2018-12-28 -  After working hard to transfer to a STEM career in 2017, I was inspired to explore my interest in technology and engineering in 2018. It wasn’t always easy, but I managed to fit in quite a few new experiences over the course of the year. The list below details the...

2018-12-21 -  My next post on SQL takes a look at JOINs, which allow you to compare and merge two tables in various ways and determine the relationship between two sets of data. Here’s what INNER, LEFT, RIGHT, and FULL OUTER JOINs are and how to use them. Having gotten to grips...

2018-12-15 -  In a previous post I began building a Python tool that gathers Windows forensic artefacts and parses them into a timeline. In that post I wrote a function that gathers Windows Prefetch application data – this time, let’s take a look at the Recycle Bin. What is the Recycle Bin...

2018-12-08 -  We’re making progress in training the next generation of cyber security professionals, but for young people to take that training and learn the right skills in the first place they need to be aware of the opportunities available to them in the industry. I was asked to attend a SANS Cyber...

2018-12-01 -  Not since Nico Rosberg’s victory in 2016 have we seen two drivers going head to head as closely as Hamilton and Vettel – and it’s been a lot longer since we’ve seen two teams fighting for both the drivers’ and constructors’ World Championships. Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes got there in...

2018-11-23 -  Bit by bit, I’m going to build a Python tool to scrape a Windows system disk image for common forensic artefacts and build a CSV timeline from the evidence gathered. In this first post, I’ll parse and add the data stored in Windows Prefetch files. On my recent SANS course...

2018-11-03 -  As I mentioned in my recent post about what I learnt in my first year as a cyber security consultant, I always keep an ebook handy on my phone so I can learn something new on long train journeys. Most recently, this has been Threat Modeling: Designing for Security. While my...

2018-10-19 -  After a year in cyber security I was given the opportunity to take another SANS training course – FOR500: Windows Forensic Analysis. It was an informative and enjoyable class that culminated in another GIAC certification exam, which I passed this morning. Having completed SEC401: Security Essentials and SEC504: Hacker Tools,...

2018-10-12 -  I recently dipped my toe into the world of SQL for the first time and got my head around the basic operators and statements. Here’s a summary of how to construct basic queries. I’d had brushes with SQL before. Even when I was a journalist, I would do the occasional...

2018-10-05 -  I had a week off recently, so for a bit of fun I embarked on my most ambitious and most complex Python project yet: to scientifically (kind of) predict the outcome of the 2018/19 Premier League season based on the results so far. Those who are particularly fond of buzzwords...