Abbas Salim

// cybersecurity operator - red + blue

CIS graduate out of the University of Houston. Penetration testing, network security, and secure development - security-first by mindset, tactical by trade. I find the gaps, then I close them.

Open to roles, projects & collaboration
OPERATOR ID
Abbas Salim
NAME: Abbas Salim
ROLE: Cybersecurity
SOC Analyst · System Administrator · Network Engineer · Cybersecurity Engineer · Penetration Tester
BASE: Houston, TX
EDU : UH · CIS
STAT: AVAILABLE
// capabilities

Offense & Defense

I work both sides of the wire. Toggle the engagement - the whole console shifts with it.

[ OFFENSE ]  Find the gaps before the adversary does.
Penetration Testing
Probe systems for weaknesses the way a real attacker would.
offense
Reconnaissance
Map the target - surface, services, and entry points.
recon
Vulnerability Assessment
Identify and prioritize exploitable weaknesses.
assess
Network Scanning
Enumerate hosts, ports, and services with Nmap.
nmap
Ethical Hacking
Adversary simulation in a controlled, authorized scope.
kali linux
Security Automation
Automate recon and testing with Python & Bash.
python · bash
[ DEFENSE ]  Detect, respond, harden. Proactive by default.
Threat Detection
Spot anomalies and indicators before they escalate.
monitoring
Incident Response
Contain, analyze, and recover when something breaks.
response
System Hardening
Lock down configs and shrink the attack surface.
hardening
Cloud Security
Secure cloud environments and remediate misconfig.
cloud
Risk Assessment
Weigh exposure and drive proactive defense strategy.
risk
IAM & CI/CD Security
Authentication controls and pipeline security automation.
iam · ci/cd
// engagement lifecycle

Recon to Report

How an offensive engagement runs - find the gaps before the adversary does.

red
01
Recon
Map the target & gather intel.
red
02
Scan
Enumerate hosts, ports & services.
red
03
Exploit
Gain access, validate the vuln.
red
04
Escalate
Privilege escalation & lateral movement.
red
05
Persist
Maintain access, prove the impact.
red
06
Report
Document findings & remediation.
blue
01
Detect
Surface anomalies & indicators.
blue
02
Triage
Analyze & prioritize the alert.
blue
03
Contain
Isolate the affected systems.
blue
04
Eradicate
Remove the threat & root cause.
blue
05
Recover
Restore operations safely.
blue
06
Harden
Patch, document & strengthen.
// arsenal

Tools & Tech

Core stack from my hands-on work - add more as you go.

Nmap
scanning
Wireshark
analysis
Kali Linux
offense
Python
automation
Bash
scripting
Penetration TestingNetwork SecuritySecure Development Vulnerability AssessmentReconnaissanceSecurity Automation Cloud SecuritySystem HardeningCI/CD Security Authentication / IAMThreat DetectionRisk Assessment
// live console

The SOC Desk

An ambient look at the monitoring mindset - demo telemetry, not client data.

EVENT_FEED - live
PERIMETER MONITORED
STATUS NOMINAL
11
Projects
4
Roles
3
Certs Earned
2
Degrees
// credentials

Education & Certs

Education · 2 Degrees
University of Houston
B.S. Computer Information Systems (CIS) - Cum Laude, 2025. Foundation in cybersecurity, networking & secure development.
Lone Star College
Associate of Science (A.S.).
Certifications · Earned
Certified Network Security ExpertCertified
Mastercard - Cybersecurity Job SimulationCompleted
Datacom - Cybersecurity Operations Job SimulationCompleted
// in progress
CompTIA Security+In Progress
CompTIA Network+In Progress
CEH - Certified Ethical HackerIn Progress
// experience

Work Experience

Professional roles & milestones - add company, title, dates, and a one-line impact for each.

Network Project ManagerOneSource Building Technology
Aug 2025 - Dec 2025
  • Improved enterprise network performance through log analysis and by optimizing firewalls, VPNs, VLANs, and access controls - raising average up/download speeds and cutting connectivity issues.
  • Awarded for the most technical certifications during tenure; coordinated with field technicians and network engineers to resolve multi-site issues with minimal downtime.
Network AnalystOneSource Building Technology
Jul 2025 - Aug 2025
Network performance analysis and troubleshooting across multi-site environments - the groundwork that led into the project-management role.
Cybersecurity Analyst - InternCioré
Apr 2025 - Jul 2025
  • Supported a green-tech startup building a fully encrypted, in-house operating system - assisting security analysis across the early-stage platform.
  • Ran vulnerability assessments and reviewed encryption and access controls, helping harden the foundation of a privacy-first OS.
# draft description - edit to match your actual scope
System AdministratorInterSolutions, LLC
Aug 2021 - Jan 2025 · 4 yrs
  • Managed enterprise authentication and access-control systems, resolving identity, permission, and application issues for secure, reliable operations.
  • Served as an escalation point for infrastructure issues, reducing repeat incidents through troubleshooting and clear communication with technical teams and end users.
// selected work

The Projects

A full portfolio - offensive, defensive, and engineering work. Red = offense, blue = defense, gold = build.

Microsoft Azure SOC Lab
Stood up a full security-operations lab in Azure - log ingestion, monitoring, and alerting to run real SOC detection workflows.
soc · azure
Real-Time Threat Detection App
Engineered an application that monitors activity and flags threats as they happen.
detection
Custom Honeypot
Built a honeypot to lure, observe, and log attacker behavior - early warning and threat intel.
deception
Splunk - SSH Log Analysis
Ingested SSH logs into Splunk to detect brute-force attempts and anomalous access.
splunk · siem
Splunk - DNS Log Analysis
DNS log analysis in Splunk surfacing suspicious lookups and potential C2 / exfiltration.
splunk · siem
Palo Alto Firewall
Configured and hardened a Palo Alto next-gen firewall - zones, policies, and traffic inspection.
firewall
Advanced Keylogger
Engineered a keylogger to study input-capture and endpoint-evasion techniques - offensive research to sharpen defense.
offense · research
End-to-End Message Encrypter
Built a fully end-to-end encrypted messaging tool - plaintext never leaves the endpoints.
cryptography
Nova - AI Assistant
A personal AI assistant built from the ground up to handle tasks, answer questions, and automate the day.
ai
Cloud Game-Sim Task Scheduler
A cloud-based task scheduler orchestrating jobs and resources for a game simulation.
cloud
Travel Agency Web App
Full-stack travel-agency platform, front to back - design to deployment (details under wraps).
full-stack

Let's connect.

Open to roles, projects, and collaboration. Reach out on LinkedIn or by email.