Manik Bhan

As a graduate IT and cybersecurity professional, I have a solid foundation in IT operations, risk management, and internal controls. I have a bit of experience in supporting control testing, conducting basic data analysis, and documenting clear findings and follow-ups that align with various frameworks such as COBIT, ISO 27001, NIST, and ITIL. I have gained practical experience working with Active Directory, Windows/Linux environments, and security monitoring tools such as SIEM platforms (Splunk, CrowdStrike), which I have accessed through both Debian and Linux VirtualBox.

Cybersecurity Home Lab – System Setup & Validation
• Installed and configured a homelab starter kit with multiple VMs, resolving dependency issues and network configurations.
• Performed ISO checksum verification using SHA256 to ensure software integrity and guard against tampered downloads.
• Configured firewalls and security settings to strengthen VM environments against misconfigurations.
• Tools: Debian Linux, SHA256sum, CertUtil, VirtualBox

Cybersecurity Home Lab – Brute Force Attack Simulation
• Built a VirtualBox lab with Kali Linux (attacker) and Debian Linux hosting a WordPress site (target).
• Deployed and configured Apache, MariaDB, and WordPress with deliberately weak credentials to simulate real- world misconfig- urations.
• Conducted penetration testing and mapped findings to MITRE ATT&CK and NIST frameworks, mirroring SOC workflows.
• Mapped actions to MITRE ATT&CK (T1110 – Brute Force), Cyber Kill Chain, and NIST SP 800-115, reinforcing understanding of attacker tactics and structured defense frameworks.
• Tools: Kali Linux, Hydra, Nmap, WPScan, MariaDB, VirtualBox

Offensive Security & Phishing Analysis (TryHackMe Labs)
• Completed “Offensive Security Intro” on TryHackMe: simulated reconnaissance, exploitation, and privilege escalation in a controlled environment.
• Completed “Introduction to Phishing”: analyzed multiple email samples, identified suspicious links/attachments, and assessed phishing risks.
• Reinforced practical skills in security alert triage aligned with L1 SOC responsibilities.
• Tools: TryHackMe, Linux CLI, email header analysis

Challenges in digital education during Covid-19

Research paper on challenges for digital education and critical analysis, published on 04 July 2022 https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-981-19-1122-4_26