// $ whoami

Brendon Roberts aka brendorobo

I’m a cybersecurity analyst at a regional electric utility, with over two years in incident response, digital forensics and security operations. Day to day that means investigating incidents across endpoints, identities, email and cloud, digging into phishing and malware, hunting for what slipped past detections, and writing it all up. The part I enjoy most is the forensics: figuring out what actually happened on a machine.

That’s why I’m going deeper into DFIR and working toward the GCFA (SANS FOR508). This blog is where I write that up: study notes, CTF write-ups, tools I’m testing, and the “oh, that’s how it works” moments.

I hold a B.S. in Cybersecurity & Information Assurance from WGU and an A.A.S. from Stark State, both earned while working full-time. I’m also an ⚜ Eagle Scout, which taught me discipline, integrity and accountability. Those carry straight into how I approach an investigation: document everything and follow the evidence.

Experience

Highlights below. The full version is on my resume page.

  1. Cybersecurity Analyst · FirstEnergyAug 2024 – present
    • Triage, investigate and respond to security incidents across endpoint, identity, email, network and cloud environments using SIEM and EDR tooling.
    • Conduct digital forensics on compromised endpoints and accounts, including Azure and Entra ID investigations, to determine scope, impact and root cause.
    • Investigate business email compromise and adversary-in-the-middle phishing in Microsoft 365 and Entra ID, and recommend containment and remediation.
  2. Junior Systems & Network Administrator · Clampco ProductsJan 2023 – Aug 2024
    • Monitored devices with RMM and EDR tooling, investigating endpoint alerts and anomalies to remediate issues.
    • Configured and maintained Fortinet infrastructure (FortiGate, FortiSwitch, FortiAP), Active Directory and servers.
    • Resolved helpdesk tickets and deployed new systems while completing an associate degree through the apprenticeship.
  3. Technology Assistant Intern · Barberton City School DistrictMay 2022 – Oct 2022
    • Configured Cisco switchports, deployed and maintained IT infrastructure, and resolved helpdesk issues.

Opinions are my own and don’t represent my employer. Nothing here comes from real work cases; all examples are from my own lab or public material.