About DefendTheStack

DefendTheStack is a space that we created to share our journey of continuous learning in cyber security. Our main goal with this blog is to document what we're learning and make it available for anyone who might find it useful, whether you're a beginner or already on your path in this field.

Our posts will cover both the offensive and defensive aspects of cyber security focusing on practical and real-world applicable scenarios. We know how overwhelming it can be when you don't know where to start, or if you're stuck in tutorial hell. That's why we want DefendTheStack to serve as a guide, showing not just what we're learning, but also our approach to things, so you can follow up on your own.

You’ll also find CTF writeups here, where we’ll write about the challenges we attempt and share the thought processes that guided us to their solutions. Alongside that, we’ll also do technical deep dives to better understand the fundamentals that relates to various areas in cyber security.

Keep in mind that we're not "experts" of any kind as well. We're just two friends who are forever learners with an immense interest in hacking and securing things. If what we blog here helps even one person learn something new or feel less stuck, then DefendTheStack has done its job.:)

Rusiru Theshan

Hi, I’m Rusiru Theshan, an information security professional with a genuine passion for cyber security. Lately, I've been exploring the governance and risk management side of things to broaden my understanding of this field.

My passion for cyber security started during my university days when I was reading for my Bachelor's degree in computer networking. A friend of mine introduced me to Kali Linux and HackTheBox (back when you had to hack your way in to get an invite code!). I was instantly hooked and fell down the cyber security rabbit hole that I'm still happily exploring today.

Since then, I’ve been fortunate to turn that curiosity into a career in cyber security. The continuous evolution of the industry, the need to continuously learn and unlearn, and the people that I've been able to network with are all the reasons that I now love what I do. It's a very challenging and humbling field, but also personally rewarding if you love it. Through DefendTheStack, my goal is to catalogue my learning journey and share insights with others who might find them useful.

Outside of cyber security, I enjoy reading books on a variety of topics, including philosophy, science, and sci-fi novels (recently realised this!). I also love boxing and have been doing it since college days. It's a great way to stay fit and let off some steam. And most importantly, I'm a dog dad to Aadhi and Murphy (RIP), who mean the world to me.

Chamath Perera

I'm a cyber security researcher with a lifelong passion for technology. Since my teenage years, I've loved learning about systems, finding vulnerabilities, and sharing what I learn with others. My journey truly began when I was at university in a very unexpected way.

Back, then I struggled with programming and often felt frustrated when I "just didn't get things". One day, I got recommended a lecture on YouTube titled "Algorithmic Thinking" from MIT OpenCourseWare taught by Dr. Srini Devdas. I simply clicked on it out of curiosity, and I understood nothing! But I came back to it from time to time, and I understood the concepts just a little bit more each time I returned. This changed everything. I realised that I was not bad at programming; I just processed information differently.

Since then, I was motivated to gain deep knowledge and continuously learn what I love and share that knowledge with others who share similar interests. My goal is to explore the vast universe within tech, discover cool things, and contribute something meaningful to the world of cyber security.