Ingalls Summer 2023 Intern Review: Connor Heard

In this Intern Review, we hear from Connor Heard about what it's like working at Ingalls and what's next in his cybersecurity career journey.

Our Winter 2023 intern cohort has four determined interns who’ve joined us to learn what it’s like working in a Security Operations Center (SOC). Now that they’ve had a moment to breathe, we thought it was time to conduct an interview to learn about them and their experience inside the SOC at Ingalls! 

Read on to hear from our intern, Connor Heard.

What have you learned about working within a SOC during this internship?

During my time as an Ingalls SOC Analyst Intern, I have gained insights into the inner workings of an actual security company and became proficient in security tools essential to the job of a SOC analyst. Additionally, I have learned the importance of effective communication and knowledge sharing among analysts. Shadowing and working with experienced analysts has broadened my understanding of security topics and provided me with a more nuanced perspective on managing security incidents.

What has been the most interesting technique you've seen a threat actor attempt?

The most interesting technique I have seen a threat actor employ is the use of malicious HTML links attached to an email. When analyzing these links, it is clear that threat actors are redirecting potential victims to a web page that harvests plaintext credentials. Also, on the network side of things, I have consistently seen threat actors attempt to bruteforce SSH remote logins with different scripts written in languages such as Go.

How has this internship influenced your outlook and career path in cybersecurity?

This internship has instilled in me a positive vision for my future career in cybersecurity. Now armed with foundational cybersecurity knowledge, I am poised to continue to develop my technical skill set and delve deeper into topics such as cloud security. The supportive team here at Ingalls has not only fueled my enthusiasm for this field but also granted me a valuable entry point into cybersecurity.

What are your favorite resources for what's happening in cybersecurity?

Some of my favorite sources of information for trends happening in cybersecurity include The Hacker News, The Bleeping Computer, The Cyber Security Hub, and different government agencies. I also follow lots of cybersecurity influencers on social media and YouTube to get insight into their take on hot topics.

What are your upcoming activities/educational goals for the next year?

As a student at Louisiana Tech University, my current educational goal is to continue to pursue my Bachelor’s degree in Cyber Engineering and to stay involved with the cybersecurity club on campus. Professionally, I aim to get certified in several public cloud providers such as AWS and Azure within the next year.

What do you enjoy doing in your free time to reach a work-school-life balance?

Outside of school and work, I enjoy reading and collecting classical literature, and it is a dream of mine to be able to travel the world one day in search of rare books from history. I also have an interest in personal finance and like to watch financial influencers on YouTube.

Are you interested in becoming one of our awesome interns? Check out our SOC Intern Yearbook and reach out to our team directly for more details.