A public portfolio and curated academic archive of the network-security work I completed at the University of Texas at San Antonio.
- University: The University of Texas at San Antonio
- Course: Network Security
- Course number: IS 3423-001
- Instructor: Ian Burres
- Term: Spring 2026
- Modality: Online
- Primary tools: Kali Linux, Metasploitable 2, OpenSSL, Nmap, iptables, Windows Defender Firewall, and Wireshark
The course developed secure-networking skills through device hardening, firewalls, intrusion detection and prevention, cryptography, hashing, digital signatures, IPsec, VPN design, authentication, monitoring, and layered defense.
- Identify exposed services and relate vulnerabilities to confidentiality, integrity, and availability
- Apply least privilege, account controls, and secure device-management practices
- Reduce attack surface with host-based firewall rules and default-deny policy
- Explain how IDS and IPS technologies detect and prevent malicious activity
- Use encryption, hashing, HMACs, certificates, and digital signatures to protect data and communications
- Design IPsec and VPN protections using appropriate modes, algorithms, key exchange, and perfect forward secrecy
- Validate hardening changes through controlled scanning and analysis in an isolated lab environment
- Communicate residual risk and defense-in-depth recommendations in formal technical reports
This repository contains the selected report that best represents the practical coursework. Its public-safe copy uses a neutral filename and cleaned metadata. The complete local archive remains intact but is excluded from Git, including virtual machines, disk images, installers, textbooks, instructor materials, recorded lectures, quizzes, exams, logs, and draft documents.
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Lab 03 - Cryptography, IPsec, and VPNs
This report demonstrates symmetric encryption, hashing, HMAC validation, public-key cryptography, digital signatures, certificates, and the design principles behind protected IPsec and VPN communications.
The report describes an isolated lab system rather than a production network. Pages containing only assignment instructions or grading criteria were removed from the public copy; the original analysis, results, and supporting screenshots are preserved.
Reports with incomplete procedures, unfinished recommendation sections, raw configuration data, or weaker presentation remain in the private archive. No live credentials, VM images, packet captures, assessment files, or course-provided answer material are published.
This repository is published as a personal educational portfolio and historical record. It is not an answer bank. Current students should complete their own work and follow their instructor's and institution's academic-integrity rules.
Kali Linux, OpenSSL, Nmap, Microsoft, Wireshark, and other third-party names and marks belong to their respective owners. No license is granted for reuse or redistribution of the reports.