Cybersecurity Student • Offensive Security • Secure Systems

Breaking systems.

Building them stronger.

I’m Dane Fortun, a Drexel University cybersecurity student focused on penetration testing, privilege escalation, network segmentation, and secure application development.

My work blends hands-on technical depth with leadership, communication, and a strong bias toward building systems that hold up under pressure. Outside the lab, I’ve led organizations, won awards, secured funding, and built momentum around student initiatives.

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Selected Work

Offensive Security

Linux Privilege Escalation Lab

Enumerated attack surface, identified misconfigurations, and developed a privilege escalation path in a controlled environment.

Secure Development

Python Exploitation Workflow Automation

Built automation for recon and exploitation workflows to speed up testing, reduce manual repetition, and improve repeatability.

Infrastructure

Segmented Enterprise Network Design

Designed VLAN-based architecture with ACLs and controlled inter-VLAN communication for stronger isolation and resilience.

3.66Drexel GPA
4xDeans List
2028Expected graduation
300%Student engagement growth

Education

Universities, grades, coursework, and honors.

2025 — 2028

Drexel University

B.S. in Computer Information and Security • Concentration in Computing Security

Anticipated graduation: May 2028
GPA: 3.66
Pennoni Honors College
Drexel Promise recipient
Phi Theta Kappa Scholarship recipient
Dean’s List, 2026

2022 — 2025

Northampton Community College

A.A.S. in Information Security

Graduated with honors
Cumulative GPA: 3.63
Dean’s List, 2024
Club Officer of the Year, 2025
Student Senate President, 2025
Honors Club Vice President, 2025

Relevant Coursework

Ethical Hacking & Pen Testing Computer Forensics I Network Administration II IT Security II IT Security Policies II Open Server II Mobile Applications Social Aspects of Information Systems

Projects

Security work with concrete outcomes.

Penetration Testing

Linux Penetration Testing Lab

Built Python automation to streamline vulnerability exploitation workflows and improve repeatability across engagements.

Engineered custom privilege escalation exploits targeting SUID misconfigurations and weak sudo policies
Automated credential harvesting and hash cracking pipelines
Produced pentest reporting with attack paths, proof-of-concept code, and remediation guidance

Secure Development

BiteSwipe

Co-founded and developed a multi-page full-stack application using HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and PHP.

Built 12+ user-facing features
Identified and remediated SQL injection, XSS, and input validation weaknesses
Debugged 30+ issues to improve stability and usability

Infrastructure

Demo Enterprise Network

Led the design of a segmented network architecture built for security, scalability, and resilience.

Configured VLANs, ACLs, routing logic, and secure inter-VLAN communication
Implemented redundancy and high-availability concepts
Reduced lateral movement risk through better segmentation

Skills

Languages, tooling, systems, and security concepts.

Languages

Python, JavaScript, PHP, HTML/CSS

Security Tools

Metasploit, Burp Suite, Nmap, Wireshark, Netcat, Hashcat, John the Ripper

Systems & Platforms

Linux (Kali, Ubuntu), Git, REST APIs, SQL databases

Core Concepts

Penetration testing, privilege escalation, threat modeling, VLANs, ACLs, credential exploitation, network segmentation

Leadership & Awards

Execution under pressure, on campus and beyond.

$35,000

State Farm grant secured as Student Senate President to improve student life through student-driven initiatives.

300%

Increase in student engagement through outreach, restructuring, and more intentional programming.

Student Senate President

Led initiatives that improved campus accessibility and helped drive stronger student participation.

Competitive Esports

Top 0.05% in North America in VALORANT and top 2,000 globally in Fortnite, reinforcing communication, pattern recognition, and rapid decision-making.