Ethical Hacker · Bug Bounty Hunter · CTF Player

Akash
Basnet

@Noneofyou  ·  Ethical Hacker  ·  Silicon Valley
📍 Sunnyvale, CA  ·  🇳🇵 Nepal → 🇺🇸 NVIDIA HQ

IT Support Analyst at NVIDIA with a sharp focus on cybersecurity, system administration, and ethical hacking, keeping an enterprise environment secure and running every day. An active bug bounty hunter on Bugcrowd and competitive CTF player, I hunt real-world vulnerabilities across web applications and APIs, and I’m working toward a career as a penetration tester, helping organizations find and fix what attackers would exploit, before they ever get the chance.

// status: hunting
Akash Basnet
zsh · akash@nvidia ~ whoami
akash@nvidia:~$ whoami --verbose
 
## IDENTITY ─────────────────────────────────────────
  name   » Akash Basnet
  alias  » @Noneofyou
  base   » Sunnyvale, CA, USA 🇺🇸
  origin » Jhapa, Nepal 🇳🇵 (countryside)
  email  » basnetakash46@gmail.com
## EXPERIENCE ───────────────────────────────────────
  cybsec » 3+ yrs · hands-on security researcher
  it     » 10+ yrs · IT specialist
## CURRENT ──────────────────────────────────────────
  work   » NVIDIA, Technical Support Analyst · Internship
  since  » Jan 2026
  scope  » global endpoint support · Win/macOS/Linux
## BUG BOUNTY HALL OF FAME ──────────────────────────
  google » $10K+ · "Nice catch" · Google Security Team 🎯
  apple  » apple.com Security Acknowledgements 2020
  msft   » MSRC Acknowledgements 2020
  meta   » facebook.com/whitehat · Hall of Fame
  +      » BBC News, Harvard, Cambridge, ESET, McAfee,
          Intel, Lenovo, Huawei, Nokia, Hamropatro, Kantipur
## CTF & CONFERENCES ────────────────────────────────
  winner» 🥇 Pre-DEF CON CTF · HackerDojo, Silicon Valley
  defcon» attended × 2 · Caesars Palace, Las Vegas
  blkhat» Black Hat USA · attended × 1, Las Vegas
  wiz   » Wiz CTF · Top 50 / 500
  dod   » DoD USA CTF · Top 500 / 5,000
## NEPAL FEDERAL GOV ────────────────────────────────
  secured» Singha Durbar · PMO · 5 ministries
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
akash@nvidia:~$ still hunting
10+
Yrs IT Specialist
3+
Yrs Cybersecurity Research
15+
Hall of Fames
$10K+
Bug Bounties
🥇
Pre-DEF CON Winner
DEF CON Attendee
Black Hat Attendee
// Ethical hacking

Bug Bounty Hall of Fame

Recognized for responsibly disclosed vulnerabilities by the world’s most rigorous security teams, including Google, Apple, Microsoft, Meta, BBC News, Harvard University, University of Cambridge, Intel, Huawei, McAfee, ESET, Lenovo, and many more. Each acknowledgement below represents a confirmed vulnerability, triaged and credited by a Fortune-500 or world-class security program.

GOOGLE VRP · HOF
Google Bug Hunters · Akash Basnet · Hall of Fame, bounty reward, and Nice catch acknowledgement

Google Bug Bounty

Vulnerabilities responsibly disclosed across Googleplex, Waze, and Google internal assets, each one confirmed and triaged by the Google Vulnerability Reward Program panel. Credited on the Google Bug Hunters Leaderboard, listed in Google’s Hall of Fame, and financially rewarded by the Google Security Team.

Among the receipts: a personal reply from Martin, Google Security Team, one of the rarest direct acknowledgements in the bug-bounty world.

“Nice catch! I’ve filed a product bug for this issue. We’ll work with the product team to ensure this issue is addressed.” Martin, Google Security Team · status: ACCEPTED
Google VRP Hall of Fame Cash Bounty “Nice Catch” Reply Googleplex Waze
Harvard
Harvard University thank-you letter
Harvard University
Personal letter from Christian Hamer, CISO, Harvard University Information Technology.
CISO Letter · 2019
Cambridge
University of Cambridge CSIRT letter
University of Cambridge
Letter on Cambridge letterhead from Vin Everett, CSIRT Analyst.
CSIRT Letter · 2019
Intel
Intel Certificate of Appreciation
Intel Corporation
Certificate of Appreciation signed by Matt White, Investigations Manager.
Certificate · 2019
McAfee
McAfee Certificate of Acknowledgement
McAfee
Certificate of Acknowledgement signed by Grant Bourzikas, CISO of McAfee.
CISO Certificate
ESET
ESET acknowledgement letter
ESET
Official letter from Daniel Chromek, CISO of ESET s.r.o., Bratislava.
CISO Letter · 2021
Apple
Apple Web Server Notifications
Apple
Vulnerability on filemaker.com (Apple-owned). Listed on Apple’s public Web Server Security Notifications.
Apple Credits · 2020
Microsoft
Microsoft MSRC acknowledgement
Microsoft
Reflected XSS on a Microsoft acquisition. Listed in official MSRC Acknowledgements.
MSRC · 2020
Meta
Facebook Security Team $750 bounty award
Meta (Facebook)
$750 bounty from the Facebook Security Team via Bugcrowd / HackerOne.
$750 Bounty · HOF
BBC News
BBC News Security Disclosure page
BBC News
Top of BBC News Security Disclosure 2020 list, rate-limit-bypass vulnerability.
BBC News VDP · 2020
Huawei
Huawei Letter of Acknowledgement
Huawei
Formal Letter of Acknowledgement from Huawei PSIRT & IT CTR.
PSIRT Letter · 2020
Lenovo
Lenovo PSIRT Letter of Acknowledgement
Lenovo
Official Letter of Acknowledgement from Lenovo PSIRT for responsible disclosure of a security vulnerability.
PSIRT Letter
// Competitions

CTF Results

From a countryside village in Nepal to standing inside Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, DEF CON badge in hand.

1ST PLACE
Pacific Hackers Association · Akash Basnet wins Pre-DEFCON CTF

Pre-DEF CON CTF · Winner

From a countryside village in Nepal to standing inside Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, with a DEF CON badge in hand. Won the Pacific Hackers Pre-DEF CON Capture the Flag at HackerDojo, Silicon Valley, the qualifier drawing elite hackers preparing for DEF CON in Las Vegas. Took 1st place, publicly congratulated by the Pacific Hackers Association.

Subsequently invited to and attended DEF CON twice in Las Vegas, plus Black Hat USA in Las Vegas.

DEF CON Las Vegas Caesars Palace Black Hat USA Pacific Hackers WiCyS Silicon Valley
Top 50
Wiz CTF
Cloud-security competition by Wiz. Top 10% in a field of specialized cloud security professionals.
Top 500
U.S. DoD CTF
U.S. Department of Defense cybersecurity competition. Top 10% out of 5,000 participants.
× 2
DEF CON Las Vegas
World’s most prestigious hacking conference. Invited and attended twice.
× 1
Black Hat USA Las Vegas
World’s premier information security conference. Attended in Las Vegas.
// Media

Featured in National Press

Covered by Nepal’s biggest newspapers and tech publications: The Annapurna Express, Tech Pana, Capital Nepal, Gorkhapatra (est. 1901), Shilapatra, Living with ICT, and more.

The Annapurna Express feature
The Annapurna Express
National English newspaper
Cybersecurity feature interview
Tech Pana · Google reward for Nepali hacker
Tech Pana
Nepal’s #1 tech media
“Nepali ethical hacker rewarded by Google” · cash reward coverage
Tech Pana · Meta / Facebook reward coverage
Tech Pana
Nepal’s #1 tech media
Meta / Facebook bounty · reward coverage in Nepali press
Tech Pana · Another Google vulnerability discovered by Nepali hacker
Tech Pana
Nepal’s #1 tech media
“Nepali ethical hacker discovers another Google vulnerability”
Capital Nepal feature
Capital Nepal
English business & affairs magazine
Tech feature on responsible disclosure
Gorkhapatra Saturday edition feature
Gorkhapatra
Nepal’s oldest national daily · est. 1901
“Bug Bounty” · youth attraction (Saturday edition)
// Career history

Professional Experience

A decade across enterprise IT, government infrastructure, and offensive security, from Nepal’s federal seat in Singha Durbar to NVIDIA HQ in Silicon Valley.

2026 – Present
NVIDIA Corporation
Technical Support Analyst · Internship
📍 Santa Clara, California, USA · On-site
  • Provide IT help-desk support to employees both in person at a walk-up Tech Lounge and remotely, resolving hardware and software tickets and troubleshooting day-to-day technical issues.
  • Re-image and quality-check devices and set up equipment for new hires, keeping staff productive and running smoothly.
  • Support a Windows, macOS, and Linux endpoint environment while building toward a dedicated cybersecurity career.
2022 – Present
Bugcrowd
Security Researcher · Freelance
📍 California, USA · Remote
  • Independent security researcher participating in bug-bounty programs, identifying and responsibly disclosing vulnerabilities in web applications and APIs.
  • Perform reconnaissance, vulnerability assessment, and exploitation against real-world targets.
  • Write clear, actionable reports that help organizations remediate issues, continuously sharpening penetration-testing skills.
2021 – 2022
Ministry of Law, Justice & Parliamentary Affairs
Information Technology Manager · Contract
📍 Singha Durbar, Kathmandu, Nepal · On-site
  • Led IT operations for a national government ministry, managing infrastructure, support teams, and security to keep critical legal and parliamentary services running smoothly.
  • Managed the end-to-end IT function and a team of support staff, overseeing hardware, software, and network operations to ensure uninterrupted daily operations across all departments.
  • Directed the resolution of complex technical issues and led the installation, upgrade, and maintenance of systems, applications, and network infrastructure with minimal disruption.
  • Built and enforced IT policies, cybersecurity protocols, and documentation standards aligned with government requirements to protect sensitive data.
  • Partnered with senior officials and vendors on procurement, budget management, and cost-effective technology solutions supporting the Ministry’s strategic priorities.
2016 – 2021
GlobalLink Technologies Ltd.
Information Technology Manager · Full-time
📍 Kathmandu, Nepal · On-site
  • Managed IT operations for a technology firm serving government agencies and high-level organizational clients, leading teams and infrastructure to deliver reliable, large-scale solutions.
  • Managed and maintained IT infrastructure supporting government agencies and high-level organizational clients, ensuring reliable and efficient system performance.
  • Led a team of IT professionals delivering timely technical support, system upgrades, and network solutions for large-scale operations.
  • Oversaw procurement, vendor coordination, and deployment of hardware and software across multiple departments and client sites.
  • Collaborated with government officials and senior stakeholders to align technology solutions with strategic goals and organizational needs.
// Serving Nepal

Secured Nepal’s Federal Government

A self-taught hacker from a countryside village, trusted with the cybersecurity of Nepal’s most sensitive government infrastructure inside Singha Durbar, Kathmandu.

Office of the Prime Minister
IT and cybersecurity support inside Nepal’s most sensitive executive office.
Ministry of Home Affairs
Helped secure critical law enforcement and national security infrastructure.
Ministry of Law & Justice
Contract role offered purely on talent. Provided IT and security support.
Ministry of Forest
Supported IT infrastructure for Nepal’s environmental ministry.
Ministry of Transportation
IT support and system maintenance for Nepal’s national transport.
Ministry of Finance
Technical support for one of Nepal’s most critical government ministries.
// Technical arsenal

Skills & Expertise

// Offensive security & ethical hacking
Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) Bug Bounty Hunting XSS SSRF SQLi Subdomain Enumeration Recon Burp Suite Penetration Testing Vulnerability Assessment Wireshark CTF
// Network & defensive security
Fortinet Firewalls Cisco Networks Network Administration Incident Response Ransomware Containment Endpoint Hardening VPN DNS / DHCP TP-Link
// Systems & identity
Microsoft Entra ID (Azure AD) Microsoft 365 Intune JAMF Pro Active Directory Windows 10/11 macOS Linux Group Policy MFA / SSO
// ITSM, dev & AI
ServiceNow Jira GitHub / Git TeamViewer AnyDesk Slack Microsoft Teams Zoom Python HTML Cursor.ai Claude
// Credentials

Certifications

Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH)
EC-Council
Nov 2019
Fortinet Network Security
Fortinet
Certified
Claude 101
Anthropic
2026
Let’s work together

Open to roles in cybersecurity, IT engineering, and security research. If you need someone who’s broken Google, Apple, and Microsoft and built defenses for a national government, let’s talk.