TL;DR: I build offensive security frameworks. You build interfaces. Let's make tools that researchers actually want to use instead of tolerate.
The Ugly Truth About Security Tools
Walk into any SOC, any red team lab, any researcher's terminal. What do you see?
Green text on black backgrounds. ASCII art that was cool in 1997. Terminal outputs that require a degree in regex to parse. Configuration files that read like they were written by someone actively hostile to the concept of usability.
This is not by design. This is by neglect.
The security research community has accepted that powerful tools must look like shit. That if you want capability, you sacrifice experience. That "just pipe it to grep" is an acceptable answer to "how do I find what I'm looking for?"
I'm here to tell you that's wrong. And I'm looking for frontend developers who want to prove it.
A Quick Note on Tone
Look, I know this post comes across strong. Maybe even aggressive. That's intentional, but not in a hostile way.
I'm being direct because I respect your time. I don't want to waste it with vague "looking for collaborators" posts that hide what this actually is. This is hard technical work on tools most people don't understand, in a domain that can be uncomfortable to discuss.
I'd rather be upfront about the complexity, the domain, and the commitment than sugarcoat it and have you discover three weeks in that this isn't what you signed up for.
If the directness puts you off, that's totally fair. But if you appreciate transparency over polish, we'll probably work well together.
Who I Am
I'm GnomeMan4201. Self-taught security researcher, offensive tool developer, and builder of things that work when other things break.
- 5+ years building Python/bash/C security frameworks
- 17 technical articles on DEV.to covering everything from LLVM compilation on Android to AI-based payload mutation
- Primary development environment: Termux on Android (because constraints force innovation)
- Philosophy: "Necessity-Driven Development" — I build what's needed when operational friction demands it
I don't have a CS degree. I have 5 years of reverse-engineering problems nobody else cared to document.
Important ethical note: All projects are designed for authorized security research, penetration testing, and red team operations only. Every repo includes explicit ethical guidelines and authorized-use-only language.
What I've Built (And What Needs Your Touch)
LANimals - Network Reconnaissance Toolkit
Status: Backend stable, ready for frontend integration
GitHub: https://github.com/GnomeMan4201/LANimals | Article: https://dev.to/gnomeman4201/lanimals-lightweight-lan-recon-and-auditing-for-hackers-5fc1
Current State: Terminal-based network discovery with ASCII dashboards. Works. Functional. Ugly.
What It Needs:
- Real-time network topology visualization (interactive graphs, not node lists)
- Live packet capture dashboard with filtering that doesn't require remembering Wireshark syntax
- Threat detection heat maps
- Device profiling interface that shows "here's what's on your network" without vomiting JSON
- Timeline view for traffic anomalies
Technical Challenge: This tool generates data FAST. Your UI needs to handle real-time updates without choking. WebSocket-based data streaming, efficient re-renders, virtualized lists for thousands of packets.
Why This Matters: Every pentester, every SOC analyst, every researcher auditing networks deserves better than nmap piped to grep.
SHENRON - Adaptive Persistent Offense Framework
Status: Backend stable, API documentation in progress
Article: Part 1 | Part 3
Note: GitHub repo and Part 2 article coming soon
Current State: 89 evasion modules, polymorphic persistence, decoy generation, self-healing payloads. Text-based interface only.
What It Needs:
- Campaign orchestration dashboard (flight control center for offensive operations)
- Module health monitoring with visual indicators
- Persistence chain visualization (show HOW the framework maintains access)
- Mutation timeline (when did payloads morph? What changed?)
- Decoy management interface (which artifacts are real vs fake?)
- Safe-mode controls with big red warning indicators
Technical Challenge: You're visualizing adversarial operations. This needs to feel like a command center, not a settings panel.
Why This Matters: Persistence frameworks are powerful but opaque. Making them observable makes them testable, improvable, and usable in research contexts.
Blackglass Suite - Offline AI-Powered Payload Mutation
Status: Backend ready, OpenAPI spec available
GitHub: https://github.com/GnomeMan4201/Blackglass_Suite | Article: https://dev.to/gnomeman4201/the-ghost-in-the-machine-a-defenders-guide-to-offline-security-testing-with-blackglasssuite-3hn9
Current State: Offline LLM-driven payload scoring, mutation, and stealth delivery. Shell scripts and Python. Zero GUI.
What It Needs:
- Payload editor with syntax highlighting and real-time evasion scoring
- Mutation preview (show what the tool WILL do before it does it)
- Scoring dashboard (why did this payload score 87/100 for stealth?)
- Lab environment manager (configure VMs, snapshots, test runs)
- Results visualization (which techniques triggered detection? Which didn't?)
Technical Challenge: This runs offline. Your UI might need to work without internet, bundle dependencies, or run as a local web app. And it needs to explain AI decision-making to skeptical security researchers.
Why This Matters: AI is changing offensive security. But "the AI said so" isn't good enough. Researchers need transparency, configurability, and trust.
bananaTREE - Self-Healing AI-Ops Dashboard
Status: Active development, backend solidifying
Current State: Managing distributed security research tooling with self-healing capabilities. Backend solid. Frontend nonexistent.
What It Needs:
- Distributed system health monitoring
- Auto-healing event logs with explanations
- Tool orchestration interface (deploy this, monitor that, rotate those)
- Alert management that doesn't spam you into numbness
- Integration hub for connecting various security tools
Technical Challenge: You're building a meta-interface that controls other tools. It needs to be flexible enough to add new integrations without rebuilding everything.
Why This Matters: Security researchers run multiple tools simultaneously. Coordinating them manually is chaos. This could be the unified control plane.
zer0DAYSlater - Adversarial Simulation Framework
Status: Backend operational, API documented
GitHub: https://github.com/GnomeMan4201/zer0DAYSlater | Article: https://dev.to/gnomeman4201/zer0dayslater-a-modular-adversarial-simulation-and-red-team-research-framework-1jmc
Current State: Modular C2, mesh networking, autonomous agents, exfiltration modules. Text-based dashboard exists.
What It Needs:
- Agent management interface (who's alive? who's compromised? who's hibernating?)
- C2 channel visualization (show the mesh network topology)
- Exfiltration tracker (what data went where?)
- Campaign builder (compose operations from modules)
- Telemetry viewer (what did each agent observe?)
Technical Challenge: Real-time distributed systems monitoring with cryptographic verification of agent identity. Your UI needs to handle unreliable agents, network partitions, and adversarial conditions.
Why This Matters: Red team frameworks are criminally under-visualized. Making operations observable makes them safer, more educational, and effective.
What You Get (The Real Value Prop)
Co-Ownership
Not "contributor." Not "thanks for the PR." Co-ownership. Your name on the project. Your design decisions documented and credited. Your GitHub profile linked prominently.
Portfolio Ammunition
These aren't TODO apps. These are:
- "I built the interface for a polymorphic persistence framework"
- "I visualized real-time offensive operations"
- "I made AI decision-making transparent in a security context"
That's the kind of portfolio piece that makes hiring managers stop scrolling.
Technical Challenge
Real problems:
- Real-time data visualization at scale
- Distributed systems monitoring
- State management for offensive operations
- Offline-first applications
- Security-conscious UX design
- Performance optimization under adversarial conditions
Creative Freedom
I don't dictate tech stacks. React? Vue? Svelte? Solid? Your call.
Want to try that new CSS feature? Experiment with WebGL for 3D network graphs? Build a terminal emulator in the browser? Go for it.
Real Users
These tools have users. Researchers use LANimals. People read about SHENRON and ask for access. Blackglass Suite is deployed in actual lab environments.
Your work won't sit in a repo with 3 stars. It'll be used.
Learning
You'll understand offensive security from the UI perspective:
- How network reconnaissance works
- What persistence mechanisms look like
- How payload mutation happens
- Why evasion techniques matter
What I Bring to the Table
Architecture & Backend
I handle:
- All backend logic and API design
- Data structures and algorithms
- Security considerations
- Performance optimization
- Documentation
You won't be debugging my Python at 2 AM. The backend will be solid before you touch the frontend.
Security Expertise
I explain:
- What each tool does
- What researchers need to see
- What information matters vs noise
- How to present offensive capabilities responsibly
Collaboration Style
- Async-first: No mandatory meetings. Work when you want.
- Documentation-heavy: Everything written down. No "you had to be there" conversations.
- Direct feedback: I'll tell you if something doesn't work for the use case. You tell me if I'm asking for something impossible.
- Trust: You're the UI expert. I trust your decisions.
The Technical Stack (Your Choice)
Frontend: Your call. Seriously.
Some considerations:
- LANimals: Real-time updates. WebSockets or SSE. Consider D3.js, vis.js, or cytoscape.js for network graphs.
- SHENRON: Complex state management. React + Redux? Vue + Pinia? Whatever handles intricate state well.
- Blackglass: Might need to run offline. Consider PWA capabilities, IndexedDB for local storage.
- bananaTREE: Distributed monitoring. Consider SockJS for robust WebSocket alternatives.
- zer0DAYSlater: Agent telemetry visualization. Time-series graphs. Consider Chart.js, Plotly, or Recharts.
Backend: Already handled. Python (FastAPI likely) exposing REST or WebSocket APIs. I'll provide OpenAPI specs.
Deployment: Docker containers. Your frontend can assume the backend is accessible at localhost:8000 or similar.
License: MIT for all projects. You retain full rights to your code and can use it however you want.
What This ISN'T
Not a Job: No deadlines. No sprints. No standups. Work when you want.
Not a Startup: No equity negotiations. This is open-source collaboration. We're building tools, not companies.
Not Exploitative: You keep ownership of your code. MIT license. You can fork it, use it elsewhere, add it to your portfolio.
Not Boring: This is offensive security tooling. We're visualizing attacks, persistence mechanisms, and distributed agent networks.
What I Need From You
Skills
- Strong frontend fundamentals (HTML/CSS/JS)
- Experience with at least one modern framework
- Understanding of state management
- Comfort with REST APIs and WebSockets
- Git proficiency
- Ability to read documentation and ask questions
Mindset
- Curiosity about security research
- Willingness to learn domain-specific concepts
- Design thinking (not just "make it pretty" but "make it useful")
- Pragmatism (perfect is the enemy of shipped)
Availability
Whatever you can give.
- 2 hours a week? Great.
- 10 hours on weekends? Awesome.
- Bursts of activity then radio silence? Totally fine.
This is volunteer open-source.
How to Connect
Option 1: Comment Here
Tell me:
- What you build with (React/Vue/Svelte/etc)
- Which project interests you most (and why)
- One UI/UX pattern or technique you're excited about right now
- Link to something you've built (GitHub, CodePen, portfolio)
Option 2: GitHub Issue
Open an issue on any of my repos titled "Frontend Collab: [YourName]"
Include the same info as above.
Option 3: Direct Contact
Drop a comment asking for contact info and I'll respond.
What Happens Next
- Conversation: We talk about the project, your interests, technical approaches
- Scope: We define a specific, achievable first task
- Architecture: I provide backend specs, API docs, data shapes
- Build: You build. I provide feedback from the security research perspective.
- Iterate: We refine based on actual use cases
- Ship: We merge, document, and share
FAQ
Do I need security research experience?
No. I'll explain what you need to know. You need frontend expertise, not offensive security expertise.
What if I start and realize I don't have time?
You tell me. No hard feelings. The code you contributed stays (with your attribution).
What if someone else is already working on the same tool?
Different tools need different expertise. We'll figure it out. Collaboration > competition.
Is this ethical?
These are research tools, not attack tools. They're for authorized testing, red teaming, and security research. Every project includes clear ethical guidelines and authorized-use-only language.
Are these projects legal to work on?
Yes. Building security research tools is legal. Using them without authorization is not. All documentation includes prominent disclaimers and responsible disclosure guidance.
The Vision
Security research deserves better tooling. Offensive capabilities should be observable, controllable, and understood—not buried in terminal outputs.
Frontend developers bring a skillset that the security community desperately needs but rarely acknowledges: the ability to make complex systems comprehensible.
If you've ever looked at a security tool and thought "this interface is terrible," you're right. Let's fix it.
Reality Check
This is hard. Security tools are complex. The data is intricate. The use cases are unusual. You will need to learn new concepts.
But the payoff:
- You'll understand offensive security from the inside
- You'll build interfaces for tools that don't have consumer equivalents
- You'll work with real researchers who will use what you build
- You'll have portfolio pieces that stand out
No Bullshit, No hype. Just: "here's a hard problem, let's solve it together."
The command line is powerful. But it's not the endpoint of interface design.
Let's build what comes next.
— GnomeMan4201
GitHub: https://github.com/GnomeMan4201
DEV.to: @gnomeman4201
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