Reflection Essay
Looking back on everything I’ve learned during my time at Old Dominion, it’s crazy how much growth I’ve gone through. When I first started this program, I honestly didn’t know what to expect. You may even say I had the completely wrong idea as to what exactly Cybersecurity even was. Like many other aspiring Cyber professionals, I once thought that Cybersecurity was a field where I’d be in a dark room with my hood up hacking, tracking, and stopping cybercriminals in their tracks. There is so much more to it than that, as hacking is only one area of Cybersecurity, and many professionals don’t do any type of hacking in their day-to-day jobs. While I had some Navy experience operating and troubleshooting secure communications equipment, drafting classified documentation, and practicing good cyber hygiene, I knew that college cybersecurity classes and real-world applications were a whole different animal. Now, reflecting on all the artifacts and labs I’ve completed, I can see how they connect to the major goals of the degree: protecting systems and data, troubleshooting security problems, and digging into forensic evidence when something goes wrong.
According to the World Wide Web Consortium, a successful site should have content that is perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust (Introduction to Understanding, 2024). To accomplish this, I ensured that my skills were visible from the front page of my site and that my supporting artifacts were easy to find. I also gave summaries of each selected artifact to make it more understandable and easier to follow. The three major skills that I identified were Linux, Defense/Offense Tools, and Digital Forensics. Each skill came with its own set of challenges and “wow, I’m lost” moments, but also real breakthroughs that made everything click. I picked three artifacts for each skill, and though I have many other worthy artifacts worth showcasing, the ones I chose best showcase valuable skills and foundational knowledge needed to begin a career in Cybersecurity.
Linux Skills
Before beginning my courses, I had very little familiarity with the Linux Operating System, as I had grown up using Windows my entire life. Jumping into Linux involved a minor learning curve, but I thoroughly enjoyed the challenge of learning and building proficiency and familiarity with the Linux command-line interface. The three artifacts I chose to showcase this proficiency that stand out to me are Lab 6 (File Permissions), Lab 7 (Local Storage Management), and Assignment 9 (Automated System Backup) from my CYSE 270 Linux course.
In my File Permissions lab, I learned about setting up users, groups, and file permissions using octal numbers. It sounded easy until I actually had to set up shared folders and deal with different user access. The way Linux operates, some commands require higher-level privileges to utilize, often called the “Superuser” privileges. There were several times when I thought I ran the proper command, but the change was not corrected or implemented, as I did not have the proper privileges. This, combined with the idea of managing several groups and users, made me realize how quickly a simple permission slip-up could expose sensitive data. This tied directly into the degree outcome of protecting computer systems and data.
My file systems lab had me partitioning disks and creating filesystems, stuff I didn’t even realize admins dealt with every day. Mounting and unmounting partitions, editing f-stab files, these were all completely foreign concepts to me at first. But once I did it, it made sense why it matters. If there are any major errors made in storage, it’s not just about broken drives, it’s about losing control over where sensitive data is stored.
My automation assignment from Linux involved backups and automating them with cron jobs. Writing a bash script that updates a user’s home directory and schedules it was not too challenging once you get the commands and scripting down, but it is still a skill worth learning and advancing. Though this lab focused mainly on just automating backups, the professor made sure to drive home how important backups are, not just for regular operations but for surviving ransomware attacks and other disasters, which also ties into the protecting systems and data degree objective.
Networking, Defense, and Tools
Networking and understanding how traffic moves across the internet has always been an intriguing subject for me, but learning the defense side of things and implementing security tools took it up a notch. The three artifacts I picked to showcase these skills are Assignment 3 (Sword vs. Shield), Assignment 4 (Ethical Hacking), and Lab 1 (Active Vulnerability Scanning). These assignments were a combination of labs and projects taken from courses CYSE 301, Cyber Techniques and Operations, and CYSE 430, Ethical Hacking and Penetration Testing.
Sword and Shield was probably my favorite assignment I’ve completed at ODU. First, I attacked the network, scanning for vulnerabilities with Nmap, which is a well-known port and vulnerability scanner. Then, I switched gears and played defense, locking things down with pfSense firewalls. I was then able to attempt the same scans and recon attempts as the attacker and see how the implementation of my firewall rules blocked my attempts as an attacker to scan the network and devices. Conducting an in-depth hands-on assignment like this provided more knowledge and insight than any classroom lecture could have. This also tied into the degree outcome of applying troubleshooting practices and identifying security lapses.
Assignment 4 took it even further. I used Metasploit to exploit SMB vulnerabilities on Windows XP and EternalBlue on Windows Server 2008. Getting a reverse shell, taking screenshots of the victim machines, and gathering system info showed me just how devastating a simple misconfiguration can be. Lastly, my active reconnaissance lab CYSE 450 (Ethical Hacking and Penetration Testing) focused on active scanning. Using Nmap with different scripts, running brute force attacks helped me understand how much an attacker can do with active recon. It’s easy to say, “secure the network,” but unless you know what an attacker sees when they scan your systems, you won’t know how to protect them. These two individual artifacts also demonstrate the degree objectives of identifying security lapses and protecting systems.
Digital Forensics
Digital Forensics was a course I initially took to fulfill a course requirement, and not necessarily something I believed I’d be interested in. However, I was pleasantly surprised and enjoyed the interdisciplinary nature of this field, and how it requires the combination of technical skills as well as knowledge of law, policy, psychology, and criminal justice. The three artifacts I chose for this skill are my report on plans for a Forensics Lab, my Forensic Incident Report, and my Python Socket Programming project.
The Forensics Lab assignment required me to do extensive research and put together a forensics lab plan. I had to take into account physical security, workstation tools, and compliance standards. Tying this into other disciplines, the importance of carefully building the lab environment is crucial, as any evidence that is collected or analyzed outside of the strict laws for evidence collection can be thrown out of court. This tied into the degree outcome of collecting forensic data and protecting systems.
The Forensics Final was hands-on and felt way closer to a real-world case. I had to process a suspect’s laptop and phone using FTK Imager and Cellebrite, recover deleted files, verify hash values, and report findings like they would be used in a criminal case. It was my first real taste of how careful and methodical you have to be during an investigation. One small error, and evidence could get ruined or thrown out of court. This also directly connects to the degree goal of examining and collecting forensic evidence properly.
Lastly, the Socket Program assignment was a project conducted in my Intro to Programming class (CYSE 250), but it connected to all of my skills, including Digital Forensics. It showed me how client-server communication works on a basic level. If you understand how data moves between machines, you can figure out what an attacker might mess with, and what traces they’d leave behind. Also, learning proficiency in a programming language like Python can make collecting, analyzing, and creating forensic tools easier.
Personal Growth
As Paul Basken states in his article about e-portfolios, they are “a way to generate learning as well as document learning” (Basken, 2008). By going through and reflecting on my previous labs and assignments from prior courses, I can understand how they connect to an actual career or job description. There were times when I went into assignments just trying to complete them, not realizing that I was gaining valuable knowledge and learning new skills that can be further improved in the future.
Conclusion
When I think about the Cybersecurity degree outcomes, protecting systems, troubleshooting issues, and examining evidence, I can confidently say I’ve built a strong foundation in all three. The artifacts I picked aren’t just assignments I completed to check a box as I may have originally thought. They’re proof of the hours spent learning new skills and preparing myself for a future career. Linux taught me how to manage and secure the guts of a system. Networking and tools taught me how attackers think and how defenders fight back. Forensics taught me how to pick up the pieces when things go wrong and find the truth hidden in the chaos. No matter how or where I start my career, I hope that some of these skills stick with me and that I can build upon them in my future endeavors.
References
Basken, P. (2008). Electronic Portfolios May Answer Calls for More Accountability. Chronicle of Higher Education, 54(32). https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ792174
W3C. (2016, May 6). Accessibility, Usability, and Inclusion. Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI). https://www.w3.org/WAI/fundamentals/accessibility-usability-inclusion/