All postsWe spoke to Senior Security Analyst, Jeremiah Morgan
For this month’s employee spotlight piece, we spoke to Senior Security Analyst and Shaolin enthusiast, Jeremiah Morgan.
How long have you been working at SE Labs?
I’ve been here for around a year and a half, initially as a Security Analyst before being promoted to Senior Security Analyst for the Advanced Enterprise Security testing team in January of this year.
How did you hear about SE Labs? Why did you want to work here?
It all began with a job application on Indeed while I was considering a career change. It was thanks to my research into SE Labs that truly intrigued me into working here. The idea of using techniques that real cybercriminals use and testing security software with them was too enticing to turn down.
What’s the first thing you do when you start working every day?
Depending on my specific duties for the day this could range from setting up virtual machines for testing or creating malware for said test, to formulating or trialling future techniques.
What does a typical day look like for you?
Days are variable depending on required tasks. During testing periods, I run through test scenarios (some of which I design myself) for our vendors; other times I research new techniques for future tests.
Besides these main duties, I also find time to allocate to our Level:Up security education programme and IoT (Internet of Things) testing procedures.
No two days are really the same!
What are some of the challenges you face in your day-to-day work?
Adapting to improvements in systems. Some techniques that may have worked mere months ago may become obsolete – without warning in many cases. I tend to either look for alternatives or code custom scripts (mostly in PowerShell) to replace them.
Tell us about a project you have worked on that you are particularly proud of?
Last year, my colleague Solandra Brewster and I developed what is now known as Level:Up, a week-long security education programme for Key Stage 4 and 5 students. Level:Up provides students with hands-on experience within the cyber security industry. For years, SE Labs had a vague idea of how they wanted to provide for the next generation of cyber security enthusiasts, yet it only came to fruition thanks to the dedication and focus of me and Solandra.
Do you have any specific advice for anyone interested in a career in cyber security?
Don’t feel as though you don’t suit the cyber security industry, especially if you do not have a background in IT. Before I joined SE Labs, I was a TEFL English Tutor with clients around the world but, due to the pandemic, I found myself out of work. After finding a short cyber security course I managed to gather enough fundamental skills to be a viable choice for SE Labs. Since then, my IT skills have grown dramatically.
Truly, cyber security isn’t just for computer science fans. Anybody with determination and confidence in themselves can have a career in the industry.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
My primary passion is creative writing. Currently, I am working on a high fantasy novel (think a mix of Discworld and Game of Thrones), after finishing a middle-grade children’s story as a passion project. Aside from this I also enjoy playing videogames, long walks to nowhere and learning Spanish.
Tell us a fun fact about yourself!
I was an extra in a low-budget martial arts movie called The Turtle and the Sea. At the time I was practicing Shaolin and mantis martial arts and my Sifu’s master was Sifu Yan Lei, who has a Shaolin school in North London. Sifu Yan Lei requested students (including myself) to take part in his movie and so we went in a small van from my hometown Birmingham to the temple.
It was fun to see and work with a true Shaolin master and to help his movie become a reality, though I was rather overwhelmed by the sheer number of talented martial artists that surrounded me!
