It's me, hi, I am
ZeCheng (Danny) Deng
A
profile

About Me

Hi, I'm Danny. I studied Computer Science at the University of British Columbia and I'm currently pursuing a Master's degree in Cybersecurity at Simon Fraser University. I grew up in Shenzhen, China, and I'm interested in how software systems behave in the real world, especially when things go wrong.

I enjoy working on technical problems that require careful thinking and debugging. My experience spans cybersecurity, systems, and software development, and I like getting my hands dirty with setups, experiments, and code rather than staying purely theoretical. I'm comfortable picking up new tools when needed and figuring things out by actually building and breaking things.

Cybersecurity is my current focus, particularly understanding networks, system behavior, and how vulnerabilities are exploited and mitigated in practice. Alongside that, I've always been interested in game development and interactive systems. I don't see it as a separate path, but something that naturally grows out of strong engineering fundamentals and performance-aware programming.

Outside of tech, I spend a lot of time playing tennis. I train regularly, go to the gym, and enjoy the discipline and consistency that comes with it. I also play video games and keep an eye on new titles and trends, mostly out of curiosity and long-term interest rather than chasing hype.

Thanks for stopping by. If you'd like to chat about projects, security, or anything related to software and games, feel free to reach out.

My Experience

Teaching Assistant @ UBC

May 2022 - August 2022 & May 2023 - August 2023 & October 2023 - December 2023

  • Teaching Assistant for CPSC 455 – Applied Industry Practices (course focused on MERN development)
  • Teaching Assistant for CPSC 313 – Computer Hardware and Operating Systems
  • Conducted office hours, providing personalized assistance to students, and meticulously graded assignments; also performed exam invigilation duties, ensuring academic integrity.

JavaScript Developer Co-op @ Semios

Jan 2022 – August 2022

  • Implemented new components with React for different features (including interacted with Ant Design and Google Map components)
  • Wrote logic functions such as sorting contents, form validation and time manipulation (moment.js)
  • Change some styles with CSS based on the design requirement

Web Developer @ Bluvec Technologies Inc.

September 2021 – December 2021

  • Built the company’ landing page by using company given React template
  • Wrote tests with Golang for company’s projects
  • implemented functions that delete past due images files

Projects

Click the Card

Threat Intelligence Dashboard

Sep 2025 - Dec 2025Coursework (CMPT 980)

AI-powered threat intelligence platform integrating CVE vulnerabilities, phishing domain monitoring, and security trends. Features RAG-based AI assistant for context-aware threat analysis and forecasting.

Click the Card

Music Stats Page

June 2025

Responsive web app aggregating listening data from Last.fm, iTunes, and Spotify with Redis caching and automated refresh workflows.

Click the Card

TCP Network Attack Simulation

April 2025Coursework (CMPT 783)

Simulated and evaluated TCP-layer attacks in a 3-node virtual network. Launched SYN floods, RST injection, and session hijacking attacks with validation via packet capture.

Click the Card

ROP Exploitation

Mar 2025Coursework (CMPT 783)

Developed and tested ROP chains against custom x64 Linux binaries with NX protection enabled and ASLR disabled. Automated payload generation using Python scripts.

Click the Card
Personal Website

Personal Website

2024 – Present

Portfolio website showcasing experience, projects, and skills with smooth animations and responsive design.

Click the Card

PrediQL

Sep 2024 – Dec 2024Research Project

LLM-assisted fuzzing pipeline using LLaMA 3 to automatically generate and test GraphQL queries for security vulnerabilities including SQL injection, DoS, and batching attacks.

Click the Card

Bluetooth Cryptographic Protocols

Sep 2024 – Dec 2024Coursework (CMPT 789)

Implemented BLE pairing protocols and Bluetooth Mesh provisioning. Designed cryptographic attacks including brute-force passkey recovery, reflection attacks, and malleable commitment exploits.

Click the Card

Penetration Testing Labs

Sep 2024 – Dec 2024Coursework (CMPT 782)

Completed 11 hands-on labs covering reconnaissance, exploitation, post-exploitation, MITM attacks, XSS, SQL injection, and web application security.

Click the Card

Cloud Infrastructure Deployment

Nov 2024Coursework (CMPT 782)

Deployed secure VPC architecture on AWS with public/private subnets, NAT Gateway, Security Groups, and IAM role-based access. Integrated EC2 with DynamoDB using least-privilege permissions.

Click the Card

Serverless API Development

Nov 2024Coursework (CMPT 782)

Built serverless REST API using AWS Lambda and API Gateway with Cognito-based JWT authorization for a comment system. Validated with Postman.

Click the Card
Eggly Buddy

Eggly Buddy

Sep 2023 – Dec 2023Coursework (CPSC 427)

Tamagotchi-inspired 2D retro game with pet care mechanics, mini-games, and shader-based visual effects. Features parallax backgrounds and JSON-based save system.

Click the Card
Swag the North

Swag the North

Sep 2023

Top 12 finalist out of 200+ projects at Hack the North. Immersive Unity-based game simulating the hackathon sponsor bay with swag collection mechanics.

Click the Card
Locative Audio

Locative Audio

Jan 2023 – Apr 2023

no repo because of NDA

GPS-based mobile app that lets users discover Vancouver's cultural audio content at specific locations using AR Foundation for image detection.

Click the Card
Insight UBC Search Engine

Insight UBC Search Engine

2022Coursework (CPSC 310)

no repo because of NDA

Search engine that queries metadata such as past course averages and room capacity from around campus. Built with TypeScript following software engineering best practices.

Click the Card
Pugs Frogs in Space

Pugs Frogs in Space

2022

2-player top-down shooting game made in a 2-day game jam. Features frog and pug characters using exploding bullets to kick opponents out of the arena.

Click the Card
FREN

FREN

Jun 2021 – Aug 2021

Full-stack social networking app with user recommendation algorithm and real-time chat functionality using Redux state management.