About Me
Projects
Home Lab
August 2025
- Deployed and configured OPNsense as the main router and firewall, setting up VLANs, appropriate subnets, DHCP, and firewall rules to segment and secure home lab traffic.
- Utilized Proxmox to host virtual machines for labs and services, learning virtualization, resource allocation, and snapshot management—accomplished utilizing LXC containers and KVM virtual machines.
- Created a SOC lab environment using Kali Linux for vulnerability assessment, a Windows target for exploitation, and a full Wazuh stack for real-time detection and prevention.
- Configured OPNsense firewalling with strict baselines—ensuring inter-VLAN traffic is within scope.
- Utilized WireGuard to secure sensitive traffic from self-hosted services to VPS proxy—terminated with TLS 1.2/1.3 certificates.
VPS
August 2025
- Deployed a strict firewall policy: default-deny incoming, a strict UFW ruleset only allowing essential ports (non-standard IP-bound SSH port), with Tor service bound to localhost and isolated from public interfaces.
- Obtained an A+ SSL Labs Score, configured Let’s Encrypt TLS (TLS 1.2/1.3) with strong AEAD ciphers, implemented HSTS preload, instituted DNSSEC to prevent MITM attacks, and restrictive CAA policies to prevent rogue issuance.
- Secured Nginx with tight content security policies, method restrictions (GET/HEAD only), rate-limiting, appropriate header limits, and privacy-respecting security headers.
- Deployed kernel-level security via extensive sysctl settings, unused protocol and module blacklisting (modprobe blocklist), and AppArmor confinement for Nginx and Tor to limit post-exploit impact.
- Incorporated a strong chain of trust: a signed Tor mirror statement, mirrored public GPG keys, and SHA-512 checksum proofs—all implemented across DNS TXT records and a GitHub mirror.
Verification
1# Web Hosting (Headers)
2Clearnet: curl -vkI https://smithbarlow.net
3Tor Mirror: curl -vkI (WIP)
4
5# DNS
6dig @9.9.9.9 smithbarlow.net any +dnssec
7
8# Documentation
9Write Up: https://github.com/smithbarlow/Home-LabEvents
Summer Cyber Tech Track
Ken Garff Esports
July 2025
- Participated in the CyberPatriot Windows and Linux security competitions, identifying and fixing security vulnerabilities.
- Learned Linux fundamentals such as command-line navigation, file system structure, and user permissions—including SSH hardening, network hardening (ufw), and managing malicious system services (systemctl).
- Gained practical experience with Linux and Windows security concepts, such as: account management, patching, service auditing, basic firewall deployment, and intrusion prevention methodologies.
Certifications
Education
High School Diploma
August, 2025 - May, 2028