Freddy Morgan-Smith

I'm a 2nd year Cyber Security and Digital Forensics student at Bournemouth University with a keen interest in defensive security. I particularly enjoy incident response and malware analysis. Through my degree and personal projects, I've tackled CTF challenges on TryHackMe and built an e-commerce automation system in Python. I maintain a home lab where I use Wireshark to inspect network traffic and develop my analytical skills.

Beyond my studies, I've gained practical experience in IT support working with Active Directory and helpdesk troubleshooting. As a Team Leader at JD Wetherspoons, I developed my leadership abilities by managing staff and coordinating shifts in a busy environment. These experiences have helped me build both technical expertise and the soft skills needed for a career in cyber security.

Outside of technology, I'm a long distance runner and gym regular. These activities have taught me discipline and resilience that carry over into my academic work.

1. 2023 — Current

   Cyber Security and Digital Forensics BSc · Bournemouth University

   Currently studying cyber security and digital forensics with a focus on defensive security and threat analysis. Gaining practical experience through labs and CTF challenges whilst working on collaborative security projects.

   • Cyber Security
   • Digital Forensics
   • Ethical Hacking
2. 2021 — 2023

   A-Levels · Coopers School

   Completed A-Levels in Computer Science and Politics. Built a strong foundation in programming whilst developing analytical thinking skills.

   • Computer Science
   • Politics

• TryHackMe Room Writeups

  Detailed writeups for various TryHackMe rooms documenting my cybersecurity learning journey. Each writeup explains the approach taken and the tools used to solve different penetration testing challenges.

  • Penetration Testing
  • CTF Challenges
  • Security Tools

  TryHackMe
• Home Lab — Kali VM (VirtualBox)

  Personal home lab running a Kali Linux VM for cyber security practice. Set up with dual network adapters to safely test penetration techniques and analyse network traffic.

  • VirtualBox
  • Kali Linux
  • Network Security
  • Home Lab

  
• Home Wi-Fi Security Assessment

  Security assessment and hardening of my home Wi-Fi network. Configured router security settings and used Wireshark to analyse network traffic patterns and DNS requests.

  • Wireshark
  • Network Security
  • Router Configuration
  • Traffic Analysis

  
• Home Server with VPN & Nextcloud

  Built a self-hosted home server using Ubuntu Server and Docker to run Nextcloud for private file storage. Configured WireGuard VPN for secure remote access from anywhere. This project helped me develop practical Linux administration skills and understand containerisation better.

  • Ubuntu Server
  • Docker
  • Nextcloud
  • WireGuard VPN
  • Self-Hosted

  Docker
• Splunk SIEM Practice Lab

  Set up Splunk on my home server to practise SIEM tools and log analysis. Created custom dashboards and wrote search queries to detect security events. This project has been valuable for developing skills needed in SOC analyst roles.

  • Splunk
  • SIEM
  • Log Analysis
  • Security Monitoring

  Splunk
• CTF Challenges & OverTheWire Wargames

  Regular participation in CTF challenges and OverTheWire wargames to develop practical security skills. These challenges cover topics like web exploitation and privilege escalation. Consistent practice has really helped sharpen my problem-solving abilities.

  • CTF
  • OverTheWire
  • Problem Solving
  • Linux
• Reverse Engineering Practice — Crackme Challenges

  Completed a reverse engineering learning project analysing beginner crackme programs from crackmes.one. Used radare2 and Cutter to examine program structure whilst employing strace and ltrace to monitor system calls. This helped me understand how DFIR analysts approach unknown files and how to safely test binaries in a controlled environment.

  • Radare2
  • Cutter
  • Wireshark
  • strace/ltrace
  • Binary Analysis

  radare2

• Trikommerce Project

  A Python e-commerce application developed for university coursework. This project helped solidify my understanding of object-oriented programming and software engineering practices.

  • Python
  • Object-Oriented Programming
  • University Project
• Steve Irwin AI Chatbot

  Team project where we built an interactive AI chatbot for zoo information displays. The chatbot delivers animal facts in Steve Irwin's style. I worked on both frontend and backend development whilst learning proper GitHub collaboration workflows.

  • Team Collaboration
  • GitHub
  • Full Stack
  • AI Chatbot
• Structured Penetration Test — PTES Methodology

  Conducted a penetration test following PTES methodology on vulnerable VMs for my Ethical Hacking module. Successfully identified and exploited security weaknesses through reconnaissance and exploitation phases. Captured all flags and documented findings in a professional pentest report.

  • PTES Methodology
  • Penetration Testing
  • Ethical Hacking
  • Exploitation
  • Report Writing