About me

I’m a cybersecurity professional passionate about protecting systems and solving complex problems. With expertise in GRC, compliance frameworks like NIST and PCI DSS, and a knack for turning vulnerabilities into strengths, I thrive on keeping systems secure and compliant. Whether it’s optimizing 700+ security controls (a "NISTy" job, I know!) or building disaster recovery plans that won’t crash under pressure, I’m always up for the challenge.

I’m pursuing my master’s in cybersecurity and diving deep into areas like cryptography and secure protocols. I love cracking CTF challenges (especially OSINT), learning more through certifications, and staying informed on evolving cyber threats and industry.

Work experience

Dec 2024 - Present

Security GRC Analyst (Graduate Assistant)

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UMBC DoIT | Baltimore, MD

Analyzing, mapping, and integrating security policies across NIST 800-171, CSF 2.0, and 800-53, ensuring regulatory alignment, audit readiness, and reducing compliance gaps by 10-13% for the University System of Maryland.
Conducting vulnerability assessments for public organizations across Maryland, identifying vulnerabilities, and improving compliance with NIST and CIS frameworks by 8-10%.
Supporting the UMBC Cybersecurity Clinic, providing hands-on consulting to public sector organizations through vulnerability assessments, scanning, and remediation as part of a multidisciplinary team.

Jun 2024 - Sep 2024

Cyberscurity Governance Intern

Inovalon, Bowie, MD

Streamlined 700+ security controls into an accessible checklist using NIST, ISO, HIPAA and created a policy gap tracker for these controls, improving compliance tracking efficiency by 25% and avoiding potential penalties.
Migrated the risk register to SharePoint, and built a real-time risk dashboard that improved risk visibility by 30%, and utilized Clearwater’s IRM|Analysis® tool for comprehensive risk analysis.
Strengthened organizational resilience by leading and drafting 2 Business Continuity Planning tabletop exercises, engaging with 10+ senior executives, and producing actionable insights that enhanced the incident response plan.
Built a tracker to monitor Disaster Recovery Runbook status across departments and conducted risk assessments on active policy exceptions, visualizing potential compliance gaps, and reducing potential risks by 20%.
Organized and led BCP meetings with directors, integrated automation to save 20 hours per month, resulting in a 16% increase in operational efficiency, and promoted cybersecurity awareness with articles.

Nov 2021 - March 2022

Cybersecurity Intern

Talakunchi Networks | Remote

Completed 3 major projects during an industrial Cybersecurity program, focusing on Authentication Bypass, vulnerability scanning with OWASP ZAP, and open port assessments, which enhanced the security protocols and reduced potential threats.
Executed 20+ simulated attacks targeting server vulnerabilities using techniques such as SMTP exploitation, zone transfers, and NetBIOS enumeration
Conducted data sniffing via Wireshark to identify 3+ vulnerabilities, leading to improved threat detection and system security.
Discovered new tools and websites like Hack The Box and Vulnhub and learned concepts such as isolating the network for better security.
Received hands-on experience in digital security, computer software, and network administration.

Sep 2021 - Feb 2022

Project Intern (Azure)

Microsoft • Github • AICTE | Remote

Completed a virtual internship organized by Microsoft, Github & AICTE, and received hands-on experience with Microsoft Azure and GitHub tools.
Developed a project titled “ SpotifyClone” based on NextJs and deployed it via Azure using various Azure services.
Completed all the learning modules based on Data & AI, Azure, and Security totaling 200+ Hours.
Attained a deeper understanding of MS Learn - AZ-900, AZ-104, AZ-204, AZ-500, AI-900, AI-102, DA-100, and GitHub.

Education

Aug 2023 - Present

Masters of Science in Cybersecurity

University of Maryland, Baltimore County | MD, USA

COURSEWORK

Fall 2023

CYBR 620 Introduction to Cybersecurity
CYBR 621 Cyber Warfare
CYBR 652 Enterprise Security

Spring 2023

CYBR 650 Managing Cybersecurity Operations
CYBR 658 Risk Analysis & Compliance
CYBR 623 Cybersecurity Law and Policy

Fall 2024

CMSC 691 Special Topics in Computer Science (Cybersecurity Research)
CYBR 622 Global Cyber Capabilities and Trends
CYBR 696 Independent Study in Cybersecurity

Spring 2025

CYBR 642 Digital Forensics

Graduate Certificate

Cybersecurity Strategy & Policy

Cybersecurity Operations

Graduated in 2022

Bachelor of Engineering in Computer Science Engineering

Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University, MH, IN

COURSEWORK

Advanced 'C' & Programming Logic Design
Digital Circuits & Fund. Of Microprocessors
Computer Architecture & Organization
Data Structure & Program Design
Operating Systems
System Programming
Data Communication
Object Oriented Programming
Database Management Systems
Design & Analysis Of Algorithms
Artificial Intelligence
Software Engineering And Project Management
Computer Networks
Data Warehousing & Mining
Language Processor
Distributed Operating System
Information And Cyber Security
Clustering And Cloud Computing
Advanced Wireless Sensor Network

Skills

Cybersecurity Technical Skills

Penetration Testing
Vulnerability Assessment
OSINT (Open-Source Intelligence)
Incident Response
SIEM (Security Information and Event Management)
IDS/IPS (Intrusion Detection/Prevention Systems)
Security Automation
Vulnerability Assessments
SIEM
SQL