Cybersecurity Fundamentals Portfolio

This repository contains a curated collection of cybersecurity analysis exercises based on realistic scenarios. The focus is on security reasoning, risk analysis, incident investigation, and decision-making, rather than tool-heavy or exploit-based work.

The activities reflect foundational skills expected from entry-level cybersecurity and security operations roles.

Contents

Network Hardening Assessment

Analysis of common network vulnerabilities and recommended hardening measures, including strong authentication policies, firewall configuration, and access control to reduce exposure and prevent breaches.

Access Control and AAA Analysis

Review of authentication, authorization, and accounting issues in a small business environment, identifying excessive privileges and improper account lifecycle management, with recommendations based on the principle of least privilege.

Network Traffic Analysis

Investigation of a DNS service disruption using packet analysis concepts. The activity identifies DNS and ICMP behavior in tcpdump logs and determines the root cause of service unavailability.

Incident Response Using NIST CSF

Analysis of a denial-of-service (DoS) attack using the NIST Cybersecurity Framework (NIST CSF), covering Identify, Protect, Detect, Respond, and Recover phases to improve organizational resilience.

SQL Query Filtering for Security Analysis

Use of SQL filtering techniques to investigate security events such as failed login attempts, suspicious access patterns, and department-based asset management. The activity demonstrates practical use of AND, OR, NOT, LIKE, date, and time filters in a security context.

Risk Assessment and Prioritization

Evaluation of common operational and cybersecurity risks within a financial institution. Risks are scored based on likelihood and severity to support informed prioritization and resource allocation.

Data Leak Risk Assessment

Analysis of an internal data leak caused by improper access controls. The activity applies the principle of least privilege and references NIST SP 800-53 (AC-6) to recommend control enhancements that reduce the likelihood of future data exposure.

Purpose

This repository was created to demonstrate foundational knowledge in:

• Network security fundamentals
• Incident analysis and response
• Traffic analysis and troubleshooting
• Risk assessment and prioritization
• Access control and data protection
• Applying security frameworks and standards in practical scenarios

All content is intentionally concise, structured, and focused on clear reasoning, communication, and security decision-making, suitable for a junior cybersecurity portfolio.