Wandi Thabiso Mtshali
Pretoria
Summary
Cybersecurity-focused IT student with extensive hands-on experience in vulnerability assessment, network penetration testing, and cryptographic security. Proven ability to deploy, attack, and defend complex systems in controlled lab environments. Holds Microsoft Azure and Security Fundamentals certifications and seeks an entry-level cybersecurity role to apply technical skills in threat analysis, IDS/IPS configuration, and secure infrastructure design.
Overview
1
1
year of professional experience
4
4
Certifications
Work History
Founder & Technical Lead
Self-Employed
03.2025 - Current
- Provide Azure-based virtual machines and cloud infrastructure for academic users.
- Manage website hosting services including deployment, DNS configuration, and ongoing maintenance.
- Implement basic security hardening on student-facing systems.
Education
National Diploma - Information Technology
Tshwane University of Technology
05-2026
Skills
Security Tools & Platforms:
Penetration Testing: Kali Linux, Metasploit, Burp Suite, Wireshark, Nmap, Hashcat
Intrusion Detection: Snort IDS configuration and rule management
Honeypots: Cowrie deployment and monitoring
Cryptography: OpenSSL, Hashcat, PKI management
Cloud & Virtualization:
Microsoft Azure: Virtual Machines, Networking, Storage Accounts, Bastion
Containerization: Docker (DVWA deployment)
Virtualization: VMware/VirtualBox, VM configuration
Networking & Protocols:
TCP/IP stack, HTTP/HTTPS protocols, packet analysis
Network scanning and reconnaissance
Firewall and IDS/IPS concepts
Operating Systems:
Windows Server, Linux (Kali, Ubuntu, Debian)
Programming & Scripting:
Java, PowerShell, Bash scripting, PHP (for proof-of-concept scripts)
Packet crafting with Scapy
Web Technologies:
Web application security, OWASP Top 10
Apache/nginx server configuration
Certification
Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900)
KEY ACHIEVEMENTS
- Successfully demonstrated 10+ common web vulnerabilities in controlled lab environment
- Implemented and evaded multiple IDS detection methods, understanding both offensive and defensive perspectives
- Built complete cryptographic workflow from hashing to PKI management
- Deployed deceptive security infrastructure (honeypots) to study attacker behavior
Timeline
Founder & Technical Lead
Self-Employed
03.2025 - Current
National Diploma - Information Technology
Tshwane University of Technology