About Me
Hey, I’m Mac, a Software Engineering student, pursuing a minor in Cyber Forensics, and someone who loves to understand how systems work from the ground up; whether it’s computers, networks, or the social dynamics of digital privacy. I find myself drawn to the kind of problems that lie at the intersection of control, autonomy, and trust in tech. Security and self-hosting aren’t just fields I study; they’re ideas that deeply align with how I think technology should be used, not as something we rent from corporations, but something we can own, shape, and rely on.
I’ve always been a firm believer in self-reliance, especially when it comes to digital tools and infrastructure. That belief became even more important as I started exploring self-hosting, privacy tools, and alternative platforms. For me, self-hosting is more than just running services locally; it’s about regaining control over my data, eliminating unnecessary surveillance, and building a space where the tech works for me, not the other way around. If a platform goes offline or leaves a region, I don’t want to be at the mercy of their roadmap or their licensing. I want to have the ability to spin up my own solutions — whether it’s for streaming, backups, syncing, or even smart home control.
That mindset has led me to build a number of custom setups:
- MQTT-based smart devices that I designed and programmed myself
- A self-made weather station, pulling sensor data over local networks
- Tools for WiFi auditing like deauthers, beacon spam tools, and packet sniffers
- OpenWRT-powered access points, converting wireless connections into wired bridges for tighter network control
Along the way, I’ve also dipped into more formal security work. I interned as a security analyst at a services-based company, where I ran through the general penetration testing lifecycle planning, recon, exploitation, and reporting. I compiled structured, client-ready documentation outlining vulnerabilities, risk scores, and remediation strategies. I learned how to write for both technical teams and non-technical stakeholders, which honestly taught me just as much as the technical work itself.
More recently, I’ve explored the IAM (Identity and Access Management) space through another internship, where I worked with platforms like OKTA, and Saviynt. This was an entirely different scale; where the challenge wasn’t just securing one machine or app, but managing entire user lifecycles, entitlements, and access flows for thousands of identities across federated systems. That exposure helped me understand the complexity behind “simple” login buttons, from token flows to SCIM provisioning to zero-trust design.
Outside of the security world, I’m someone who enjoys music, hardware, and all the tiny obsessive details in between. I have a soft spot for IEMs, mechanical keyboards, audio tuning, and PC parts. Whether it’s figuring out the right switch-lube combination, tweaking audio EQ curves, or managing a homelab rack, I love the craft involved in building something to feel just right. No RAM or SSD is ever truly “enough,” and yes, I will always find a reason to add another drive or input device to my setup.
What ties all of this together for me is curiosity. I enjoy breaking things to understand them, rebuilding them to be better, and sharing what I’ve learned along the way. I’m still early in the journey, but I try to keep things grounded; building tools that are not just functional or secure, but intuitive and human-friendly too. The long-term goal? To contribute to a world where technology empowers people rather than extracting from them, and where privacy, usability, and performance can coexist by design.
Right now, I’m learning, experimenting, and just building cool stuff whenever I can; from secure systems to personal tools that make life a little better. And hopefully, a few of those things are worth sharing.
