
    VirtualizationNetworkingLinuxWindowsDefense
  • Discord chat where the user keitan runs /chatgpt asking for a haiku about the job market, and the bot Usagi replies: "Iya-ha! Jobs bloom then wither fast, Dreams hunt the wind!"Completed

    AI-Enabled Discord Bot

    2025

    A 24/7 AI chat bot running in a hardened Proxmox container.

    • Python
    • PostgreSQL
    • SQLAlchemy
    • Alembic
    • OpenAI API
    • Proxmox

    Quest journal · 2025

    AI-Enabled Discord Bot

    Discord chat where the user keitan runs /chatgpt asking for a haiku about the job market, and the bot Usagi replies: "Iya-ha! Jobs bloom then wither fast, Dreams hunt the wind!"
    Usagi on the job market.

    Usagi is a Discord bot that answers with OpenAI or a locally hosted LLM. It runs around the clock in a hardened Proxmox container with strict credential isolation and usage controls.

    It onboards servers and users automatically, tracks command usage in PostgreSQL, and uses rate limiting and anomaly detection to catch abuse and keep an audit trail.

    Built with
    PythonPostgreSQLSQLAlchemyAlembicOpenAI APIProxmox
    Skills used
    ScriptingAI & MLVirtualizationDefense
    Invite the bot (opens in a new tab)
  • The portfolio landing page: "Keith Daniel Tan" in gold pixel letters over an animated dusk landscape with a castle against the setting sun.In progress

    This Portfolio

    2026

    A portfolio styled after classic MMO interfaces, with an animated pixel-art world and a 3D pet.

    • TypeScript
    • Next.js
    • React
    • Tailwind CSS
    • three.js
    • Vercel

    Quest journal · 2026

    This Portfolio

    The portfolio landing page: "Keith Daniel Tan" in gold pixel letters over an animated dusk landscape with a castle against the setting sun.
    The title screen: a parallax pixel-art landscape that reacts to scrolling and the mouse.
    The Skills section: three stone panels for Security, Infrastructure, and Engineering and Leadership, each listing skills with pixel icons and tool tags.
    Skills as categories and tools, with no made-up levels.
    Pip, a round mint slime in a gold knight helmet, rendered in 3D with happy closed eyes while pixel hearts float above it.
    Pip, the 3D pet: drag to turn it, click to pat it.

    The site you are on: a Next.js and TypeScript app styled after the old-school MMOs I grew up on, with an animated pixel-art landscape, XP drops for exploring, a 3D pet, and a chatbox.

    All content lives in typed data files that are checked at build time, all pixel art is generated from code, and the site ships with a strict Content Security Policy. A Supabase guestbook and a sign-in editor for updating content are next.

    Built with
    TypeScriptNext.jsReactTailwind CSSthree.jsVercel
    Skills used
    ScriptingIdentity & Access

Abilities

Skills

Security

  • Defense

    SIEM monitoring, alert triage, and incident response.

    • Splunk
    • Wazuh
    • TheHive
    • Velociraptor
    • Arkime
  • Offense

    Authorized testing: recon, exploitation, and password auditing.

    • Metasploit
    • Nmap
    • Hashcat
    • Ghidra
    • CTFs
  • Vuln Management

    Vulnerability scanning, audits, and clear remediation reports.

    • Qualys
    • Security audits
    • Risk reports
  • Identity & Access

    Role-based access control, authentication, and session security.

    • Role-based access control
    • Session validation
    • Identity management

Infrastructure

  • Networking

    Designing, segmenting, and troubleshooting networks.

    • TCP/IP
    • DNS
    • VPNs
    • Firewalls
    • IDS/IPS
    • VLANs
    • Wireshark
  • Linux

    Administering and hardening Linux servers and workstations.

    • Ubuntu
    • Kali
    • Debian
    • RHEL
    • ParrotOS
  • Windows

    Windows systems for identity, firewall, and monitoring work.

    • Windows 10
    • Windows 11
  • Virtualization

    Building and running VMs and containers on Proxmox and Docker.

    • Proxmox VE
    • Docker
    • VirtualBox

Engineering & Leadership

  • Scripting

    Automating repetitive admin and security tasks.

    • Python
    • n8n
    • PHP
  • AI & ML

    Training and evaluating neural networks on GPU clusters.

    • PyTorch
    • TensorFlow/Keras
    • scikit-learn
    • NumPy
    • CNNs
  • Hardware

    PC repair, builds, and malware cleanup since the internet cafe days.

    • PC repair
    • PC builds
    • Malware remediation
  • Leadership

    Leading interns, mentoring students, and presenting to large groups.

    • Team lead (5 interns)
    • TA (120 students)
    • Security+ prep sessions

Equipment

Tech Stack

  • Linux

    Operating system

    Daily driver: Ubuntu, Kali, Debian, RHEL, ParrotOS.

  • Proxmox VE

    Virtualization

    Runs my segmented homelab of VMs and containers.

  • Git & GitHub

    Version control

    Everything I build lives in version control.

  • n8n

    Automation

    Workflow automation for alerts, reports, and chores.

  • Python

    Language

    Scripting, tooling, and machine learning.

  • Docker

    Containers

    Packages services so they run the same everywhere.

  • Wazuh & Splunk

    Security monitoring

    SIEM, log analysis, and alert triage.

  • PostgreSQL

    Database

    Relational data for my bots and apps.

  • Wireshark

    Network analysis

    Packet capture and protocol troubleshooting.

  • WireGuard

    VPN

    Secure remote access into the lab.

  • Nmap

    Network scanning

    Discovery and port scanning during assessments.

Education, certifications, and milestones

Achievements

  • Education

    B.S. Computer Science

    University of Nevada, Las Vegas · Spring 2026

    Information Assurance concentration. 3.736 GPA.

  • Certification
    CompTIA Security+ certified badge

    CompTIA Security+ (opens in a new tab)

    CompTIA

    Certified in core security concepts, operations, and incident response.

  • Honor

    CyberCorps: Scholarship for Service

    National Science Foundation

    Federal cybersecurity scholarship in exchange for government service.

  • Research

    Research Paper (IEEE submission) (opens in a new tab)

    2026

    Co-author of "Single-View Tomographic Reconstruction Using Learned Primal Dual", submitted to IEEE Transactions on Computational Imaging.

  • Competition

    NCAE Cyber Games 2025: 3rd Place

    2025

    Team placed 3rd. Also named Most Improved Teammate.

  • Competition

    Tracer Fire 12

    2024

    Competed in hands-on cyber defense exercises.

  • Honor

    Dean's Honor List

    UNLV · Spring 2020, Spring 2024, Fall 2024, Spring 2025, Fall 2025

    Made the list five times.

  • Honor

    Millennium Scholarship

    Nevada State Treasurer's Office

    Nevada merit scholarship.

  • Honor

    Rebel Scholarship

    UNLV

    UNLV merit scholarship.

  • Milestone

    Intern to Associate in Engineering

    Mission Support and Test Services (NNSS) · 2025

    Converted from MSIPP intern to Associate in Engineering.

  • Milestone

    Promoted to Team Lead

    NexOasis · 2024

    Promoted from intern to lead a team of five interns.

  • Milestone

    Speaker: 300+ attendees

    NSF SFS outreach

    Presented to 300+ attendees on building campus cybersecurity organizations.

  • Milestone

    Teaching Assistant: 120 students

    UNLV · 2024

    Mentored 120 students as a teaching assistant; pass rates rose 25%.

Companion

Pet

Pats given: 0

Pip

Every adventurer needs a pet. Drag to turn Pip around, click to give a pat, or use the buttons.

Built with three.js and React Three Fiber, toon-shaded to match the pixel art.

Send a message

Contact

Dear adventurer,

Thanks for stopping by. If you're hiring for IT or security roles, or just want to talk shop, the fastest way to reach me is LinkedIn or email.

You can also leave a note in the guestbook for everyone to see.

Cheers,
Keith