During my cybersecurity degree, I have gained skills that have enabled me to appreciate what cybersecurity is from a technical, research, and professional perspective. The three skills I have chosen to focus on are Technical/Cybersecurity Skills, Research & Critical Thinking, and Communication & Professional Skills. The artifacts below demonstrate how I developed and applied these skills during my coursework and internship.
Technical/Cybersecurity Skills
As I was completing my cybersecurity degree, I gained technical skills that allowed me to understand how to go about protecting systems, networks, and information. By taking coursework and working during my internship, I was able to learn about access control, authentication, availability, network security, critical infrastructure, and other issues pertaining to cybersecurity. I was also able to see how they could be applied to systems and security problems.
Artifact 1: CYSE 368 – Reflection #2
In this reflection, I demonstrated what I learned through the cybersecurity work I did during my internship with Place4Us. I explored and researched role-based access control, least privilege, authentication, authorization, security logging, and privacy. From that research, I learned how I can use those cybersecurity concepts on a real platform.
Artifact 2: CYSE 200T – Exploring Attacks on Availability
In this write-up, I discussed attacks on availability, with DDoS attacks specifically in mind. I explained various ways in which a DDoS attack can impact the ability to access systems and services, as well as different security controls such as filtering, redundancy, monitoring, and cloud mitigation.
Artifact 3: CYSE 200T – SCADA Systems
This write-up covers cybersecurity threats involving SCADA systems and critical infrastructure. I discussed vulnerabilities around the use of legacy equipment, authentication, network connectivity, and monitoring. I also explored protections such as network segmentation and increased authentication controls.
Research & Critical Thinking
My college education helped me develop my research and critical thinking skills throughout my cybersecurity degree. During my coursework, I learned to research different cybersecurity topics, identify reputable sources, analyze findings, and use evidence to support my work. This helped me see cybersecurity issues from different perspectives and not just the technical side.
Artifact 4: CYSE 425W – Policy Analysis Paper 5
In this paper, I display my research and critical thinking skills through my analysis of the 2023 U.S. National Cybersecurity Strategy. I provided an analysis of the strategy, drew on research and evidence to support my analysis, and discussed whether its aims and objectives are being met.
Artifact 5: CYSE 201S – Article Review #2
This article review concerns research about cyberbullying, social skills, and empathy. I wrote about the research question, variables, methods, and data analysis of the research. I linked the research findings to ideas from cybersecurity and social science.
Artifact 6: CYSE 200T – Analytical Paper
In this paper, I show the connection between cybersecurity and other areas of technology and society. I analyzed two scenarios, telecommuting and authentication, and discussed their implications for security, privacy, human behavior, and future policies related to cybersecurity.
Communication & Professional Skills
Communication and professional skills matter because cybersecurity work goes beyond just technical skills. In completing my classes and internship, I’ve practiced how to organize my thoughts, communicate research and recommendations, collaborate with others, and present cybersecurity topics professionally.
Artifact 7: Place4Us – Research Draft
This is a draft of the work I did for my internship with Place4Us. I investigated different aspects of the platform related to security and privacy and compiled my findings and suggestions in a way that could be shared with the team.
Artifact 8: CYSE 368 – Reflection #3
This reflection demonstrates my professional development during my internship. I described my process of independently researching cybersecurity issues, applying skills I gained from my cybersecurity courses to a real platform, and making recommendations based on my findings.
Artifact 9: CYSE 201S – Cybersecurity Professional Career Paper
This paper discusses the career of a cybersecurity analyst and introduces the relationship between technical cybersecurity and human behavior and social science. It shows my skill in communicating cybersecurity topics and my ability to relate my college experience to my future career.