~/about
About Derek
Who I am, what I am working toward, and how I approach technical work. Detailed evidence lives on the resume, achievements, projects, and CTF pages.
Introduction
I am Derek Wei, a Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity Honors student at The University of Texas at San Antonio. My background is hands-on: nearly four years of technical support across Windows and Linux systems, cybersecurity lab work, and Capture the Flag competition, alongside documented technical projects I build and write up on this site.
I focus on offensive-security fundamentals and the defensive analysis that connects findings back to real systems, and I am comfortable troubleshooting problems down to their root cause. I learn best by investigating real problems, documenting what failed, and turning the result into something another person can reproduce. I am bilingual in English and Mandarin Chinese, and a U.S. citizen eligible to obtain a security clearance.
Now
Current direction
- Beginning UTSA Cybersecurity Honors coursework
- Preparing for the Hack The Box Certified Penetration Testing Specialist (CPTS) (in progress, not currently held)
- Building practical projects and publishing Capture the Flag writeups
Principles
How I work
- Evidence over assumptions
- The AO-SINT writeup identified each location from topography, map geometry, and sightlines rather than the most prominent visual clue, which was usually a distraction.
- Reproducible technical documentation
- My writeups and lab notes record the evidence, the approaches that failed, and how the result was validated, so another person can follow the same path.
- Practical work over unsupported claims
- Credentials, competition results, and projects link to inspectable or independently verifiable evidence where it exists.
Context
Professional context
- Bilingual in English and Mandarin Chinese
- Cybersecurity competition participation
- Technical-support experience across Windows and Linux
- Mentoring incoming cybersecurity students at NEISD iCSI
- Interest in both offensive and defensive security
Elsewhere