Profile

Photo:

Maximillian Ward

    • About Me:

      I’m Max – a Incident Response Engineer

      I protect computers from being hacked by criminals.

      I live in Reading, and my life is much more than my job.

      I see almost everything in the cinema, go out dancing, go to the gym, and invest heavily in eating pizza hut pizza.

       

       

    • My pronouns are:

      He/Him

    • How does my work involve computers?:

      I work using computers, to protect other computers. Lots of computers.

    • My Work:

      I work for Google as a Incident Response Engineer – defending large computer networks from cyber attacks by analysing lots of data and conducting investigations.

    • Read more

      All the computers and devices within an organisation, such as a School, make up a computer network.

      I work to investigate incidents and work to respond and return things to normal.

    • My Typical Day:

      Computer networks have so much going on, we have to use software programs to help highlight potentially suspicious activity.

      We also can work to manually search and sift for patterns and indicators of compromise.

       

    • What I'd do with the prize money:

      Perhaps buy prizes to dish out to students for a quiz on Cyber Security.

    CV

    • Education:

      I went to local primary and secondary schools in Wolverhampton in the middle of the city.

      I did 11 GCSEs, I got As in the stuff I liked (Maths, Sciences) and scraped some Cs in the stuff I didn’t like (French, English literature, Religious Studies)

      I started 4 A-Levels: Maths, Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science.

      I did not enjoy A-Levels. I was recommended to drop Maths, and I finished the others with a C, D, and a D. This was a lot less than my teachers had hoped for.

       

      I applied to 4 universities for Cyber Security courses (Coventry, Wolverhampton, Staffordshire, and De Montfort)

      I picked De Montfort to be my favourite, with Wolverhampton as my backup.

      I ended up studying at De Montfort University in Leicester. I really loved it, and got top grades throughout. It’s a lot easier learning when you love it.

    • Qualifications:

      GCSEs:

      • Maths
      • Computer Science
      • Biology
      • Chemistry
      • Physics
      • English Language
      • English Literature
      • Religious Studies
      • French
      • Business Studies
      • Product Design

      A-Levels:

      • Chemistry
      • Biology
      • Computer Science

      University Undergraduate Degree:

      • Cyber Security BSc (Hons)

      Various Cyber Security Industry Qualifications (that I have studied for while working):

      • GIAC Certified Intrusion Analyst
      • GIAC Certified Forensic Analyst
      • Blue Team Level 1
      • Splunk Certified Power User
      • Splunk Advanced Power User
      • Splunk Certified Cybersecurity Defense Analyst
      • Splunk Certified Cybersecurity Engineer
      • Certified in Cybersecurity (CC)

    • Work History:

      • Paper delivery @ The Co-op
      • IT volunteer @ Compton Hospice
      • Student Ethical Hacker @ East Midlands Cyber Resilience Centre
      • Graduate Cyber Security Analyst @ Airbus Defence and Space
      • Cyber Defence Analyst L1 @ Airbus Protect
      • Cyber Defence Analyst L2 @ Airbus Protect
      • Incident Response Engineer @ Google

    • Current Job:

      Incident Response Engineer

    • Employer:

      Google

    • My Interview

      • How would you describe yourself in 3 words?

        Chatty, Curious, Nerdy

        What did you want to be after you left school?

        A Cyber Security Professional.

        Were you ever in trouble at school?

        Not much

        If you weren't doing this job, what would you choose instead?

        No clue!

        Who is your favourite singer or band?

        Paramore

        What's your favourite food?

        Pizza hut pan pizza, (Pepperoni and Nduja)

        If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!

        A better memory! Lots of Money! And a pizza hut pan pizza!

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