# 👨‍💻 Kenneth Castillo's Cybersecurity Lab
Welcome! I'm **Kenneth**, a cybersecurity professional with over 8 years of IT experience and a growing focus on security operations, cloud security, and threat detection.
Want to know my personal story? [[About Me|Click here to learn more about me!]]
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<img src="homepage_self.png" alt="Kenneth Castillo" style="max-width: 100%;">
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## 👤 About Me
- **Professional Background**: Former Director of IT for a nonprofit, I led infrastructure, systems, and compliance initiatives for my organization. Now focused on cybersecurity—specializing in threat intelligence, cloud defense, and SOC operations.
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- **Certifications**:
- CompTIA Security+
- Microsoft SC-900 (Security Fundamentals)
- **Cybersecurity Training:**
- **TryHackMe**: Defending Azure Learning Path, Junior Penetration Tester Learning Path
- **Antisyphon**: Active Defense and Cyber Deception with John Strand, Workshop: Getting Comfortable in Burp Suite with BB King
>[View My Certifications!](https://www.credential.net/profile/kennethcastillo357603/wallet)
- **Tech Stack**: Wazuh, Graylog, Velociraptor, Sysmon, OpenSearch, Linux, Azure Security (in progress), PowerShell (learning), Python (learning)
- **Focus Areas**: Detection engineering, threat hunting, incident response, cloud security, automation, adversary emulation, and red team fundamentals.
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### Volunteering
I volunteer for **RGV-Cyber**, a nonprofit dedicated to helping students, career pivoters (like myself!), and other security professionals by sharing knowledge, hosting workshops and CTFs, and offering mentoring opportunities.
[Click here to visit their website!](https://www.rgv-cyber.org)
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## What I’m Looking For
I'm currently seeking **junior-level roles** in cybersecurity, including:
- **SOC Analyst**
- **Threat Analyst**
- **Junior Penetration Tester**
My ideal opportunity combines **hands-on technical challenges**, and **threat detection**, with a company that values **learning, collaboration, and mission-driven impact**.
📬 **Interested in working together?**
Reach out via [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/kennethhcastillo/) or email me at `
[email protected]`.
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## 📚 Latest Posts
- [[Velociraptor - Features and Overview]]
I go over the key features and some real-world use cases for one of the most powerful open source tools for endpoint visibility and DFIR.
- [[Why I'm Passionate for Cyber Security]]
My personal journey from IT leadership to cyber defense — and why I’m passionate about securing digital systems.
- [[Suricata POC - Detecting SSH Bruteforces]]
I start testing out Suricata and simulate a Hydra bruteforce on a vulnerable web server to visualize what an attack looks like on my SIEM.
- [[Wazuh POC - Detecting a Known Malicious IP]]
I walk through how I used Wazuh to detect and block a known malicious IP in a homelab environment by creating custom alert rules and automating response actions.
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