Love Kush Pranu — Cybersecurity Engineer

ABOUT ME

GPA 3.9 / 4.0 NYU Tandon MS '26

9 Research Projects
Coordinated

23+ Certifications
& Credentials

61 GitHub
Repositories

NYU cybersecurity researcher
with a strong focus on
red-teaming, systems security
& adversarial defence.

I'm Love Kush Pranu — a cybersecurity engineer pursuing my MS at NYU Tandon School of Engineering (GPA 3.9/4.0), expected May 2026. I graduated from NIT Calicut with a B.Tech in EEE, where circuits and systems sparked a deep passion for digital security.

I serve as Research Coordinator at OSIRIS Lab — NYU's premier security research group — managing 9 active research projects spanning kernel fuzzing, adversarial ML, CTF tooling, and IoT security. I'm also a CTF Team Member and help run world-class competitions like CSAW. I love going deep: from building a CHIP-8 emulator entirely in C to modifying the xv6 kernel with ASLR and W^X protections.

CompTIA Security+ CySA+ IBM Cybersecurity MITRE eCTF 2025 CCNA — In Progress eJPT — In Progress

Get In Touch → GitHub ↗ LinkedIn ↗ Download CV

CTFtime Team Profile & Rankings

WeChall lutherleo — Hacking Score

WHAT I DO

I can help you with.

Penetration Testing & Red Team

Adversarial simulations across enterprise environments — improved defense efficiency by 30% at Pentadots. Web exploitation, cryptography, hardware security, CTF challenge design and infrastructure.

Network Security Architecture

Zero-trust frameworks, microsegmentation, VLAN/Cisco ASA configuration, VPN/IPsec, firewall policies, IDS/IPS, BGP/OSPF, DNS security and large-scale network monitoring.

Systems & Low-Level Programming

xv6 kernel security enhancements (ASLR, W^X, stack canaries), OS-level isolation, CHIP-8 emulation, C/C++/Python/Rust, Docker, Linux security internals, iptables/netfilter.

Adversarial ML & Cloud Security

PGD adversarial training, FGSM/C&W attack analysis via CleverHans & ART, AWS IAM/EC2/S3 hardening, CI/CD pipeline security, model robustness testing on production ML systems.

SELECTED WORK

Featured projects

KERNEL FUZZING

2026

$ ./hot-fuzz --target kernel

[*] Fuzzing TCP/IP stack...

corpus: 2847 inputs

[!] Race condition found!

offset: 0x7fff8a20

coverage: 94.2%

▌

hot-fuzz
Kernel Fuzzer

OSIRIS Lab — Kernel Network Stack

Semantic fuzzing framework targeting the Linux kernel's network stack for race conditions — part of the OSIRIS Lab research initiative. Collaborative fork of ChinmayShringi/hot-fuzz, extended with custom Go-based corpus generation and race condition detection heuristics.

GoKernel FuzzingRace ConditionsTCP/IP StackOSIRIS Lab

View on GitHub ↗

KERNEL SECURITY

2024 — 2025

$ sudo aslr --enable $ wx-policy --enforce $ stack-canary --init $ audit-log --start

xv6 OS Security
Enhancements

Kernel-Level Security Research

Implemented kernel-level security enhancements to the xv6 OS — ASLR, W^X memory policies, stack canaries, and process isolation. Conducted memory safety analysis and developed custom system calls for security auditing. Built on the Lind sandbox research at NYU.

Cxv6 KernelASLRW^XStack CanariesSystem Calls

View on GitHub ↗

ADVERSARIAL ML

2025

PGD

90%

FGSM

88%

C&W

55%

Adversarial
Robustness in DNNs

NYU Tandon — ML Security Research

Implemented PGD adversarial training on MNIST, validating Madry et al. (2018) — achieving ~90% accuracy against PGD/FGSM attacks while identifying weaknesses under C&W attacks and distribution shifts. Re-engineered TensorFlow 1.x → 2.x for CleverHans and ART experiments.

PythonTensorFlowCleverHansARTPGDFGSMC&W

View on GitHub ↗

EMULATION

2024

V0: 0xAF

PC: 0x200

SP: 0x0F

OP: 0xD011

123C 456D 789E A0BF

CHIP-8
Emulator

Systems Programming — C / SDL2

A fully functional CHIP-8 emulator from scratch — all 35 opcodes, 64×32 pixel XOR-based sprite rendering, SDL2 graphics and input, proper timing with delay/sound timers, and 16-key hexadecimal keypad. Runs all classic ROMs: Pong, Tetris, Space Invaders, and more.

CSDL2CPU EmulationMemory ManagementBitwise Ops

View on GitHub ↗

SECURITY TOOL

2026

SCAN

● CVE-2024-xxxx HIGH

● Weak perms MED

● Stale binary LOW

✓ No ROP chains

Vulnerability
Scanner

Binary Analysis Security Tool

A CLI tool to quickly scan binaries and applications for common vulnerability classes — weak permissions, outdated libraries, CVE matches, and ROP gadget detection. Designed for rapid triage in CTF and real-world assessments.

Security AnalysisBinary ExploitationCVE DetectionCLI Tool

View on GitHub ↗

RESEARCH COORDINATION

OSIRIS Lab — Research Coordinator

Managing 9 active research projects · NYU Tandon School of Engineering · Feb 2026 – Present

OSIRIS Lab ↗

As Research Coordinator at OSIRIS Lab — NYU's premier cybersecurity research group — I oversee and guide 9 active security research projects spanning kernel exploitation, AI security, embedded systems, and CTF infrastructure. Each project is mentored to students across skill levels.

ADVANCED 01

Semantic Fuzzing for Kernel Network Stack Race Conditions

Developing a semantic-aware fuzzer to detect race conditions in the Linux kernel's network stack using coverage-guided mutation and concurrency analysis.

Lead: Love Kush Go · C

BEGINNER 02

MCP Server for Binary Exploitation

Building an MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that assists in binary exploitation workflows, automating gadget finding, ROP chain construction, and exploit generation.

Lead: Jesse Python · Pwn

INTERMEDIATE 03

LLM-Based CTF Solver with Reasoning Extension

Augmenting large language models with chain-of-thought reasoning to autonomously solve CTF challenges across crypto, pwn, and web categories.

Lead: Prajesh Python · LLM

ADVANCED 04

PUF-Based Authentication Protocol

Designing a physically unclonable function (PUF) based authentication protocol for resource-constrained embedded devices resistant to side-channel and replay attacks.

Lead: Vaughn Hardware · C

INTERMEDIATE–ADVANCED 05

Secure ADS-B Framework

Developing a secure Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast (ADS-B) framework to authenticate aircraft transponder signals and defend against spoofing and injection attacks.

Lead: Aaditya SDR · Python

INTERMEDIATE 06

ROS 2 and RTOS Security

Analyzing security vulnerabilities in ROS 2 robotic middleware and real-time operating systems (RTOS), with focus on privilege escalation and message injection attacks.

Lead: Prinn ROS 2 · C++

INTERMEDIATE 07

AI Privacy Exploitation in IoT Devices

Investigating how AI models embedded in IoT devices can be exploited for privacy leakage through model inversion, membership inference, and side-channel analysis.

Lead: Nidhi Python · IoT

ALL LEVELS 08

Pastebin Data Leak Analysis

Large-scale scraping and analysis of Pastebin and similar platforms to identify leaked credentials, API keys, PII, and sensitive organisational data for responsible disclosure.

Lead: Maya Python · OSINT

INTERMEDIATE 09

Evolving CTFs for AI

Designing adaptive CTF challenges that evolve in difficulty and category based on an AI solver's capabilities — creating a co-evolutionary arms race between AI and human-designed puzzles.

Lead: Kim Python · AI

HISTORY

NOW

Research Coordinator — OSIRIS Lab, NYU

New York University · Feb 2026 – Present · New York City (Hybrid)

Managing 9 active security research projects across kernel fuzzing, adversarial ML, IoT security, and CTF tooling. Also serving as CTF Team Member since Jan 2025 — competed globally, co-ran CSAW CTF 2025 and organised Hack@NYU at Microsoft NYC.

2025

Lind Project Researcher — NYU

New York University · Jan 2025 – Present · New York City

OS-level security research using Rust, contributing to the Lind sandbox project — a restricted POSIX environment to safely execute untrusted code via WebAssembly.

2023

Cyber Security Researcher — Pentadots Solutions

Full-time · Remote · Oct 2023 – Sep 2025 (2 years)

Executed red-team adversarial simulations across enterprise environments improving defense efficiency by 30%. Architected zero-trust network security frameworks with microsegmentation and least-privilege access controls.

2022

E-Drive System Security Intern — Robert Bosch India Ltd.

Coimbatore, India · June 2022 – July 2022

Penetration testing and vulnerability assessment on embedded E-Drive automotive systems. Security analysis of CAN bus communications and firmware hardening.

2021

Computer Vision Research Intern — Continental AG

Bangalore, India · Jan 2021 – June 2021

Developed and evaluated computer vision models for automotive safety. Researched adversarial robustness of real-time detection pipelines in safety-critical environments.

2019

B.Tech — Electrical & Electronics Engineering, NIT Calicut

National Institute of Technology, Calicut · Aug 2019 – May 2023 · CGPA: 8.2/10

Published research on adaptive distance relay coordination (15% reliability improvement). ISTE Joint Secretary, IEEE IAS/CAS member, Placement Cell Representative, Powerlifting Team.

ACHIEVEMENTS & HIGHLIGHTS

"MITRE eCTF 2025 — Successfully entered the Attack Phase; one of the most prestigious embedded security competitions in the United States."

"Co-ran CSAW CTF 2025 Qualifiers with OSIRIS Lab at NYU — one of the world's largest student-run cybersecurity competitions, hosting thousands of players across dozens of regions globally."

"Organised Hack@NYU at Microsoft NYC — managing logistics, technical mentorship and stakeholder coordination across Pathway and Sui-based projects."

"Published research on adaptive distance relay coordination at NIT Calicut, improving power system reliability by 15%."

TECH STACK

Networking & Security

Network Security Architecture
Firewall Config (Cisco ASA)
VPN / IPsec / VLAN
IDS / IPS
Penetration Testing
Vulnerability Assessment
Incident Response

Systems & Programming

Python · C · C++ · Rust · Go
Bash / Linux (Ubuntu, Kali)
xv6 Kernel Development
Docker
Process Scheduling
System Calls
SDL2 / Hardware Emulation

Protocols & Infrastructure

TCP/IP · BGP · OSPF
DNS / DNSSEC
Load Balancing
Wireshark · Nmap
Cisco IOS
iptables / netfilter
Ansible (Network Automation)

Cloud & ML Security

AWS (EC2, S3, IAM)
TensorFlow · PyTorch
Adversarial ML
CleverHans · ART
Model Robustness Testing
CI/CD Security
Zero-Trust Architecture

BREAKING THINGS TO BUILD THEM BETTER

NYU cybersecurity researcher
with a strong focus on
red-teaming, systems security
& adversarial defence.

I can help you with.

Penetration Testing & Red Team

Network Security Architecture

Systems & Low-Level Programming

Adversarial ML & Cloud Security

Featured projects

hot-fuzz
Kernel Fuzzer

xv6 OS Security
Enhancements

Adversarial
Robustness in DNNs

CHIP-8
Emulator

Vulnerability
Scanner

OSIRIS Lab — Research Coordinator

Semantic Fuzzing for Kernel Network Stack Race Conditions

MCP Server for Binary Exploitation

LLM-Based CTF Solver with Reasoning Extension

PUF-Based Authentication Protocol

Secure ADS-B Framework

ROS 2 and RTOS Security

AI Privacy Exploitation in IoT Devices

Pastebin Data Leak Analysis

Evolving CTFs for AI

Research Coordinator — OSIRIS Lab, NYU

Lind Project Researcher — NYU

Cyber Security Researcher — Pentadots Solutions

E-Drive System Security Intern — Robert Bosch India Ltd.

Computer Vision Research Intern — Continental AG

B.Tech — Electrical & Electronics Engineering, NIT Calicut

Networking & Security

Systems & Programming

Protocols & Infrastructure

Cloud & ML Security

Let's secure
something great together.

BREAKING THINGS TO BUILD THEM BETTER

NYU cybersecurity researcher with a strong focus on red-teaming, systems security & adversarial defence.

I can help you with.

Penetration Testing & Red Team

Network Security Architecture

Systems & Low-Level Programming

Adversarial ML & Cloud Security

Featured projects

hot-fuzzKernel Fuzzer

xv6 OS SecurityEnhancements

AdversarialRobustness in DNNs

CHIP-8Emulator

VulnerabilityScanner

OSIRIS Lab — Research Coordinator

Semantic Fuzzing for Kernel Network Stack Race Conditions

MCP Server for Binary Exploitation

LLM-Based CTF Solver with Reasoning Extension

PUF-Based Authentication Protocol

Secure ADS-B Framework

ROS 2 and RTOS Security

AI Privacy Exploitation in IoT Devices

Pastebin Data Leak Analysis

Evolving CTFs for AI

Research Coordinator — OSIRIS Lab, NYU

Lind Project Researcher — NYU

Cyber Security Researcher — Pentadots Solutions

E-Drive System Security Intern — Robert Bosch India Ltd.

Computer Vision Research Intern — Continental AG

B.Tech — Electrical & Electronics Engineering, NIT Calicut

Networking & Security

Systems & Programming

Protocols & Infrastructure

Cloud & ML Security

Let's securesomething great together.

NYU cybersecurity researcher
with a strong focus on
red-teaming, systems security
& adversarial defence.

hot-fuzz
Kernel Fuzzer

xv6 OS Security
Enhancements

Adversarial
Robustness in DNNs

CHIP-8
Emulator

Vulnerability
Scanner

Let's secure
something great together.