Daniel Fichtinger
This image was processed by a dithering algorithm, which lends it a unique aesthetic and reduces its file size significantly.
Table of Contents
About Me
My name is Daniel, and I am a graduate cybersecurity researcher, programmer, and Linux enthusiast. My goal is to channel my passion for computers and security into making the internet safer for everyone. Part of the NSERC CREATE Cybersecurity program, my work combines programming, cryptography, system design, and threat modeling to tackle real-world security challenges.
I’m passionate about minimalist design. This website is part of the 1mb club, jsfree.org, and built with Zona, a tool I wrote myself. I’m also interested in efficiency and optimization, which is why I use Neovim for all of my programming & writing, and I prefer typing in Colemak-DH on a custom layout.
I will publish blog posts about various technology topics on this website once I have implemented the necessary features in Zona. In the meantime, you can learn more about me below. I hope you enjoy your stay, and you are welcome to contact me anytime.
Research Interests
- Extending and improving passwordless & multifactor authentication.
- Defining a clear taxonomy for multifactor authentication.
Development Interests
- Lightweight Linux CLI applications.
- Neovim plugins.
- Encryption and authentication utilities.
- Tools that make web publication following indie web principles accessible to non-programmers.
Skills
Programming
- Go, Python, Java, C, C#, JavaScript, Lua, Bash.
- Currently learning: Rust, Haskell.
Software Development
- Knowledge of DevOps, version control, and containerization.
Linux
- Skilled in system administration & maintenance, and efficient, terminal-based workflows.
Security
- Strong fundamentals in a wide range of security concepts and technologies including cryptography, authentication, networking, and security best practices.
Projects
“SP”
- Peer-to-peer MFA system implemented in Python, Java, and JavaScript.
- Currently, closed source due to research confidentiality.
Go-Chat
- Lightweight end-to-end encrypted TUI messaging application implemented in Go.
Zona
- Static site builder written in Go and optimized for lightweight blogs following minimalist design principles.
- Support for templates, declarative metadata, and configuration files.
- Currently, in slow-but-steady active development with a first release on the horizon.
AutoYADM
- Shell utility to automate managing dot files with yadm.
- Actively maintained, with plans to decouple from yadm and support all git-like tools.
Neovim
- My personal Neovim configuration, open-sourced as inspiration for aspiring power-users.
- Suitable for programming, note-taking in Markdown, and academic writing in LaTeX.
- Frequently updated and extended with new plugins and custom functions.
- Fast load time thanks to lazy loading courtesy of
lazy.nvim
.
- Keybindings optimized for Colemak-DH users.
Typing Efficiency
- Colemak-DH (non-QWERTY, ergonomic layout).
- Custom columnar split layout leveraging overloaded modifiers and layers to maximize efficiency.
- Custom ANSI layout intended to make my ThinkPad internal keyboard as ergonomic as possible without conflicting with external keyboards.
- Currently, being interviewed for ZSA’s people blog (link will be updated once the post is live.)
Note: I prefer to keep my LinkedIn presence fairly minimal since I see it as a security vulnerability. Thus, I much prefer to be contacted by e-mail.