Aspiring Security Engineer

Passionate about Networking and Security

Hello! I am Ashton Ward, I have a Bachelors in Cyber Security and my main focus is my home lab. I hope you find something useful or interesting on my page. Enjoy! This page is currently under reconstruction with new content and formatting.

What I’m working on

Parrot OS for HackTheBox

So I was messing around with Hack the box and Try hack me and I wanted to try out another OS to hack with. I had visited Parrot before when I imaged that old laptop. Before that I didn't see the Hack the Box custom OS (https://www.parrotsec.org/download/) in cloud editions....

Projects

Image Laptop with Kali Linux

So I imaged an old windows 10 laptop to a Kali Linux machine. I did this so I could have the experience of imaging a machine with a free mind, adding and deleting tools as I wanted, and could replicate. My boss at work would create images for our rollouts...

Home Lab Part 1:

Home Lab

Overview This document outlines the initial setup and configuration of my homelab environment. The primary objective was to bring a Dell PowerEdge R730 online and deploy Proxmox VE as the base hypervisor. Due to a delayed start in documenting this process, some minor details are omitted; however, all key technical...

Home Lab Part 2

Project Overview This project documents the initial operating system selection and base setup of a standalone server intended to host containerized services. The primary goal of this phase was to establish a stable, lightweight, and easily maintainable Linux environment before layering additional services on top. Ubuntu Server was selected as...

Home Lab Part 3

Home Lab 3 Let’s get right into it. It’s been a long time since my last update. Since then, I’ve completely scrapped what I was working on, moved twice, and done so much more. Let’s dive into it. The last time I left off, I was in my dorm room...

Experience

College Helpdesk Intern

Southern Arkansas University, Helpdesk Intern
Magnolia, Arkansas | August, 2021 - January, 1970

Printer and Computer Troubleshooting
Imaged and installed a mass amount of computers around campus
Looked at VMS and Scripting
Installed new hardware
Experience with LanSweeper and a ticket system

Quality Assurance Engineer I

Murphy USA, Quality Assurance Engineer I
El Dorado, AR | October, 2024 - January, 1970

Developed and executed automated test suites, improving defect detection and validation of system behavior.
Built a custom TCP server to communicate with a simulator, handling buffers, protocol emulation, data parsing, and card data handling.
Analyzed network traffic and application behavior to identify defects, edge cases, and abnormal conditions.
Strengthened troubleshooting, root-cause analysis, and structured debugging skills directly applicable to incident response workflows.

Team Lead (Sergeant) – Network Administration (25H)

Arkansas National Guard, Sergeant 25H
| January, 2019 - January, 1970

Led and supported network administration teams operating in regulated, security-sensitive environments.
Configured routers, managed switches, and encryption devices to ensure secure communications.
Stabilized and maintained virtualized server environments on Dell PowerEdge systems.
Applied defense-in-depth principles, network segmentation, and operational security controls.
Holding Secret-level Security Clearance.

Information Technology Intern

Drew Memorial Health System ,
Monticello, AR | May, 2020 - August, 2020

Assisted with network troubleshooting, static IP management, and endpoint support in a healthcare environment.
Supported installation and maintenance of security cameras and structured cabling.

Certifications

Six Sigma White Belt Certification

Badges & Skills

Cat Linux.txt

Education

BS in Cyber Security

Southern Arkansas University August, 2020 - May, 2024

This program offers students dual and complementary expertise in cyber security and privacy. Students develop a solid theoretical foundation and receive hands-on training on how to prevent, detect, and neutralize cyber-attacks. They also learn how to determine privacy compliance and design privacy-compliant systems. Exclusive content on the recent advancements in cyber security and privacy is delivered in SAU’s classes.