Worked at a Electronics shop that focused on general electronic and software repairs. My main tasks included device troubleshooting, physical and software related repairs. The repairs included:
- OS installation and troubleshooting.
- File recovery
- Data extraction on damaged devices
- Password recovery
- Virus detection and destruction
- Instillation of security software
- PCB Repairs
- Soldering
This job offered me the opportunity to learn about the hardware and basic software side of technology. I constantly had to troubleshoot issues related to phones, computers and daily appliances. Though this, I was able to develop my IT skills while also developing my communication skills by learning how to explain repair and maintenance processes to customers. Due the nature of my job, I was often exposed to the vulnerabilities that many bad actors took advantage of. There vulnerabilities included poor digital hygiene, malware and network security issues. However, the knowledge of how the everyday person has vulnerabilities it has grown my understanding of cybersecurity and how critical the human factor is.
Below is a picture of a repair I did on a phone that needed a battery replacement after malware caused the phone to overheat. It ran background processes that would log information on app data and would run ads on the victims phone whenever an app was opened.
