Job Experience

• Security Alignment Engineer @ Onsite Logic

• Security Analyst @ Foresite Cybersecurity

• Data Center Technician @ DataBank

• Federal Security Contractor

• US Army Team Leader

Technical Skills

• Digital Forensics tools: FTK, Arsenal Image Mounter, Event Log Explorer, Kape, RegRipper, Volatility3, Eric Zimmerman tools including: Timeline Explorer, MFT Explorer, Registry Explorer, Amcache Parser, and more

• EDR/XDR Platforms: Crowdstrike Falcon, SentinelOne, Cortex XDR, Carbon Black, Provision Open XDR, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint

• Elasticsearch, Logstash, and Kibana (ELK)

• Firewalls (basic familiarity): Palo Alto NGFW and Panorama, Fortigate, SonicWall

• Configured and Implemented: Duo, Keeper password manager, Graphus email security solution, integrated firewalls with SIEM

• Comfortable with: Linux, Active Directory, Azure

• Basic Competence in: Python, Bash Scripting

• Basic Competence with Tools Used for Active Directory Exploitation, Penetration Testing, Vulnerability Assessment, and Network Security Testing such as: LDAP Enumeration, Nessus, Burp Suite, Bloodhound, Nmap, Metasploit, and more

• Learning: Malware Analysis, Digital Forensics and Incident Response (DFIR), and more - always more :)

Completed Projects

• Created a Forensics Home Lab according to instruction from expert examiner Markus Schober of Blue Cape Security, LLC where I conducted an in-depth forensic analysis of a Windows 10 system using a template provided by Blue Cape Security, LLC. Through this hands-on investigation, I systematically examined various Windows artifacts, gaining skills in extracting and interpreting evidence crucial for understanding user behavior, system changes, and potential security events.

• Built Cloud-based SOC Home Lab. I spun up an Elasticsearch and Kibana instance, two servers–Linux SSH & Windows RDP, and installed Elastic agent on both servers to push data into Elasticsearch. I created alerts and dashboards for brute force activity towards SSH and RDP, along with identifying a common C2 framework called Mythic. I spun up my own ticketing system (osTicket) and integrated it into my tech stack, and integrated Elastic EDR to isolate my Windows host that I infected with malware.

• Implemented a Physical Home Network including firewall, router, switch, and wireless access point. I configured features like DNS, DHCP, VLANs, and more. I continue to learn more about the nuances of networking.

Certifications

• CompTIA CySA+

• CompTIA Security+

• CompTIA Network+

• CompTIA A+

• CompTIA IT Fundamentals+

Completed Trainings

• Practical Windows Forensics | Markus Schober, Blue Cape Security, LLC

• 30-Day SOC Analyst Challenge | Steven, MyDFIR

• Cyber Threat Hunting Level 1 | Chris Brenton, Active Countermeasures

• SOC Core Skills V2 | John Strand, Antisyphon Training

• Getting Started in Security with BHIS and MITRE ATT&CK V2 | John Strand, Antisyphon Training

• So you want to be a SOC Analyst? | Eric Capuano, LimaCharlie

• Practical Junior Penetration Tester | Heath Adams, TCM Security

• AD hacking techniques to avoid EDR flagging | Eric Kuehn, Antisyphon Training

Events Attended

• InsomniHACK @ H&R Block Headquarters 2024

• BSides KC 2024

• SANS Holiday Hack Challenge 2023

Favorite Industry Professionals

• Gerald Auger, PhD | Simply Cyber | The most fun person in cybersecurity today. Gerry is super inclusive, puts a smile on all of our faces every morning, and has over 20 years of experience in the field of cybersecurity.

• Tyler Ramsbey | @TylerRamsbey | Tyler is a penetration tester with a refreshingly buoyant attitude and ethos toward life I admire very much. He gives back to the community in several ways and is the type of person any organization would be lucky to have work for them.

• John Strand | Black Hills Information Security and Antisyphon Training | John is incredibly smart and inclusive; and as a lover of the Humanities, I thoroughly enjoy how he sprinkles in lessons and perspectives from philosophy, psychology, history and other disciplines to add another level of richness to the material.

• Heath Adams | TCM Security | Heath offers certifications and training that is 100% practical and doesn't include multiple choice questions on exams. The training is high quality and affordable, and I've taken several of his courses, and I'd recommend them to anyone looking to level up their knowledge of security operations, pen testing, digital forensics, GRC, malware analysis, and more.

• Jack Rhysider | Darknet Diaries | IYKYK. This is the podcast when it comes to cybersecurity. Jack's stories cover the entire spectrum of the field, and each one could be a feature-length movie. Hands down some of the most interesting and fascinating stories I've ever heard, cybersecurity or otherwise.

• Graham Helton | Red Team Specialist at Google | Graham gave an excellent talk at the Snake Oil Summit about creating your own learning plan and thinking beyond the notion that certifications are the only way to show competence in a subject. He also converted me to using Obsidian as a highly effective note-taking tool.

Leadership Experience

• Current Director of Operations and Event Space for SecKC - a monthly cybersecurity meetup that hosts a "community of awesome hackers, makers, builders, and breakers."

• Facilitated a career advancement and leadership group that met regularly where I helped others with networking strategies, public speaking, rewriting their professional story, resume analysis, pivoting into a new career field, branding, skill development strategies, interview preparation, defining professional goals, developing realistic action plans, and providing accountability and mentorship.

• Former Toastmasters President of Olathe Sunrise Speakers club

• Gun Team Leader, Kandahar, Afghanistan | US Army

• Elected Student Senator and Neighborhood Committee member at Rockhurst University

• Facilitated discussions between high school students regarding socioeconomic disparities in the Kansas City metro area for Rockhurst University

Education

• Rockhurst University | Bachelor of Arts in Psychology | 3.97 GPA

• Johnson County Community College | Associate of Science in General Sciences | 4.0 GPA