nerdymark's Software Engineering & Cybersecurity Blog

Welcome to my digital homestead - a curated collection of projects, writeups, and experiments in Python, cybersecurity, and creative coding.

Here you'll find CTF writeups covering Azure OAuth privilege escalation, AWS S3 multi-service exploitation, Kubernetes SSRF attack chains, Terraform state poisoning, Go malware reverse engineering, and supply-chain compromises on GitHub Actions runners. You'll also find side projects like the Pokemon Sleep Roster Analyzer, an RDP/VNC network scanner, a LinkedIn feed analyzer powered by Gemini, and word-puzzle solvers for Wordle and Hardle. Plus notes on building this Flask site, migrating to AWS, Bluesky cross-posting, and running a personal AI robot out of my garage.

I'm Mark LaCore - Software Engineer by day, Raspberry Pi tinkerer by night. 25 years of turning caffeine into code, 20+ years of playing guitar, and a growing collection of CTF trophies. Explore the posts below, browse the CTF writeups, or drop me a line.

Revise README with new content and layout Updated personal introduction, tech s... 

File: README.md
-# Hey, I'm Mark
+<div align="center">
-<img width=120px align="right" src="https://github.com/nerdymark/com_blog/raw/main/static/images/ajax-document-loader.gif?raw=true" width="200" />
+<img src="https://github.com/nerdymark/com_blog/raw/main/static/images/ajax-document-loader.gif" width="80" />
-**Senior Software Engineer** | **CISSP** | San Jose, CA
+# Hey, I'm Mark
-I build things with Python, break things in CTFs, and write about all of it at [nerdymark.com](https://nerdymark.com).
+[![Typing SVG](https://readme-typing-svg.demolab.com?font=Fira+Code&size=18&pause=1000&color=00FF88&center=true&vCenter=true&width=600&lines=Senior+Software+Engineer+%7C+CISSP;CTF+competitor+%26+security+researcher;Maker%3A+LEDs%2C+drones%2C+3D+printing%2C+astro;Lead+guitarist+%2F+demoscene+nerd;I+build+things%2C+break+things%2C+write+about+it)](https://git.io/typing-svg)
 [![LinkedIn](https://img.shields.io/badge/LinkedIn-%230077B5.svg?&style=for-the-badge&logo=linkedin&logoColor=white)](https://www.linkedin.com/in/marklacore/)
 [![Bluesky](https://img.shields.io/badge/Bluesky-%230285FF.svg?&style=for-the-badge&logo=bluesky&logoColor=white)](https://bsky.app/profile/nerdymark.com)
+[![Blog](https://img.shields.io/badge/nerdymark.com-FF6B2B?style=for-the-badge&logo=flask&logoColor=white)](https://nerdymark.com)
+
+**San Jose, CA** &nbsp;·&nbsp; **Senior Software Engineer** &nbsp;·&nbsp; **CISSP**
+
+</div>
+
+---
+
+### About me
+
+I build systems that think, break cloud infrastructure in CTFs, and solder things together at 1 AM. By day I work on security tooling, microservices architecture, and AI-assisted dev workflows. By night: Python, CircuitPython, Fusion 360, and a guitar I play badly but enthusiastically.
+
+Currently writing about all of it at **[nerdymark.com](https://nerdymark.com)** — a Flask blog on AWS with AI integration, demoscene canvas effects, and too many features.
 ---
-### What I'm up to
+### 🔭 What I'm building
-- Building and running [nerdymark.com](https://nerdymark.com) &mdash; a Flask blog on AWS with AI integration, demoscene effects, and way too many features
-- Competing in CTFs and publishing [writeups](https://nerdymark.com/category/ctf)
-- Tinkering with AI/ML, cloud infrastructure, and security tooling
-- Playing guitar badly but enthusiastically
+- **[nerdymark.com](https://nerdymark.com)** — Flask + AWS + AI integrations + way too much CSS animation
+- **[magic-frame](https://github.com/nerdymark/magic-frame)** — 18×18 WS2812B NeoPixel LED matrix with CircuitPython demoscene animations
+- **[pokemon-roster-analyzer](https://nerdymark.com/pokemon-roster-analyzer)** — Pokémon Sleep team optimizer
+- **CTF research** — competing in cloud/infra security challenges, publishing writeups on the blog
-### CTF writeups
+---
+
+### 🏴 CTF Writeups
-All from [Wiz Research](https://www.wiz.io/research) challenges. Full writeups at [nerdymark.com/category/ctf](https://nerdymark.com/category/ctf).
+All from [Wiz Research](https://www.wiz.io/research) challenges · **#30 on the [Wiz Cloud Security Championship leaderboard](https://cloudsecuritychampionship.com/leaderboard?page=3)** · Full writeups → [nerdymark.com/category/ctf](https://nerdymark.com/category/ctf)
-| Challenge | Topic | Link |
-|-----------|-------|------|
-| Confession Booth | Race condition privilege escalation in Go | [Read](https://nerdymark.com/confession-booth-ctf-writeup) |
-| State of Affairs | Terraform state poisoning via TF_DATA_DIR | [Read](https://nerdymark.com/state-of-affairs-ctf-writeup) |
-| Malware Busters | Go binary reversing - UPX, garble, AES-CBC | [Read](https://nerdymark.com/malware-busters-ctf-writeup) |
-| Game of Pods | Kubernetes privesc via SSRF and path traversal | [Read](https://nerdymark.com/game-of-pods-ctf-writeup) |
-| Needle in a Haystack | Client-side bypass and GitHub OSINT | [Read](https://nerdymark.com/vibe-coding-ctf-writeup) |
-| Breaking The Barriers | Azure OAuth privesc via dynamic groups | [Read](https://nerdymark.com/azure-ctf-writeup) |
+| Challenge | Category | Topic |
+|-----------|----------|-------|
+| [Split Horizon](https://nerdymark.com/split-horizon-ctf-writeup) | Kubernetes / Networking | Joining a flannel VXLAN pod overlay from outside to reach a hidden Service |
+| [Happy Birthday S3](https://nerdymark.com/happy-birthday-ctf-writeup) | AWS / S3 | Account ID enumeration via s3recon + SNS StringLike policy bypass + `os.path.join()` path traversal |
+| [Trust Issues](https://nerdymark.com/trust-issues-ctf-writeup) | Supply Chain | Trojanized pytest package exfiltrating secrets from a GitHub Actions self-hosted runner via Fernet-encrypted dead drops |
+| [Confession Booth](https://nerdymark.com/confession-booth-ctf-writeup) | Go / Race Condition | Race condition between user registration and permission assignment |
+| [State of Affairs](https://nerdymark.com/state-of-affairs-ctf-writeup) | Terraform | State poisoning via TF_DATA_DIR world-writable path + malicious provider injection |
+| [Malware Busters](https://nerdymark.com/malware-busters-ctf-writeup) | Reverse Engineering | Go binary — UPX, garble obfuscation, AES-128-CBC C2 |
+| [Game of Pods](https://nerdymark.com/game-of-pods-ctf-writeup) | Kubernetes | Privesc via SSRF + CVE-2020-8562 path traversal + ACR anonymous access |
+| [Needle in a Haystack](https://nerdymark.com/vibe-coding-ctf-writeup) | OSINT / Web | Client-side auth bypass + exposed API secrets via GitHub OSINT |
+| [Breaking The Barriers](https://nerdymark.com/azure-ctf-writeup) | Azure / OAuth | Privesc via illicit admin consent + dynamic group membership + guest user invitation |
-### Tech stack
+---
+
+### 🛠️ Tech stack
 ```
-Languages       Python, JavaScript/ES6, C++, Go, PowerShell, SQL, Bash
-Frameworks      Flask, Jinja2, aiohttp, MicroPython, CircuitPython
-Cloud           AWS (EC2, EB, S3, Route 53), Azure, GCP, Docker, Kubernetes
-Windows         SCCM, Active Directory, Exchange, Hyper-V, Group Policy
-Security        CISSP, Metasploit, Nmap, Wireshark, Burp Suite, OWASP
-AI/ML           Google Gemini, Claude Code, Hailo AI, OpenCV, Stable Diffusion
-Robotics        Raspberry Pi, mecanum drive, PCA9685 servos, pan-tilt systems
-Hardware        WS2812B LED matrices, MPU9250 IMU, SSD1306 OLED, INA219
-Virtualization  VMware, Hyper-V, KVM
-DevOps          VS Code, Git, nginx, Terraform, systemd, CI/CD
+Languages       Python · JavaScript/ES6 · C++ · Go · PowerShell · SQL · Bash
+Frameworks      Flask · Jinja2 · aiohttp · MicroPython · CircuitPython
+Cloud           AWS (EC2, EB, S3, Route 53) · Azure · GCP · Docker · Kubernetes
+Security        CISSP · Metasploit · Nmap · Wireshark · Burp Suite · OWASP Top 10
+AI/ML           Claude Code · Roo Code · Hailo AI · OpenCV · Stable Diffusion
+Hardware        WS2812B LED matrices · MPU9250 IMU · SSD1306 OLED · Raspberry Pi
+Maker           Fusion 360 · OpenSCAD · 3D printing · FAA-registered drone · Astrophotography
+Windows         SCCM · Active Directory · Exchange · Hyper-V · Group Policy
+DevOps          Terraform · nginx · systemd · Git · CI/CD
 ```
-### Certifications
+---
+
+### 📜 Certifications
+
+`CISSP` &nbsp; `CC` &nbsp; `MCSE` &nbsp; `MCSA` &nbsp; `MCITP` &nbsp; `RHCSA` &nbsp; `RHCT`
+
+---
-`CISSP` | `MCSE` | `MCSA` | `MCITP` | `RHCSA` | `RHCT` | `CC`
+### 📈 GitHub Stats
+
+<div align="center">
+
+![Mark's GitHub stats](https://github-readme-stats.vercel.app/api?username=nerdymark&show_icons=true&theme=dark&hide_border=true&bg_color=0d1117&title_color=00FF88&icon_color=00FF88&text_color=c9d1d9)
+&nbsp;&nbsp;
+![Top Languages](https://github-readme-stats.vercel.app/api/top-langs/?username=nerdymark&layout=compact&theme=dark&hide_border=true&bg_color=0d1117&title_color=00FF88&text_color=c9d1d9)
+
+</div>
+
+---
-### Milestones
+### ⏱️ Milestones
-- **2024** &mdash; Earned CISSP certification
-- **2025** &mdash; Started competing in CTFs
-- **2026** &mdash; Building security tools and AI integrations
+| Year | Thing |
+|------|-------|
+| 2026 | Building security tools, AI integrations, and more CTFs |
+| 2025 | Started competing in cloud/infra CTFs |
+| 2024 | Earned CISSP certification |
 ---
-<sub>This README was last updated February 2026. More at [nerdymark.com](https://nerdymark.com).</sub>
+<div align="center">
+<sub>Updated May 2026 · <a href="https://nerdymark.com">nerdymark.com</a> · <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/nerdymark.com">@nerdymark</a></sub>
+</div>
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