It Support Engineer

Surendar venkatachalam

+1-872-***-**** ************@*****.*** linkedin.com/in/surendar-v/ 3140 S Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60616 Professional Experience

Cyber Defense Intern, Globalshala August 2022 - November 2022

Monitored real-time alerts using SIEM platforms such as Elastic Stack, analyzing logs and traffic to identify potential intrusions.

Conducted vulnerability assessments and penetration testing to recommend security hardening strategies.

Investigated TCP/IP traffic with tools like Wireshark and TCPDump, focusing on anomalies and actionable insights for mitigation.

Enhanced identity & access management by configuring SSO and secure remote access policies using Active Directory.

Designed and delivered phishing awareness training sessions to increase user adoption of security best practices.

Prepared incident reports, performing root cause analysis and aligning corrective actions with security standards. IT support Engineer, Arijentek solutions October 2021 - june 2022

Configured and deployed over 25 servers, ensuring seamless organizational operations by installing and managing essential software and services, with a 95% uptime success rate.

Provisioned system access for over 50 employees, configuring user accounts and ensuring the proper tools and permissions were in place to enhance productivity and security.

Diagnosed and resolved 90% of technical issues across hardware, software, and network systems within 24 hours, reducing downtime and boosting operational efficiency.

Facilitated the rollout of updates, patches, and software installations, maintaining system security and compliance with industry standards.

Developed and maintained comprehensive IT process documents, including troubleshooting guides and configuration manuals, enhancing service delivery consistency and knowledge sharing across teams. Education

Illinois institute of technology December 2024

Master of Applied Science in Cyber Forensics and Digital Security GPA: 4.0

Relevant Coursework: Cyber Forensics, Active Cyber Defense, Digital Evidence, Open Source Software, Operating System Security Kongu Engineering college June 2022

Bachelor of Computer Science and Engineering GPA: 8.10/10

Relevant Coursework: Computer security, Computer Networks, Embedded Systems, Computer Architecture, computer engineering Relevant Skills

Security Operations and Monitoring: Elastic Stack (ELK), Splunk, Wireshark, Snort, Suricata, TCPDump, Nmap, Shodan, pfSense, Security Onion, Kibana

Incident Response and Forensics: FTK, EnCase, Autopsy, Maltego, VeraCrypt, Steghide, chain of custody, Paraben E3, SOAR platforms

Penetration Testing and Vulnerability Assessment: Metasploit, SQLmap, Nessus, Burp Suite, John the Ripper, Hashcat, Crackstation, OWASP, CIS Benchmarks, CVSS Scoring, Tamper Data, ScoutSuite

Cloud and Network Security: OpenStack, AWS Security Tools, Azure, UFW/GUFW, VPN Configuration, Active Directory, ScoutSuite

Threat Intelligence and Research: NIST, CISA, NVD, Exploit Database, TheHarvester, Pentbox, Indicators of Compromise (IoC) analysis, threat hunting, anomaly detection, log analysis.

Programming and Automation: Python, PowerShell, Bash, SQL, security automation, configuration management, maintenance windows

Compliance and Security Frameworks: NIST 800-53, CIS, OWASP Top 10, ISO 27001, PCI DSS, MITRE ATT&CK.

Documentation and Reporting: SOP creation, audit reports, security playbooks, incident summaries, technical documentation

Soft Skills: Analytical problem-solving, team collaboration, attention to detail, strong verbal and written communication Relevant Projects

Incident Detection and Threat Response

Configured and monitored Elastic Stack (ELK) and Snort to analyze logs and detect anomalies, reducing response time to potential security incidents by 30%.

Investigated network intrusions and unauthorized access using tools like Wireshark and TCPDump, ensuring quick containment and minimizing operational impact.

Responded to simulated Active Directory breaches by conducting root cause analysis, implementing stricter access controls, and performing threat hunting with TheHarvester.

Vulnerability Management and Secure Configurations

Conducted vulnerability scans using Nessus and SQLmap, uncovering exploitable weaknesses and recommending remediation steps that improved system resilience by 20%.

Deployed and secured OpenStack environments, integrating role-based access control (RBAC) and logging configurations for robust cloud infrastructure security.

Performed penetration testing, exploiting weaknesses in web applications and network protocols to strengthen defenses reducing attack surface. Certifications

CyberDefence Pro, Comptia, 2024

Certified in Cybersecurity, ISC2, 2024

Google cybersecurity certificate, Coursera, 2024

Splunk certified core user, cisco splunk, (pursuing)

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