BSc thesis · Flagship
CTF Hammer
A unified workflow for capturing, parsing, and reviewing Attack/Defense CTF traffic without stitching together the operator experience by hand.
CTF HammerComputer Science × Infrastructure Security
I build, break, and operate systems to understand how to secure them.
I’m Edoardo Balzano, a University of Turin Computer Science graduate and MSc Cybersecurity student at Politecnico di Torino. My work sits where Linux, containers, networks, and practical attack/defense meet.
Currently in Turin, completing my MSc in Cybersecurity · Open to security and infrastructure opportunities
Evidence, not adjectives
Four ways I approach systems
Each claim below points to a project, a lab, or an experience. Select a lens—or read every item with JavaScript disabled.
Security tooling
HTA & JAR analyzer
A modular Python pipeline for feature extraction, heuristic classification, LLM-assisted assessment, CLI use, and functional tests.
HTA & JAR analyzerSabancı coursework · Team
AquaSecure
A simulated water-treatment SCADA environment used to explore Docker isolation and an SQLi → SSRF → unauthorized Modbus write chain.
AquaSecureNational training program
CyberChallenge.IT Finalist
Represented the University of Turin in the 8th edition after hands-on web, binary, crypto, network, and Attack/Defense training.
Continuous practice
Hack The Box
Machine and challenge work used to turn reconnaissance, exploitation, and post-exploitation into a repeatable written process.
Hack The BoxReasoning trail
Writeups
Technical records of attack paths, including assumptions, failed branches, evidence, and remediation context.
WriteupsSelf-hosted lab
Raspberry Pi 5 Docker host
A compact environment for containerized services, private access, controlled exposure, upgrades, and troubleshooting.
Operated service
AFFiNE
A real containerized workload for practicing deployment, persistence, access paths, service upkeep, and recovery thinking.
Exploration
Self-hosted AI workloads
OpenClaw is an exploration area for understanding the boundaries and resource demands of local AI workloads—not a claimed production service.
Front-of-House Manager
Il MuMa
Coordinates reservations, suppliers, cash, inventory, team flow, guest experience, and stewardship of an 80+ label wine cellar.
2025/26 exchange
Sabancı University
Independent study in Istanbul, technical collaboration in English, and adaptation to a new academic and cultural environment.
Front of house
Osteria La Cantinella
Built the reliability, pace, and clear communication needed to keep guest-facing operations moving under pressure.
Selected work
Security work with systems underneath it
The flagship began as a practical response to Attack/Defense CTF friction. The supporting projects extend that work into malware analysis and OT/ICS exposure.
Flagship · BSc thesis
CTF Hammer
A unified A/D CTF traffic-analysis workflow using tshark, async workers and a live web interface.
CTF Hammer collects PCAP traffic from vulnerable hosts, parses conversations with tshark, classifies useful patterns, and streams results into a web interface. Async workers keep analysis away from the operator path; SSH/SCP and Docker Compose connect the pieces.
Operational evidenceTested during CyberChallenge simulations to review traffic and identify attack patterns in a unified interface.
Observed limitationUnder heavy traffic, SSH/SCP connections degraded and risked saturating the vulbox network path. The prototype was therefore not used in the national final; throttling and resource controls informed the next iteration.
02
Supporting security project
Smart HTA & JAR analyzer
A Python analyzer for HTA/JAR feature extraction, explainable heuristics and model-assisted context.
A modular pipeline extracts features from HTA and JAR files, applies explainable heuristic rules, and can ask language models for a second assessment. CLI entry points and functional tests make each stage inspectable.
View project03
Sabancı coursework · Collaboration
AquaSecure
A simulated water-treatment SCADA security exercise with Docker isolation and an SQLi → SSRF → Modbus write chain.
The team isolated services with Docker networks and modeled an attack chain from SQL injection to SSRF and an unauthorized Modbus write. It demonstrates applying security concepts to an OT/ICS-shaped environment—not professional industrial-security expertise.
View project
CTF Hammer / architecture
One workflow, explicit boundaries
A site-native redraw of the thesis architecture: capture, queue, analysis, storage, and live presentation are separated so slow work does not block the operator.
01 / clientOperator interfaceSvelteKit · live updates
HTTP + WebSocket
02 / applicationFlask backendAPI · projects · coordination
ConnectionSSH / SCP managerPCAP from vulbox
Async queueRabbitMQ → Celeryanalysis tasks
Processingtsharkconversations and patterns
PersistenceMongoDBprojects · conversations
OrchestrationDocker Composeisolated services
Operate
A small lab, treated like infrastructure
A sanitized view of the Raspberry Pi 5 Docker host. Public and private access paths stay separate; domains, addresses, and ports are intentionally omitted.
Public pathCloudflare Tunnelcontrolled access
Private pathTailscalecontrolled access
host_01 · online
Raspberry Pi 5Docker host · Linux
AFFiNE
Private apps
Maintenance
No domains, IPs, or ports published
International experience
Turin → Istanbul
The 2025/26 Sabancı exchange adds independence, English communication, and cross-cultural teamwork to the technical work—including the AquaSecure coursework project.
UNiTOBSc → MSc
SABANCIexchange · AquaSecure
CyberChallenge.IT Finalist — 8th Edition, 2024
Open certificate previewVerified credential
CyberChallenge.IT Finalist — 8th Edition, 2024
Official certificate of participation as a finalist. No uncertain team placement is claimed.
Download original PDFExternal profiles
Code, practice, and professional context
Explore the repositories behind the projects, my hands-on security activity, and my professional profile.
GitHub
@Proibito04
Source code for security tooling, infrastructure experiments, and selected academic projects.
Open profileHack The Box
Hands-on security practice
Machines and challenges used to develop repeatable reconnaissance, exploitation, and documentation habits.
Open profileEdoardo Balzano
Education, international experience, technical direction, and professional background in one place.
Open profile