Security tooling
Building forensic and defensive workflows around AI artifact reconstruction, evidence integrity, and local-first review.
Towson University · Information Technology / Network Security
Jacob Smythe
Security-focused IT student building infrastructure, forensic tooling, and defensive automation.
I work on hands-on systems projects that combine Linux administration, Docker, Proxmox, cloud deployment, Python, Rust, and security documentation. My strongest work focuses on reproducible workflows: forensic artifact review, homelab automation, defensive security labs, and local-first data pipelines.
Linux systems, forensic tooling, Docker pipelines, Proxmox labs, and deployable web infrastructure.
Focused on IT infrastructure, systems administration, security operations, and cybersecurity tooling roles.
Current work spans projects, writing, infrastructure notes, and hands-on technical experience.
Current focus
Infrastructure
Deploying and documenting Linux, Docker, Proxmox, Cloudflare, Nginx, CI/CD, and self-hosted systems.
Applied engineering
Turning broken or experimental systems into reproducible, documented case studies with clear architecture and debugging notes.
Projects
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TraceLodger
Local-first forensic review platform for reconstructing AI-artifact activity timelines with evidence integrity preserved during degraded auth or network states.
- Stack
- Tauri, Rust, React, Python, WorkOS, Stripe, Neon
- Shows
- forensic workflows, evidence integrity, local-first review, entitlement-aware architecture
- Links
- Case study
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City Pulse
Dockerized traffic vision pipeline using MDOT HLS streams, Redis queues, YOLO inference, TimescaleDB, and Streamlit dashboards, hardened from fragile prototype into repeatable local stack.
- Stack
- Python, Docker, Redis, TimescaleDB, YOLO, Streamlit
- Shows
- debugging, ML pipeline operations, local-first data architecture
- Links
- Case study Repo
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Decepti-Node
Ephemeral honeypot orchestration on Proxmox for repeatable defensive security testing in homelab conditions.
- Stack
- Proxmox, Linux, Docker, Python
- Shows
- defensive labs, infrastructure automation, repeatable security testing
- Links
- Case study
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Portfolio Infrastructure
Astro portfolio deployed on a hardened DigitalOcean VPS with Nginx, TLS, and GitHub Actions CI/CD.
- Stack
- Astro, Tailwind, Nginx, GitHub Actions, DigitalOcean
- Shows
- production deployment, CI/CD, web infrastructure
- Links
- Case study
Experience
Education, work history, technical skills, and the projects most relevant to IT and security roles.
View experience →Writing
The Productivity Trap: Balancing Connectivity and Forensic Privacy
Read latest article →