Open to opportunities

Thapelo Nyapele

@thapelonyapele

Message

Motivated cybersecurity learner building labs and analyzing threats to protect digital environments.

South Africa

Message

What I'm looking for

I’m looking for a cybersecurity learnership to build practical skills through hands-on work. I want to help protect digital environments while applying my lab experience in phishing simulation, network scanning, and analysis.

I’m a motivated and self-driven cybersecurity learner based in Johannesburg. I’ve built a hands-on personal security lab using Kali Linux, VirtualBox, Wireshark, Nmap, and John the Ripper, and I’m currently preparing for the ISC2 CC certification.

Through the Mastercard Cybersecurity Job Simulation (Forage), I gained practical exposure to phishing threat design, simulation analysis, and incident response. I also apply my strong analytical foundation from an N3 in Mechanical Engineering (Fitter & Turner) to break down technical problems methodically and document everything clearly.

Right now, I’m seeking a cybersecurity learnership where I can keep developing practical skills and contribute to protecting digital environments—supported by independent projects documented on GitHub.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Current

Cybersecurity Home Lab

Current

Personal Security Lab

Feb 2026 - Present (4 months)

Designed and built a virtualized cybersecurity lab using Kali Linux and VirtualBox to simulate attack and defence scenarios. Captured and analyzed traffic with Wireshark, scanned and enumerated hosts and ports with Nmap, cracked password hashes with John the Ripper, and documented findings on GitHub.

Kali Linux VirtualBox Wireshark Nmap John The Ripper Traffic Analysis Hash Cracking Phishing Defense Technical Documentation

Phishing Simulation (Forge)

Mastercard Job Simulation

Apr 2026 - Present (2 months)

Designed a realistic phishing email simulation as part of Mastercard’s security awareness programme. Interpreted simulation results to identify vulnerable user groups and recommend targeted awareness training, gaining practical insight into social engineering and organizational defenses.

Security Analysis Email Attack Modeling Risk Mitigation Technical Documentation Reporting