Frans Coomans

Cybersecurity Consultant
(Offensive Security)

Francis Alwyn Coomans

Cybersecurity Consultant (Offensive Security)
OSCP, CPTS, CWES | 25+ Years in IT & Security

Contact

🌐 https://fcoomans.com
🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/frans-coomans
✉️ Contact via https://fcoomans.com/contact
📍 Gauteng, South Africa

Professional Summary

Hands-on Cybersecurity Consultant (Offensive Security) with 25+ years in IT, recently transitioning from IT administration to full-time offensive security.
Skilled in penetration testing, red teaming, Active Directory exploitation, and simulated security assessments.
Ranked Top 1% (Pro Hacker) on Hack The Box and Top 1% on HTB Academy, demonstrating practical exploitation and professional reporting of real-world vulnerabilities. Produces actionable pentest-style write-ups and technical lessons learned from complex environments.

Currently seeking local, remote, or international offensive security roles where deep technical skill and practical penetration experience can enhance an organisation’s security posture.

Key Achievements

  • Earned Bachelor of Commerce in Business Informatics (Cum Laude) while working full-time.
  • Ranked Top 1% globally on Hack The Box (“Pro Hacker”) and HTB Academy.
  • Completed OSCP, CPTS, and CWES through intensive practical labs and exams.
  • Successfully exploited 50+ complex AD, network, and web systems in simulated environments.
  • Transitioned from enterprise IT leadership to full-time offensive security consulting.

Professional Experience

Founder & Offensive Security Consultant | Netrunnerz (Pty) Ltd - Gauteng, South Africa

Jun 2023 – Present

  • Founded and operate Netrunnerz (Pty) Ltd, an offensive security consultancy.
  • Delivered paid VMware ESXi root-password recovery engagement for an enterprise client.
  • Provide licensing, deployment and support services for GFI LanGuard and GFI KerioControl.
  • Hold Offensive Security Certified Professional (OSCP), HTB Certified Penetration Testing Specialist (CPTS), and Certified Web Exploitation Specialist (CWES) certifications.
  • Executed 50+ simulated penetration tests on Hack The Box platforms with full attack chains (SQLi, XSS, CSRF, SSRF, command injection, Kerberoasting, pivoting, lateral movement).
  • Publish professional client-style penetration test reports for every retired Hack The Box machine completed (executive summary, technical findings with screenshots, PoC code, and high-level remediation guidance).
  • Ranked Pro Hacker (Top 1%) on Hack The Box and Top 1% on HTB Academy.
  • Daily driver tools: Kali Linux, Burp Suite, Metasploit, BloodHound, NetExec, Impacket, SysReptor, Nmap, Rustscan, Nessus.

Group IT Administrator | ACTOM (Pty) Ltd – Gauteng, South Africa

Leading energy manufacturing and engineering company with 500+ employees across 10+ sites.
Nov 1997 – Apr 2023

  • Cybersecurity Leadership: Trained 500+ staff; mentored IT technicians.
  • Risk Reduction: Vulnerability assessments (Greenbone/OpenVAS), RBAC enforcement, AD hardening.
  • Network & Systems Security: Managed routers, switches, VLANs, firewalls, VPNs, endpoints across 10+ sites.
  • Systems Administration: AD/GPOs, Microsoft 365, Domino, Linux; automation via PowerShell, Python, Bash.
  • Key Projects: Head Office IT Infrastructure, Server Room Build, Virtualisation (Hyper-V/XenServer), O365 Migration.
  • Compliance: Internal audits and vendor compliance checks (Microsoft, Autodesk).

Finance Clerk | Reumech/Reutech Head Office – Gauteng, South Africa

Defence manufacturer, part of a holding company, before restructuring.
1997

  • Compiled daily cash flow reports and prepared payment reconciliations.

Education

Bachelor of Commerce in Business Informatics (Cum Laude) | University of South Africa

2018–2021

  • Graduated with 25 distinctions.
  • Coursework: Databases, Networks, Programming, Project Management, Internal Auditing.

Certifications

  • OSCP (Offensive Security, 2025)
  • CPTS (Hack The Box, 2024)
  • CWES (Hack The Box, 2023)
  • CompTIA PenTest+ (2024)
  • CompTIA Security+ (2023)
  • MTCNA (Mikrotik, 2017, Expired, knowledge retained)
  • RHCE (Red Hat, 2007, Expired, knowledge retained)
  • LPIC-1 (LPI, 2007, Expired, knowledge retained)

Technical Skills

Offensive Security & Pentesting:
SQL Injection (SQLi), XSS, CSRF, SSRF, Command Injection, File Upload Bypass, Privilege Escalation, Lateral Movement, Pivoting, Enumeration, Web Fuzzing, Manual/Automated Exploitation, Burp Suite, Metasploit, Nmap, Wireshark, Ligolo-ng, SysReptor.

Cybersecurity & Risk Management:
Vulnerability Assessment, Red Teaming, Endpoint Protection, Patch Management, Compliance Audits (Microsoft, Autodesk).

Systems & Infrastructure:
Active Directory, GPOs, Windows Server, Linux Administration, Microsoft 365, Hyper-V, Citrix XenServer.

Networking & Security:
Routers, Switches, VLANs, Firewalls, VPNs.

Scripting & Automation:
Python, PowerShell, Bash.

References

Available upon request.

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