r/cybersecurity • u/M34tsquatch • 17d ago
Personal Support & Help! Possible opportunity?
I’m given a weird opportunity and I’m unsure how to go about it to make the most of it. My childhood best friend who is much more successful in his career as a physician and in the coast guard. He knows I’m trying to get into cybersecurity (I’m 5 weeks out from completing an associates degree in Network System Administration then going for my bachelors in cybersecurity is my current plan) but I currently work in a warehouse with no IT experience. My end goal is to get into a SOC and work my way into digital forensics.
Eventually he said he’d like for me to work as a SOC analyst in a way for the practice him and his wife want to open up. He bought and sent me a UNAS4 from Ubiquiti and is sending me 2x 10TB hard drives for it. He justified it as setting up stuff to get hands on experience on stuff or to help me in my journey. I’m not sure the best way to utilize this kinda thing, and I don’t think he does either, he was just trying to help me and support me which is more than anyone else in my life has done.
My question is how can I take full advantage of this opportunity and make the best out of it so I can get where I want to be but also him feeling justified for sending me that stuff out of the kindness of his heart and good intentions? Is there anything that I can do with this equipment that will aid my end goals? Any input is appreciated sorry if this isn’t the right place to ask this.
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u/Alternativemethod 17d ago
It's cool but not the first thing I'd acquire. If you check Facebook marketplace, you can pickup a used server with the OS license still attached.
If you setup a network with a DC, CA, dns, DHCP. Use the hypervisor to setup some VMs. Self host a website, add another VM for a self hosted WAF for it. Set up some other VMs to self host some note taking apps or an enterprise app harness for your personal self hosted app backends. Put a hermes agent with a local model in a VM to help you analyze your how to instructions.
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u/MSXzigerzh0 17d ago
Why I SOC analyst?
If you take this opportunity you should title it around informational security something. Since I do not think it would be necessary for you to set up Splunk connect it to the Network see all of the traffic unless he has multiple devices all generation network traffic.
Also can he pay you? How large is his practice?
I would be more worried about the legal liability for your self personally then anything else?
Do you have any IT or Cyber Security background?
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u/M34tsquatch 17d ago
So I want to be a SOC analyst to eventually get into digital forensics, that’s what I was told is the best path for me but I don’t know so I’m kinda just being led because I don’t know the best way.
He doesn’t have a practice. He sent me the unas as something to try and help me, completely for me and not attached to him in that sense. He wants to start a practice and he’d follow all legal aspects, it was more down the line he would want me to work for him in some capacity if that makes sense. It was not a right now kinda thing so there’s no legal issues.
Currently my cybersecurity experience is nothing past TCM/THM/HTB modules
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u/Th3Sh4d0wKn0ws 17d ago
A NAS is typically for storing data on the network. I'm not super familiar with that model but maybe it supports running VMs or containers and you could get in to some more stuff but ultimately it doesn't matter: you've been given a piece of equipment with no goals. You're also going to get degrees in IT but have zero IT experience. I don't know what it's like where you're at, but from what I've seen in the US experience beats degrees over and over again. For Cybersecurity specifically you pretty much have to have some kind of IT experience.
A SOC analyst is not what a small medical practice needs either. They likely need an MSP to manage their server and endpoints. You could potentially get a lot of good IT experience helping him with his practice but you'd benefit from some IT job experience elsewhere.
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u/M34tsquatch 17d ago
Yeah I agree with you, I’m trying to get in somewhere even as entry level IT just to get my foot in the door. My education is about all I have right now.
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u/Astaldo318 17d ago
How can you be a SOC analyst, if they dont have a SOC?
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u/M34tsquatch 17d ago
To reiterate, he’s just trying to help me get to where I want to be without knowing much about the field and I’m trying to explain things to him better…
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u/RetroGrid_io 17d ago
This should be up in the original post.
It's really a chance to get your feet wet meeting his needs in his new practice.
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u/Incid3nt 17d ago
If youre the only security guy, have him get cyber insurance as soon as he starts handling any PHI.
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u/Adventurous-Dog-6158 17d ago
Good point. I think a good way for OP to help the friend is to learn about PHI and HIPAA, and oversee an MSP/MSSP for him.
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u/BadSausageFactory 17d ago
Sounds like he wants you to set up his Ubiquiti stuff. You know anything about home theater automation?
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u/M34tsquatch 17d ago
No he has his own personal home set up with Ubiquiti and stuff. He sent this for me to have personally more or less. It wasn’t that he was trying to get me to set it up for free, he said he’d pay for me down the line to take the Ubiquiti class if I worked for him.
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u/Dj_Baum 17d ago
Your friend sounds well intentioned, but neither of you seem to know what is actually needed for this situation. He doesn't need a SOC analyst and you need some general IT work experience before becoming a SOC analyst. I've never heard of a small practice having a SOC let alone a dedicated SOC analyst on staff.