About

Learn more about me

Aya Squalli Houssaini

Computer Science Engineering Student · UM6P College of Computing, Morocco

Second-year CS engineering student building at the intersection of cybersecurity, AI, and full-stack development. I compete in CTFs internationally, build web apps that ship, and dig into the kind of systems problems that don't have easy answers. I'm looking to collaborate on projects that push boundaries — and I genuinely enjoy the craft of it all.

CTF competitor Security researcher Full-stack dev AI / ML Open to collaborate
Location
Fes, Morocco
Degree
State Engineering · Exp. 2029
Email
Aya.HOUSSAINI@um6p.ma
CTF record
13 CTFs · 120+ flags

Selected highlights

1st nationally
MCSCv13 Finals
Morocco's premier student cybersecurity championship
34th / 476 globally
ASIS CTF Finals 2025
1st in Morocco · 2nd in MENA region
24th / 1550
UofTCTF 2026
Top 2% globally, Open Division
Qualified
HackDay & Midnight CTF 2026
Two high-prestige 2026 qualification milestones

Skills

Languages

Python C / C++ JavaScript HTML / CSS SQL

Frameworks & libraries

React / Next.js Vue.js Flask Jinja2

Security & tooling

Burp Suite Kali Linux Wireshark Nmap Metasploit OWASP Top 10 Vuln. Assessment

Interests

Cybersecurity Artificial Intelligence Software Engineering Data Analysis Photography Writing

Testimonials

Aya is a smart, hard-working, and proactive student. I have known her in the context of the UM6P ACM Student Chapter activities in my capacity as the chapter's founding faculty advisor. In 2023, she was a student volunteer at the national competition MNCP 2023, where she helped manage logistics including team orientation and contest proctoring. In 2024, she was elected by her peers as the chapter's membership chair. This demonstrates her excellent teamwork, communication, and interpersonal skills.

Karima Echihabi

Assistant Professor, ACM Faculty Advisor

Aya is a thoughtful and dedicated learner whose consistency and curiosity stand out. Her well-organized notes and creative approach to assignments reflect both discipline and originality. Whether in discussions or presentations, she shares her ideas with clarity and confidence. It's always encouraging to see someone engage so meaningfully with their learning—qualities that quietly speak to a bright future.

Ahmed Bebtaoui

English Instructor, Language Lab – UM6P

Resume

Check My Resume

Extended Resume

Sumary

Aya Squalli

  • Fes, Morocco
  • Aya.HOUSSAINI@um6p.ma

Education

State Engineering Student in Computer Science

Expected Graduation: 2029

College Of Computing - UM6P, Benguerir,Morocco

Diving deep into algorithms, unraveling data mysteries, coding the way through challenges. With hunger for knowledge, I'm not just a student, I'm a digital explorer with a growing passion for cybersecurity, constantly learning to protect digital systems and data.

Professional Experience

Software Engineering Fellow

July 2024 - September 2024

HeadstarterAI, New York, NY

  • Engaged in a 7-week intensive program focused on artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning.
  • Collaborated with industry experts, honing skills in data analysis, model development, and problem-solving.
  • Explored real-world applications of AI, contributing to cutting-edge projects.
  • Strengthened leadership abilities through teamwork and innovation.

Summer Intern

July 2025 - September 2025

3DSMARTFACTORY, Mohammdia, Morocco

  • Researched and prototyped a Federated Learning–based Intrusion Detection System (FL-IDS) for IoT networks.
  • Designed a privacy-preserving architecture enabling edge devices to collaboratively train anomaly detection models without sharing raw traffic data.
  • Achieved >95% detection accuracy on real-world dataset (N-BaIoT dataset) while reducing central server load.

CTF Achievements

Challenges Solved

Podiums / Top placements

CTFs Participated

Highlights

MCSCv13 – Finals

Achieving 1st Place Nationally in Morocco's premier student cybersecurity championship.

Global HackTheBox Meetup Ambassadors

Awarded 1st prize globally as part of the HTB ambassadors program.

ASIS CTF Finals — 2025

1st in Morocco · 2nd in MENA · 34th / 476 globally — one of the most competitive international finals.

UofTCTF — 2026

Placed 24th / 1550 globally in the Open Division — top 2% worldwide.

Kaspersky CTF — Regional

Ranked 38th / 450 across ME, Türkiye & Africa regions.

Nullhat Morocco — 2025

Secured 6th / 40 nationally, in collaboration with HackerOne.

IDEH 7th Edition / INPT

Secured 4th place nationally.

HackTheBox Meetup — 1337 & 42 campuses

Secured 5th place (team of 3), solved 6/7 problems across the 42 Berlin / Wolfsburg / Heilbronn multi-campus event.

HackDay — 2026

Qualified for HackDay 2026, demonstrating advanced skills across multiple CTF categories.

Midnight CTF — 2026

Qualified for Midnight CTF 2026, competing against top-tier teams in a high-intensity overnight format.

Community & Organizing

Organizing Local CTFs

Designed and deployed challenges; managed logistics and competition infrastructure.

Local CTF with 1337

Competed in and organized a cybersecurity challenge hosted by 1337, solving crypto, RE, forensics and web tasks.

HackTheBox Meetups

Participated in local & international Hack The Box community meetups; focused on collaborative penetration testing challenges.

Pantry Xpress

Pantry Xpress

Pantry Management App with Recipe Generator Based on the available items in the pantry

BrainWave

AI-Powered Flashcards Generator

Edumeter

Rate My Professor ChatBot

BotBuddy

GeminiAI-powered Chat Assistant

Study Mingle

Find Your Purrfect Study Partner