2014-2020
Yew Tee Primary School
PSLE · Singapore
Represented the school at the National Robotics Competition and the National Robotics Programming Competition across 2018 and 2019.
Education// Singapore · Year 2 of 3
JOASH TAY
I break and rebuild
Cybersecurity and Digital Forensics student at Singapore Polytechnic, currently on the DIS Sentinel Programme. Most of my time goes into binary exploitation, reverse engineering, and x86-64 assembly.
Profile
Background, and what I am working on now
I work on low-level system mechanics, software exploitation, and offensive security.
That means reverse-engineering software architectures, analysing x86 and x64 assembly, and building automated digital services around what I find. My primary areas are vulnerability analysis, binary exploitation, reverse engineering, and x86-64 assembly. Alongside those I work with Docker containerisation, Nginx reverse proxy configuration, and Linux systems.
Competitions are how I got here. The Youth Cyber Exploration Programme in 2022 was my first proper security one, and I have stayed on that track since: the ISC2 and SIM Community Café CTF, TryHackMe, and the PortSwigger Web Security Academy. I taught myself to code before any of that, writing Lua in Roblox Studio.
Away from the terminal I ran my secondary school’s Infocomm CCA as president, cover events of a thousand people or more as a Red Cross first aider, draft appeals for residents at Meet-the-People Sessions, and train with the Strictly Dance Zone bboy crew.
- Based
- Singapore
- Focus
- Offensive security
- Reading
- x86-64 disassembly
- Training
- BJJ, Muay Thai, Boxing
0National competitions
0Honors & awards
0Certifications
0Years competing
The arsenal
What I actually work with
securityPenetration Testing · Vulnerability Analysis · Binary Exploitation · Reverse Engineering · x86-64 Assembly · Digital Forensics
reconnmap · gobuster · dirb · dirbuster · nikto
exploitMetasploit · sqlmap · Burp Suite · BeEF
wirelessairmon-ng · aircrack-ng · bettercap
scanningOpenVAS · Nessus · Wireshark · rkhunter
crackingJohn the Ripper · hashcat
languagesC · C++ · Go · Python · Lua · JavaScript · HTML · CSS
systemsLinux/Bash · PowerShell · Kali Linux · Docker · Nginx · Vim · Neovim
webExpress.js · Bootstrap · Roblox Studio
spokenEnglish · Chinese (Mandarin)
offhoursBrazilian Jiu-Jitsu · Muay Thai · Boxing · Breakdancing
I work in
I work in binary exploitation, reverse engineering, x86-64 assembly, vulnerability analysis, penetration testing, secure network programming, Docker containerisation, Nginx reverse proxies, Linux and Bash, Kali Linux, C, C++ and Go, Python and Lua, and JavaScript, HTML and CSS.
The path so far
Thirteen stops, 2014 to 2026
2021-2024
Clementi Town Secondary
GCE O-Level
Four years of secondary school, with Computing taken at O-Level.
Education
2022
Youth Cyber Exploration
Cyber Security Agency of Singapore with Republic Polytechnic
Top 8 of Top 10. My first proper security competition, and the one that set the direction I have followed since.
Security
2023
Intel® AI Global Impact Festival
Top 5 worldwide
A real-time AI model that detects knife threats and automatically alerts law enforcement.
Competition
2023
Google AI National Youth Tech
2nd Runner-Up
An AI model integrated with drone technology to recognise LEGO structures in flight.
Competition
2023
AWS Data Science Accelerator
Farrer Park, SGCodeCampus, AWS and IMDA
Best Project in the Nursing and Freelancers category.
Competition
2023-2024
President, Infocomm Tech CCA
Clementi Town Secondary School
Ran weekly operations and skills training, and prepared teams for Hack@AC, BrainHack and the National Olympiad in Informatics.
Leadership
Apr 2025 to Dec 2028
Singapore Polytechnic
Dip. Cybersecurity & Digital Forensics (DCDF-S54)
Year 2 of a three-year diploma. School of Computing subcommittee, and class leader.
Education
Since 2025
DIS Sentinel Programme
Digital and Intelligence Service · Cybersecurity Apprentice
A national cybersecurity talent pipeline sponsored by MINDEF and the SAF. Core focus: binary exploitation, reverse engineering and x86-64 assembly.
Security
2025
ISC2 × SIM Cybersecurity CTF
Community Café capture-the-flag
Finished Top 6.
Security
Awarded 2025
Excellence in Service and Leadership
Gold · for secondary school
Earned across my years at Clementi Town Secondary and presented in 2025, by which point I was already partway through my first semester at Singapore Polytechnic.
Award
Awarded 2025
EDUSAVE EAGLES
Achievement, Good Leadership and Service
The other secondary school award that caught up with me in 2025, after I had already started at Singapore Polytechnic.
Award
2026
SANS Spark National CTF
Digital forensics challenge
Competed in the national digital forensics capture-the-flag. Did not place.
SecurityThe path so far
Thirteen stops, 2014 to 2026
01/10
Projects & competitions
Competition entries and things I have built
2022 to now · Security practice
Capture the flag and lab work
Top 6 at the ISC2 and SIM Cybersecurity Community Café CTF. Ongoing lab work through TryHackMe Pre-Security and Security 101, and the PortSwigger Burp Suite Web Security Academy.
Top 6, ISC2 CTF 2025
2023 · Intel® AI Global Impact Festival
Knife Threat Detection
A real-time AI model that detects knife threats and automatically alerts law enforcement.
Top 5 worldwide
2023 · Google AI National Youth Tech Championship
AI-Drone Object Recognition
An AI model integrated with drone technology to recognise LEGO structures in flight.
2nd Runner-Up
2023 · Self-initiated
Roblox Studio workshop
Organised and led a workshop for kids with special needs, teaching them to build an obstacle course in Roblox Studio.
Community teaching
2023 · Hwa Chong Institution
Game Development Sabbatical
A game development programme run over the school sabbatical, completed end to end.
Completed
2022 · Where the coding started
Roblox game development
Self-taught Lua and Roblox Studio. Published several games that have passed 16,000 visits between them. A side hobby now, but it is where I learned to write code.
Early coding experience
2018 & 2019 · National Robotics
National Robotics Competitions
School representative at both the National Robotics Competition and the National Robotics Programming Competition.
School representative
2021 · National competition
BrainHack
Took part in the national youth technology challenge.
Participant
2022 · National competition
Hack@AC
Took part in the capture-the-flag run by Anglo-Chinese School.
Participant
2022 · National competition
First Lego League
Represented the school in the robotics and research challenge.
School representative
2024 · National competition
National Olympiad in Informatics
Sat the national algorithmic programming olympiad.
Participant
2024 · National competition
Singapore Amazing Flying Machine
Represented the school in the aeronautics design and build competition.
School representative
2025 · National programme
Space Faculty Space Data
Worked with satellite and space data through the Space Faculty programme.
Participant
Off the keyboard
Breaking, the gym, Red Cross duty, and the CCA years
Breaking
NDP backstage
BJJ
Muay Thai
Red Cross duty
Boxing
Infocomm CCA
MPS nights
Canoe poloHonors & awards
Competition placings and school awards, 2018 to 2025
2025
ISC2 × SIM Cybersecurity CTF
Community Café capture-the-flag
Top 6
2025
Excellence in Service & Leadership
Singapore Polytechnic
Gold
2025
EDUSAVE EAGLES
Achievement, Good Leadership and Service
Award
2023
Google AI National Youth Tech
National championship, AI-drone integration
2nd Runner-Up
2023
Intel® AI Global Impact Festival
Real-time knife threat detection
Top 5
2023
AWS Accelerator Programme
Farrer Park, SGCodeCampus, AWS and IMDA
Best Project
2022
Youth Cyber Exploration Programme
Cyber Security Agency of Singapore with Republic Polytechnic
Top 8 of Top 10
2018-2025
And the rest of the shelf
School representative at national robotics, programming and flying-machine competitions across eight years.
No photos yet
Certifications
Eight certificates, from TryHackMe and PortSwigger to AWS
Pre-SecurityTryHackMe · Feb 2025
Security 101TryHackMe · Jan 2025
Burp Suite Web Security AcademyPortSwigger · 2023
Learn Ethical Hacking From ScratchUdemy · 2022
Learn Python & Ethical HackingUdemy · 2022
Data Science AcceleratorAWS and IMDA · 2023 · Certified
AI BootcampSenseTime · 2022 · Accomplishment
CPR/AED & Standard First AidSingapore Red Cross · 2025 · Provider
Get in touch
Internships, CTF teams, or anything low-level
Happy to talk about anything low-level.