caleb.james

Open to Winter 2026 & Summer 2027 internships & co-ops

Caleb James
IT/Cybersecurity Student & Aspiring Security Analyst

Protecting what matters most. I'm an IT/Cybersecurity student at George Mason University, spending my time between coursework, home labs, and CTF competitions, learning how attackers move so I can get better at stopping them before they strike.

Download Résumé (PDF) View Projects

Fairfax, VA — George Mason University Open to Internships and Co-ops

About

Security work summary

I'm an IT & Cybersecurity student at George Mason University, splitting my time between cybersecurity coursework, undergraduate research, and CTF competitions on the side. I like work that delves into theory and practice; reading about an attack technique in class, then rebuilding it myself in a home lab to see exactly how it works.

As an undergraduate student pursuing cybersecurity, I have developed a strong foundation in securing IT systems through hands-on coursework, labs, and independent projects. My experience includes performing vulnerability assessments, analyzing network traffic, implementing security best practices, and strengthening system defenses against common cyber threats. I am familiar with essential technologies such as Windows and Linux administration, networking fundamentals, firewalls, access control, and security monitoring tools. Through practical experience with scripting, virtual lab environments, and security frameworks, I have built problem-solving skills and a security-first mindset. I am committed to constantly expanding my technical knowledge to defend your systems and data.

  • 2028Expected graduation
  • 8+CTF challenges completed
  • 4+Home lab environments built
  • 3Active certifications

Skills

Toolkit

Grouped by where and how I use them. My active certifications are included.

Offensive security

  • Burp Suite
  • Metasploit
  • Nmap
  • Cobalt Strike
  • BloodHound
  • OWASP ZAP

Defensive & SOC

  • Splunk
  • CrowdStrike Falcon
  • Wireshark
  • Sigma rules
  • MITRE ATT&CK
  • Elastic Stack

Cloud & infrastructure

  • AWS security
  • Azure AD
  • Terraform
  • Linux hardening
  • Python
  • Bash
Fortinet Certified Fundamentals in Cybersecurity AZ-900 (in progress) SC-900 (in progress)

Projects

Selected work

Each write-up covers the problem, solution process, results, and what came out of it. Project code is available on GitHub.

Building a vulnerable Active Directory home lab

Tools: VirtualBox, Windows Server 2019, Kali Linux, BloodHound, Mimikatz

Problem
The objective of this home lab was to identify and exploit common Active Directory misconfigurations, analyze attack paths using BloodHound, and observe how these weaknesses could lead to a full domain compromise.
Steps
Built a lab with a domain controller and two workstations, deliberately introduced common misconfigurations, such as a Kerberoastable service account, unconstrained delegation, and weak GPO permissions. Then, used BloodHound to map the resulting attack paths and Mimikatz to carry out a full domain compromise.
Result
Documented three separate paths to Domain Admin and wrote a home lab guide that two classmates later used to build and study their own labs.
What I learned
Reading about Kerberoasting and watching BloodHound draw the attack graph are two very different levels of understanding. Visually seeing the path was helpful.
Read Full Write-Up View on GitHub

Placing in the National Cyber League Fall competition

Tools: Burp Suite, CyberChef, Ghidra, Wireshark, Python

Problem
The objective of this competition was to strengthen practical cybersecurity skills by solving challenges in web exploitation, digital forensics, cryptography, log analysis, and network packet capture.
Steps
Competed in the National Cyber League's Fall Individual Game across categories including web exploitation, forensics, and cryptography, putting extra practice time into log analysis and packet capture challenges, the categories I was weakest in going into the season.
Result
Finished in the top 25% nationally, with a full score in the forensics category.
What I learned
Packet capture analysis got dramatically faster once I built a personal checklist for what to check first in Wireshark instead of scrolling through the whole capture looking for anomalies.
Read Full Write-Up View on GitHub

Experience

Experience & Involvement

  1. 2024 — 2025

    Artificial Intelligence Undergraduate Researcher · Virginia Tech IDEEAS Labs

    Conducted extensive research with a team on artificial intelligence, LLM models, and nationwide policies regarding its use, culminating in an AI-powered website database of national institutional AI policy and a 150+ page research paper.

  2. 2026

    SEO & Website/Marketing Optimization · Private Author

    Conducted Search Engine Optimization, prevented malicious redirects and search engine blacklisting, and improved website performance and accessibility as freelance work for a private author.

  3. 2025 - Present

    Member · Mason Competitive Cyber Club

    Compete in the club's CTF competitions and help lead bi-weekly CTF practice sessions for newer members, covering categories from web exploitation to network forensics.

  4. 2025 - Present

    Member · Google Developer Group GMU

    Collaborate with peers to explore emerging technologies, cybersecurity trends, and software development practices through workshops, technical talks, and hands-on events.

Contact

Let's talk

Fastest way to reach me is email. I'm also active on LinkedIn and keep my project code on GitHub.

Let me know what role or project you're reaching out about.