Kyle Westhaus
Resume | westhaus.3@osu.edu | GitHub | LinkedIn
This is the personal website of Kyle Westhaus, an Eagle Scout and student at The Ohio State University. I host a blog here as well as a couple pages with more information about me. Expect content about security research, Linux configuration, ultralight backpacking, and various other outdoors adventures.
Tech
- I reverse engineered the RF protocol in use by 35 million E-ZPass toll booth transponders, demonstrated the ability to perform replay and spoofing attacks with low-cost ($80) hardware, and explained the business implications of my findings to the E-ZPass CEO. See my conference talk and code.
- I have competed and placed in various Capture the Flag competitions as well as created challenges for Ohio State's BuckeyeCTF. I specialize in reverse engineering, program analysis, network attacks, and RF/wifi cracking.
- During Spring 2020 I led a group of 6 students with minimal security experience to create a simplified Nmap-style network scanner involving low-level socket programming. See the result on GitHub.
- I maintain an easily-transportable backup server on an Odroid C2 to practice server hardening and Linux skills. Check out the configuration files.
Adventure
- After graduating high school, I spent 54 days hiking 614.9 miles on the Appalachian Trail. Read my trail journal.
- While in Seattle for Summer 2021 I visited all 3 of the area's national parks (Olympic, North Cascades, and Rainier).
- I drove to Western Kansas during Summer 2020 to see what remains of the old Great Bend Army Airfield where my Grandpa trained for World War II. I made sure to check out what's left of the Great Plains along the way.
- In the Summer of 2019 I traveled to Shenandoah National Park and hiked the majority of the Appalachian Trail section through the park. I also celebrated the 50th anniversary of the moon landing on the National Mall.
- I led my crew on a trek at Philmont Scout Reservation in New Mexico in 2016.