When working In an ever-expanding field like cybersecurity it is important to approach all problems we face with a critical mindset. Over the last four years numerous successful projects have attributed to my understanding of why critical thinking is everything in this field.

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Artifact 1: Cybersecurity Research Piece

This artifact represents when I composed a research paper in order to elucidate the importance of cybersecurity and proper cyber hygiene. Using critical thinking allowed me to gather sources and conduct research on trends within the last 5 years allowing me to write this piece to help convey the importance of both topics

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Artifact 2: Configured Home NAS

Another personal project that required critical thinking was when I set up and configured a Network Attached Server (NAS). I had to configure the network setting on the LAN through the ISP, I also had to configure the RAID for the most optimized downloading and storage method. This was my first hands on personal project and I learned so much about networking.

Picture of NAS ->

Throughout this personal project I had to set up the physical NAS with ethernet cabling into a Synology DS925+. I then had to configure the security controls for who could access and do what in the actual NAS. I also gained experience with the ISP firewall. I wrote a few firewall rules in order to further protect the stored information.

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Artifact 3: Scaffolding Project

I have composed a research piece on cyber terrorism and radicalization on the internet. This piece really made me expand my critical thinking skills. I wrote this in my cyber terrorism course (CYSE 495), where we learned about the societal aspects of cybersecurity and what might motivate cyber criminals. This piece forced me to use different lenses when analyzing why cyber terrorism and cyber crime occur.