Welcome to our new Community, we are so happy that you have joined us and we'd love to get to know you all. Please introduce yourself in this thread by telling us a little bit about yourself and your experience with Immersive Labs and Cyber Security. I'm Kieran, the Director of Community here at Immersive Labs and I'm responsible for fostering this community, and leading our Cyber Million program which aims to help 1 Million people into cybersecurity jobs over the next decade. Prior to this I worked with the UK NCSC to design and deliver the inaugural program of CyberFirst events, a pioneering initiative aimed at inspiring and encouraging 14 - 18 year olds to consider careers in cybersecurity. I'm a member of the UK Cyber Security Council's Qualifications Careers Working Group and carried out extensive research into the UK's Cyber Security Skills Gap as part of my MSc in Cyber Security. I live in South West England, where you can often find me running on the trails, or running after my 7 year old son. I look forward to meeting you all Kieran

Hi everyone, it is great to see a good community coming together to support the best practices in Cyber Security and sharing experiences (And Solving Labs).I am Antony, I am currently a Team Lead for the army CPT (Cyber Protection Teams), I have been using the Immersive Labs platform to support my learning in Cyber Security for the last 2 years between more formalised academic courses. Prior to that I have years of experience doing various jobs throughout the MOD all centred around communications and IT. I use the IL platform to enhance training activity for my teams and use it especially before deployments to sharpen skills. Glad to be here at the start and watch the community grow.RgdsAnt

Hello to the community!My name is Ben McCarthy and I have been working at Immersive for 6 years now and have watched it grow to the platform it is today. Cyber security is a huge passion of mine, and I spend a lot of time reverse engineering for malware analysis or exploit development. I have reversed engineered malware that people are unaware of and have found exploits in production software that has gone through disclosure. If anyone wants to discuss these with me I will chat forever!I lead the cyber threat intelligence team here at Immersive where we release labs on the latest threats against our customers industries within 24 hours - this involves CVEs, latest malware trends and emerging threats. It can be stressful but also very fun.I can't introduce myself without talking about the new addition to my household; I have a rescue cat called "Cat"; he is about 15, has one eye and three teeth, and is the most loving animal! Here he is :)

Hi Awesome People,I'm Steven, your friendly neighborhood Technical Product Manager with a serious passion for all things tech (think CCIE, Networking, Security, FreeBSD, Linux, Software Development—the whole geeky shebang!). I like to think of myself as a bit of a hybrid at Swisscom, juggling a bunch of tasks that go way beyond what you'd expect from your typical PM. So yeah, you could say I like keeping things… interesting!When I’m not busy saving the world one packet at a time, I’m embracing the chaos at home with my two incredible daughters as well my wife and our furry overlords—aka five cats. Yes, you heard that right, five. I live near Zurich, Switzerland, where I also disappear in lakes and rivers as a diving instructor. Because why not? Who says you can't go from deep diving into code to deep diving in the seas?Oh, and did I mention I love traveling? There's nothing quite like hitting the road and exploring new cultures and countries. Just last month, I wrapped up a 3-week epic road trip that took me from Switzerland all the way through Turkey, Georgia, and up to Armenia—all by car! It was an adventure filled with incredible landscapes, rich history, and of course, some very interesting driving experiences!Looking forward to sharing ideas, having some fun, and learning from this awesome community. And who knows? Maybe we’ll swap cat stories or scuba adventures along the way!Catch you around!ps: as you shared your animals, here are my beasts! :)BijouJamieMimiNeo Flocke

Hi everyone. I'm echoing Kieran's sentiment that we’re so excited to welcome and get to know our community members! I’m Tilly, the Lead Program Manager for the Immersive Labs community, which I'm very much looking forward to growing with all of our members 🤝 I’ve been an employee at Immersive for two years and prior to this I project managed our Cyber Resilience Team customer projects, working particularly closely with Cyber Crisis Simulations. We have a top-class team of Cyber Resilience Advisors and I hope that some of you are lucky enough to work with them throughout your Immersive journey. In my spare time, I love to be outdoors - whether that’s running, gardening, busking with my band or exploring the countryside with my dog. Pleased to meet you! Drop a intro with a note about yourself in this Welcome Forum ⬇️

Ok, introduction time.I'm Viktor, married with kids, living near Zürich, Switzerland. Boring, right? Not so fast... I was born, in the same year, the FTP protocol was invented. However, I did not learn about its existence for another 25 years or so... My first computer was a Commodore 64, for which I was saving every red penny I got for birthdays and similar events, as well as working in my spare time (vaction jobs). I can't even tell, why I was fascinated by computers from a very young age, but the fascination has never diminished.Today I'm a senior engineer at Swisscom, responsible for network and security topics in a VoIP environment. My career-path was not straightforward, because my interest for computers actually prevented me from studying information technology on university level. Sounds strange? Not really - at the time I was so focussed on computers, that I completely ignored all other topics such as e.g. biology, history, french etc. that one SHOULD have learned at the time to get approved to a university. So I went into banking, from where I got into the IT department of that bank (assembling computers etc.), somehow landed at EUnet (the first pan-european internet provider), where I was confronted with lots of new stuff such as Unix and networking. Then I was thrown into a technical security role and just a few years later I was the head of IT at a small financial company.After being diagnosed with cancer and recovering from it I decided, to work less and enjoy life more. So I'm not a manager anymore - I went back to engineering. More fun, less responsibility. And I'm having a great deal of fun solving labs on the Immersive Labs platform.In my spare time I'm currently experimenting with GenAI (who isn't?) and trying not to fall into the "Netflix-and-Chill" trap. Often unsuccessfully. I also like to organize stuff. Parties, Events, Travel. I sometimes actually enjoy the oganization more than the actual event.While most people usually say, they like travelling, I'm a little more specific: I like to travel in the USA. So far it's been 21 trips to the USA and I still have a huge bucket-list of things I want to see. I also actively participate in specific USA-travel-forums online and like the exchange with others on this topic.Cheers,ViktorSpider Rock in Canyon de Chelly (taken with an iPhone :-))

Introductions | Immersive Community

133 Replies

TomHills
Bronze I
7 months ago
Hi guys,
My name is Tom, im currently working for the NHS in an IT support role whilst in my final year of my Cyber Security degree in Sheffield.
I was working in construction before looking for a new challenge during lockdown and here I am! We get access to the platform through work and this has been a fantastic learning experience so far.
It will be nice to collaborate with other people who share similar interests. I'm currently really enjoying the new monthly(?) series and have completed them all so far and look forward to the next one :)
Cheers!
- TillyCorless
  Community Manager
  7 months ago
  Hi TomHills, it's great to have you here and hear a little about your background!
  
  Yes, a new Human Connection Challenge lab is released each month... For those who haven't yet attempted it - you have until Sunday 26th January at midnight! BethHolden who wrote the lab will be sharing her walkthrough notes over in The Human Connection blog on Monday for you to compare with your own notes 👀
kungfuhud
Bronze I
5 months ago
Hi everyone, great to meet you all.
I'm a Cyber Security Consulting leader at Kyndryl located in South Wales not far from Bristol and Newport (UK).
I've worked with some of the guys at IL over the years, and an active crew member at BSides Bristol and other Security and Community Events.
I'm an all around geek, cyber security enthusiast (yes that's a Kali T-Shirt I'm wearing) and recently rebuilt my music studio now my kids are a bit older...
I look forward to collaborating and networking with you all! 🤩
- KieranRowley
  Community Manager
  5 months ago
  Welcome kungfuhud! What are you making with that equipment and who are your musical influences?
  - kungfuhud
    Bronze I
    5 months ago
    Thanks for having me KieranRowley!
    My influencers are a massive range of music to be honest, I'm from Bristol so anything Drum and Bass or Dub related hits my notes.
    I was even with Roni Size the other day... 😎
    Roni and me at my friends D&B party in Bristol...
    I also play guitar, keyboard and drums (though not very well I might add 🫠), so short answer is really weird music 😂...
    I also like music such as Baaba Maal, Django Reindhardt, Penguin Cafe Orchestra, Kraftwerk, Simon and Garfunkel, System of a Down, Venetian Snares, Excision & Datsik, and everything in between!
Tempest
Bronze I
5 months ago
Hi! I'm Mateusz but I prefer Matt, I'm a first year studying cyber security and Digital Forensics at the University of the West of England. I'm relatively new to cyber security, so when my society introduced me to this platform it helped me develop my knowledge and understanding to a more technical depth than what I started with. I love taking part in CTF as I've noticed it helps me develop my knowledge in a much faster rate, as well as solidify what i already know. I can't wait to see how Immersive will continue to develop.
- KieranRowley
  Community Manager
  5 months ago
  Welcome Matt! It's great to connect with more members of the cybersecurity community here in the South West! Can I ask, what could Immersive be doing to better support the UWE Cyber Society?
ek2000
Bronze II
3 months ago
Hello all. I realized I have never introduced myself. I am a US military veteran and prior industry contractor that has served many roles in cybersecurity. Mostly from a red team focus or some form of analyst, network, data, etc. After many years in that industry, I decided it was time for a change and took a principal engineering job with an auto manufacturer. One of my first tasks was to bolster cyber awareness and training. This is how I was first introduced to IL and we've been partners ever since.

I currently lead the company's leaderboards (I have to vet every lab I put on the training plan). But also use IL for more advanced labs to keep my own skills sharp.

When I'm not training, I'm knee deep in managing and researching vulnerabilities and operations.

I look forward to interacting with you all!
- KieranRowley
  Community Manager
  3 months ago
  Welcome and thank you for taking the time to introduce yourself! While we do a lot of work with current and former service people (especially through our Cyber Million program) we are always keen to hear how we can support you better. Please feel free to contact me if you have any ideas.
  
  Thank you for your service 🙂
  - ek2000
    Bronze II
    17 days ago
    Thanks Kieran. Looking forward to meeting you tomorrow!
NHSCyberMan
Bronze II
25 days ago
Great to be part of this community! I am Nasser, Cyber Security Manager for 2 NHS Trusts in NW London. I have been using Immersive for a number of years but am now looking to expand usage across my organisations so everyone can benefit from on demand cyber learning. It is a fantastic platform! Look forward to sharing my thoughts and ideas!
- KieranRowley
  Community Manager
  25 days ago
  Welcome Nasser! So good to have you onboard!
- TillyCorless
  Community Manager
  24 days ago
  NHSCyberMan great to see you here. I'm excited for the community to read your blog article on drilling, which will be dropping in the community next week 🔥
Dooley
Bronze II
17 days ago
Hi everyone, excited to be here.
I have worked in CS for about 5 years now, having completed a (late in life) apprenticeship through work. I work for a leading UK Financial Services provider and am looking forward to continuing to grow CS awareness across the UK.
I am a novice member of my organisation's CTF team and particularly love cryptography or Wireshark boxes.
Looking forward to getting to know everyone a little better.
- KieranRowley
  Community Manager
  17 days ago
  Welcome to our community Dooley! I'm going to go out on a limb and assume you are based in or around London, if so it would be great to see you at our next in-person London meetup (once planned) https://www.meetup.com/immersive-community-london-uk
  - Dooley
    Bronze II
    17 days ago
    pretty big limb ;-) I am West Yorkshire-based. Are there any meetups up this way?
- TillyCorless
  Community Manager
  17 days ago
  Hi Dooley it's always cool to learn people's pathway into a cybersecurity career - thanks for sharing!
TeganJones98
Bronze I
13 days ago
Hello everyone, it is lovely to be here.
I am very new to Cyber, being a part of Digital Governance. However, I am excited to learn more through Immersive so I can work in partnership with our Cyber team (& have a little more understanding myself for my own personal & professional development). 🤩
- TillyCorless
  Community Manager
  13 days ago
  Hey TeganJones98, that's great to hear! As you're completing labs, you can definitely benefit and learn from the collective knowledge of the community if you post in our Help Forum.
  
  We also host regular challenges in the community, so keep an eye out both for yourself & the cyber team at your organisation!
NigelWright
Immerser
11 months ago
Wow awesome KieranRowley Cool picture, Which (trail) event was your favourite?
- KieranRowley
  Community Manager
  11 months ago
  This photo was taken at UTS Snowdonia earlier this year. My favourite place to run (or just exist tbh) is Gower in Wales.
AndyMckay
Bronze I
11 months ago
Cool, will do! And thanks for the friendly welcome Tilly 😊