Cyber security at a glance.

Last year but one (2018) I was all psyched up with the idea of doing machine learning and Deep learning in general Artificial intelligence. It was thrilling.

When the sun rose to 2019, I got an attachment to do Vulnerability assessment and penetration testing. Don’t get me wrong I actually had done computer and network security in campus, but this was new.

First I had to remind myself of the basics, what is a VPN and what’s the difference btn firewall, proxy and VPN etc.

Eventually I got a grip of that and had a chance to join forums (wosec_ke) and Shehacks_ke.. Deep dive into YouTube (tutorials) and did some labs.

Vulnerability assessment and penetration testing is a red team exercise. A few months later I got introduced to the defense team, Endpoint, data center and network security, commonly known as blue team.

In cyber security everything is intriguing you just have to choose your speciality and stick to it learning bits of the other parts but still knowing you are a guru at this (wish somebody told me that) sigh.

Anyway for months I juggled. I’m amazed with the knowledge I got from that running from forensic (memory & network), red team (web app testing, system testing and network pentest) to defense (Endpoint, SIEMs, database security), threat hunting, vulnerability assessment and incidence response.

Eventually everything caught up with me and every new thing I tried to learn the mind chose not to. I had what we refer to as mental break down. But still fought through. It was scary what if something new comes out.. What if I don’t know the old one..

Dont get me wrong I’m not scared if someone else knows something I don’t, as a matter of fact I find it so fascinating if someone knows something different it makes us a team.

Longest story short. In cybersecurity you need to choose what you want and give yourself a timeframe. If today you wake up and some account was hacked with reverse engineering the DLLs to whatever whatever… and your knowledge about DLL is poor write it down and say in three months time I’ll know this.

Don’t kill yourself with everything at once. That’s why we are always learning just be sure what you say about yourself you can do it to perfection.

Don’t be scared to reach out.. I like when I tell people upfront that I don’t know and they get a chance to tell me. The knowledge you gain when you read something that was explained earlier sticks around for a while.

Peace out ( No I in TEAM)