Cisco Lab Assistant
I was a Cisco Lab Assistant for the Cisco Networking Academy (NetAcad) at Thomas Nelson Community College (now Virginia Penisula Community College) from September 2019 to May 2020. As a volunteer assistant and student for the program, I primarily assisted 10 students in overcoming difficulties in the technical materials and helped the Cisco Instructor in various projects for the academy and TNCC. It was a transformative experience for me as I learned networking basics, developed Cybersecurity awareness, and gained irreplaceable hands-on experience and passion for passing on to my fellow NetAcad students.
Insider Man-In-The-Middle Attack Demonstration
One project that I endeavored in was a Man-in-the-Middle attack demonstration recorded and presented to the college’s annual TNCC Cybersecurity Conference back in October 2019. In February 2020, I demonstrated the attack to the 30-member TNCC College to highlight successful student learning outcomes from gaining hands-on experience in Cybersecurity topics.
Video demonstration of a Man-in-the-Middle using ARP spoofing as an attack vector.
Reflection
Volunteering as a Cisco Lab Assistant and participating in the TNCC Cybersecurity Conference through my attack demonstration is why I am in the ODU Cyber LeADERS program. Without it, I could not have gained such invaluable experience to focus my ambitions and set myself up on the path to where I am now. The setup for the demonstration required careful research and planning into what a Man-in-the-Middle is, its attack stages, how does the vulnerability permit exploitation, and what tools are available to carry out the attack. The experience for me showed that ultimately what is critical for Cybersecurity professionals is their ability to research new threats, learn new skills rapidly, and apply them effectively to the latest threats.
