In this Intern Review, we talk to Gretchen Schmaltz to learn what it’s like working in a SOC and how that’s influenced her outlook and career path in cybersecurity.
Our Winter 2022 intern cohort has three cyber-hungry interns who’ve eagerly jumped into learning what it’s like working in a Security Operations Center (SOC). Now that we are nearing the end of this internship cohort, we thought it was time to conduct an interview to learn what life’s really like inside the SOC at Ingalls! Read on to hear from our amazing intern Gretchen Schmaltz.
What have you learned about working within a SOC during this internship?
An immense amount of information. I’ve learned how a team can work together and lean on one another for support. I’ve learned how beneficial OSINT tools can be for a SOC.
What's the most interesting threat actor attempt you've seen?
Phishing attempts for credential harvesting have been fascinating learning about. How tactical threat actors are at creating fake login pages is interesting.
How has this internship influenced your outlook and career path in cybersecurity?
This internship has been an incredible beginning to my career in cybersecurity. I am loving the work more and more every day. It has made me realize that I made the correct choice in my career change.
What are your favorite resources for what's happening in cybersecurity?
BleepingComputer and The Hacker News are my favorite sites. I like using Youtube for more information as well.
What are your activities/educational goals for the next year?
I am very interested in learning more about networking, so I would like to get my Net+ certification. I’d also like to get to the top 1% on TryHackMe and start learning Python again.
What do you enjoy doing in your free time to reach work-life balance?
Anything with my daughter. We enjoy the outdoors as much as possible. We spend most evenings at our local park. I also enjoy watching my favorite streamers while relaxing or cooking dinner.