Jonathan Chao | 趙納生
Portrait of Jonathan Chao

Los Angeles / Orange County

Jonathan Chao

USC Presidential Scholar studying Intelligence and Cyber Operations. I work across cybersecurity, digital forensics, Python education, nonprofit web design, and music. Scroll through some of my work or check out my blog. Can you tell I like Obsidian?

root@jonathanchao.xyz LinkedIn Resume Blog

Education

University of Southern California

Bachelor of Arts in Intelligence and Cyber Operations

Los Angeles, California

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→ Overall GPA: 4.0/4.0

→ Coursework: Information Security Management, Ethical Hacking and Systems Defense, Enterprise Network Design, Digital Forensics and Cybersecurity Investigations, Apple Forensics & Security (macOS & iOS), National Intelligence and the Shaping of Policy, Technology and International Relations, Cyber Law and Privacy, and Defending and Investigating Compromised Networks.

→ Member Relations VP for CybOrg, USC’s Largest and Premier Cybersecurity club.

→ Member Relations VP for TACTICS, a competition and training club.

Freelance Website Design

OCUkraine.com

Fundraising medical supplies for Ukraine

- Present

Co-Founder, Co-President, Website Creator and Manager

→ When war broke out in Ukraine, a few friends and I began raising money through organizations including Lions Clubs International to purchase medical supplies.

→ We first procured medical-grade supplies for Global First Responder, then helped send volunteers and medical professionals to distribute supplies to people displaced by the war.

→ We have raised more than $30,000 for World Central Kitchen, Global First Responders, and CERT.

OC Families for Ukraine website project
OC Families for Ukraine

ViaSerica.org

Awareness for Karakalpakstan

- Present

Website Manager

→ I maintain the organization's website and translate leadership's ideas into clear, accessible web pages.

Via Serica website project
Via Serica

CooperativeAidInc.org

Medical missions to Liberia and beyond

- Present

Website Administrator and Technology Head

→ I worked with Cooperative Aid's leadership to redesign its site in WordPress and Elementor, improving usability and donor access while supporting funding for a medical trip to Liberia.

→ I also introduced a Trello Kanban system to prioritize requests and make the organization's technology work easier to track.

Cooperative Aid website project
Cooperative Aid Inc.

Cybersecurity Projects

Facebook Marketplace Forensics

Novel iOS digital forensics work

→ I researched Facebook Marketplace's iOS app and identified files that could reconstruct user activity, establish temporal correlation, and show listings viewed by a user.

→ I compiled the findings into an IEEE-style white paper and presented them to a panel of industry experts. The work taught me about iOS App Groups and notification-log analysis.

Facebook Marketplace forensics project
iOS forensics research

CIRCUS Incident Response Competition

3rd place with USC's CTF team

→ Our team analyzed forensic images, logs, user activity, files, and configuration artifacts to reconstruct a simulated breach.

→ We documented evidence, recommended remediation, and presented our findings to cybersecurity and digital-forensics professionals.

USC CTF team at the CIRCUS competition
USC CTF at CIRCUS

Security Homelab

Windows Server, Active Directory, SIEM, and Proxmox

→ I deployed Windows Server, Active Directory, and a SIEM in a Proxmox homelab, then used the environment for network-security testing and penetration-testing practice.

Jonathan's cybersecurity homelab
Security homelab

Packet Capture and Password Testing

Raspberry Pi Zero W and Hashcat

→ I developed a packet sniffer on a Raspberry Pi Zero W to capture TCP three-way handshakes, analyzed network traffic, and tested password security with Hashcat dictionary attacks.

Raspberry Pi network security project
Raspberry Pi security project

Work Experience

Lead Python Learning Assistant at USC

TAC 115 and TAC 116

- Present

→ I manage graders, coordinate assignments, assist during and after lectures, and tutor a cohort of more than 30 students. I also introduced a Google Sheets system that improved grading consistency and timeliness.

→ I collaborated with a USC professor to create a final project on pandas DataFrames, lists, and dictionaries.

Coding Tutor at theCoderSchool

Youth coding instructor

July 2022 - August 2022

→ I led and assisted groups of 20-30 students through coding programs, provided individual troubleshooting, and worked with a small team to publish a Java and CSS camp curriculum on GitHub.

Hobby Work

Studio Violin

Film scores and symphony performances

→ I am a freelance studio violinist and former first violin in the USC Student Symphony Orchestra. I have performed student film scores at the John Williams Scoring Stage and have played violin for more than ten years.

Jonathan performing violin
Studio violin

Black Cat Carpet

College rock band

→ My college band plays bossa nova and relaxed rock. I play guitar, sing, help set up small venues, and organize concerts for friends.

Black Cat Carpet performing
Black Cat Carpet

Contact

Reach out, follow me, or read my resume.

Email LinkedIn Resume