Sunny Nguyen
Security Engineer
Microsoft 365 Security & Detection Engineering
English · Vietnamese
About Me
Target Role
SOC / IR / DFIR
Education
MS Cybersecurity
MS GPA
4.0
Clearance
Eligible (US)
I'm a security professional pursuing a Master of Science in Cybersecurity Management at the University of Utah, with a background in Information Systems and hands-on experience in Incident Response and Digital Forensics.
My work centers on detecting, analyzing, and responding to security threats — from investigating endpoint anomalies and dissecting malware behavior, to applying frameworks like NIST and MITRE ATT&CK in real-world environments. I've operated in HIPAA-compliant healthcare settings where data protection, regulatory compliance, and accurate escalation are non-negotiable.
I also have hands-on experience across Azure, Microsoft 365, Entra ID, Microsoft Sentinel, and Defender XDR for identity, endpoint, and cloud security operations.
Beyond the day-to-day, I stay sharp through CTF competitions, HackTheBox and TryHackMe labs, and personal security projects. I'm bilingual in English and Vietnamese, and I bring a collaborative, detail-oriented mindset to every team I work with.
I'm actively seeking roles in SOC analysis, incident response, and DFIR where I can contribute immediately and continue growing as a defender.
Technical Skills
Work Experience
IT Security Consultant & Software Developer
Sunny IT Solutions
- Conducted network assessments and vulnerability scans for small business clients — identified misconfigurations, unpatched systems, and authentication weaknesses; delivered remediation reports and implemented fixes.
- Designed and deployed secure internal web applications with RBAC, SMS 2FA with device trust, bcrypt hashing, OTP rate limiting, account lockout, and tamper-evident audit logging.
- Built custom internal tooling replacing manual workflows (inventory tracking, sales analytics, order management) — deployed as live operational systems for active clients.
Digital Forensics / Incident Response Mentee
Ensign Services, Inc.
- Completed weekly security department mentorship covering malware analysis fundamentals, digital forensic methodology, and incident escalation protocols; applied learnings to real escalations from the help desk role.
- Walked through MITRE ATT&CK and NIST framework application against real incident scenarios with the SOC; gained exposure to the team's threat intelligence enrichment workflows.
Help Desk Analyst
Ensign Services, Inc.
- Operated as tier-1 within a 300+ facility HIPAA-regulated M365 tenant, investigating Entra ID sign-in anomalies and escalating identity incidents to the security team.
- Used Entra ID to investigate sign-in anomalies, account lockouts, and access issues; coordinated with the security team on cross-domain escalations and documented findings consistently for handoff.
- Resolved Intune enrollment, compliance, and device-based Conditional Access issues across the M365 fleet; documented recurring compliance failures for security team review and policy tuning.
- Supported account and access work across clinical systems during ongoing M&A onboarding, including handling stale or over-permissioned accounts surfaced through routine support tickets.
Software Engineer Intern
Tongues: Language Games
- Developed and maintained backend systems using Python, ensuring efficient and scalable code.
- Implemented AI prompting techniques to enhance user interactions; conducted code reviews and debugging to maintain high-quality software standards.
Education
Jan. 2026 – Mar. 2027
Master of Science in Cybersecurity Management
University of Utah
GPA: 4.0
Relevant Courses
Networking & Servers · Cybersecurity Management · Web-Based Applications · Cloud Computing · Secure Network Operations · Vulnerability Management · Cybersecurity Risk and Compliance · Project Management
2020 – 2025
Bachelor of Science in Information Systems
Minor in Management
University of Utah
Relevant Courses
Data Structures & Java · Programming with Python · Business Data Mining · A.I. for Business Processes · Database Fundamentals · Strategic Management · International Management · Managing and Leading
Summer 2023
Eccles Global Study Abroad
Japan & Korea
University of Utah
Relevant Courses
Systems Analysis & Design · Strategy and A.I.
Projects
Synthetic Microsoft 365 E5 Detection Lab
SecurityBuilt a Microsoft 365 E5 tenant with 75 synthetic users, realistic privilege tiers, and repeatable attack-day scenarios. Authored and tuned Sentinel analytics rules and KQL hunting queries for password spray, impossible travel, malicious inbox rules, BEC activity, and SharePoint/OneDrive exfiltration paths.
AI SOC Agent
SecurityBuilt an AI agent that triages security alerts, queries logs, enriches with threat intelligence, and posts analyst-ready summaries to Slack and Jira. Uses MCP, Notion runbooks, and persistent agent memory. Implements the read-only investigation, staged response pattern for safe automation.
Secure Internal Operations Platform
SecurityProduction-grade internal business platform built for a confidential client. Features 3-tier RBAC, SMS 2FA with device trust, bcrypt hashing, OTP rate limiting, account lockout, tamper-evident audit logging, and Stripe webhook signature verification. Includes a full analytics suite and staff management.
AI Healthcare Request System
Software DevHackathon project built around a real Intermountain Health workflow. Replaced a manual Microsoft Form → email → spreadsheet process with an AI-powered intake and classification system. Features a public requestor form and admin dashboard with automated AI triage.
ElderShield
SecurityAccessibility-focused web app that prompts A.I. to help seniors spot phishing, scams, and fraud in messages and calls — with simple explanations and actionable tips.
Enterprise Security Homelab
SecuritySimulated real-world attacks and defenses across virtual machines. Gained hands-on experience in incident detection, response, log analysis, and system hardening.
Cyberpunk Portfolio
Software DevA mobile-friendly retro-cyberpunk themed personal portfolio website built with React and Vite, featuring animated UI effects and a hacker-style loading sequence.
Freaky Foodies
Software DevA full-stack food review web application. Users can browse, submit, and manage restaurant and dish reviews through a clean, interactive interface.
Girlfriend Texter
Software DevA scripted automation tool for generating and sending contextual replies. Built for fun — demonstrates practical use of Python scripting and text processing.
Game Day Analytics
Data AnalyticsAnalyzed the effectiveness of Super Bowl advertisements using data mining techniques. Explored engagement metrics, brand sentiment, and viewership trends.
Certifications
Defensive Security
SOC & analyst-track certifications
- Microsoft SC-200: Security Operations Analyst ↗
- HTB Certified Defensive Security Analyst (CDSA)
- CompTIA Security+ ↗
- CompTIA Network+ ↗
- Google Cybersecurity Professional ↗
- NIST Risk Management Framework
CTFs & Labs
TryHackMe
Active participant in TryHackMe challenges and learning paths focused on defensive security, SOC analysis, and incident response skills.
HackTheBox
Regular participant in HackTheBox labs and learning paths covering a wide range of cybersecurity topics, from web exploitation to Active Directory attacks.
Love At First Breach CTF 2026
Red team focused capture-the-flag competition. Applied offensive techniques including enumeration, exploitation, and privilege escalation across a range of challenges.
LA CTF 2026
Annual cybersecurity competition hosted by ACM Cyber at UCLA. Competed across web, forensics, and cryptography challenge categories.
DoD Cyber Sentinel Skills Challenge 2025
DoD-sponsored competition assessing skills across Forensics, Malware/Reverse Engineering, Networking & Reconnaissance, OSINT, and Web Security.
Industrial Intrusion CTF 2025
Simulated an ICS/OT industrial control systems intrusion. Solved 30+ tasks spanning OSINT, web exploitation, reverse engineering, Node-RED, and Modbus protocol challenges to bypass authentication and gain control of a security gate.
Let's Connect
Open to security analyst, SOC, and IR/DFIR opportunities. Feel free to reach out — I'd love to connect.
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