Profile

Cybersecurity Engineer specializing in the convergence of IT and Operational Technology (OT) security. Adept at deploying detection engineering, automating vulnerability management, and translating NIST CSF and ISO 27001 frameworks into practical, enforceable controls. Proven ability to collaborate cross-functionally to reduce organizational exposure, optimize incident response, and maintain operational resilience in critical infrastructure environments. Certified in Cisco CyberOps, CCNA, and EC-Council NDE, with a strong focus on blue teaming and continuous risk reduction.

Work Experience
Jr Cyber Security Engineer, Metal Park (AD Ports KEZAD)
Mar 2026 | KEZAD, Abu Dhabi
  • •Deployed proactive security monitoring across industrial sites and critical OT assets, reducing outage detection time by ~40% and enabling rapid incident response for production-impacting infrastructure.
  • •Managed endpoint security and EDR deployment for 30+ devices in a hybrid IT/OT environment, automating patching and remediation to reduce organizational exposure.
  • •Conducted vulnerability assessments on enterprise infrastructure and web assets, identifying and documenting critical risks to strengthen the overall security posture.
  • •Responded to and contained security incidents, creating detailed reports that strengthened future response procedures and reduced potential operational downtime.
  • •Resolved complex network security and connectivity issues across remote industrial sites, covering access point configuration, IP mapping, and CCTV integration.
  • •Secured on-premises data center and control systems infrastructure, managing server hardware, virtualization platforms, and physical security systems to maintain uptime.
  • •Established cybersecurity policies, operational playbooks, and troubleshooting SOPs, standardizing response procedures and ensuring audit-ready compliance for critical infrastructure.
  • •Supported ISO 27001 ISMS documentation and BCP/DR planning, contributing to critical system identification and organizational resilience.
  • •Coordinated cross-functionally with IT, vendors, and business users to support phishing simulations and security awareness campaigns, strengthening the human firewall and vendor risk management processes.
    • Freelance Cybersecurity Engineer, Confidential
    Jun 2024 – Present | Remote
  • •Designed and engineered a centralized SIEM architecture for real-time log ingestion, correlation, and threat detection, improving signal accuracy by ~45% and reducing incident response latency.
  • •Architected and implemented a Zero Trust remote access architecture, eliminating exposed services and reducing successful brute-force compromise attempts from near-total to ~5%.
  • •Designed a layered web defense architecture (WAF, HSTS, rate limiting, access controls) to reduce external attack surface, eliminating observed SQLi and XSS vectors and hardening edge exposure.
  • •Implemented unified endpoint management (UEM) to automate system hardening, monitor endpoint health, and enforce baseline security policies across Windows and Linux devices.
  • •Developed security policies and maintained a live risk register covering 30+ critical threats, mapping implemented controls to NIST CSF domains and ISO 27001 Annex A for structured risk treatment.
    • Certificates
    ISO 27001 ISMS - Lead Auditor (Exemplar Global)Project Management for Cybersecurity Professionals (EC Council)Industrial Cybersecurity Essentials (Cisco)Practical Ethical Hacker Course (TCM Security)CyberOps Associate (Cisco)CCNAv7 Intro to Networks (Cisco Netacad)Google Cybersecurity Professional (Google)Cybersecurity Engineer (TryHackMe)N|DE Network Defense Essentials (EC Council)Linux Fundamentals (TCM Security)Pentesting Foundation (EC Council)Intro to Cybersecurity⁠ (Cisco NetAcad.)
    Skills
    • •Security Engineering & Operations: SIEM (Wazuh, Splunk), Log Correlation, Detection Engineering, Incident Response & Triage, Sysmon, Threat Analysis, EDR (Sophos Intercept X, Microsoft Defender), Malware Investigation.
    • •Email, Endpoint & Identity Security: Phishing Analysis, SPF, DKIM, DMARC, Endpoint Hardening (Windows, Linux), Active Directory, Group Policy, Entra ID, MFA, Patch Management (Action1), Unified Endpoint Management (UEM).
    • •Network & Infrastructure Security: Firewalls (Fortinet, pfSense), IDS/IPS (Suricata, Snort), Network Segmentation, VPN (WireGuard), Cloudflare (WAF, HSTS), Access Point Configuration, VLANs, VoIP/PBX Systems, CCTV Integration.
    • •Automation, Platforms & Labs: Python, PowerShell, Docker, Proxmox, NAS, Security Automation Pipelines, Hyper-V, SQL Server, SharePoint, Uptime Kuma.
    • •Vulnerability, Risk & Governance: Risk Register Management, Control Mapping (NIST CSF, ISO 27001), Vulnerability Assessment (OpenVAS, Nikto), OWASP Top 10, ISO 27001 ISMS Documentation, BCP/DR Planning, Policy & Playbook Authoring, IT Asset Management.
    • •Soft Skills: Communication, Teamwork, Leadership, Problem-Solving, Organization, IT Project Management, Vendor Coordination, Cross-functional Collaboration.
    Education
    Abu Dhabi University, Bachelor of Science (BSc) Cybersecurity Engineering
    Jan 2021 – Expected June 2026 | Abu Dhabi, UAE
    Ameen Siddiqui
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    Projects
    Ethical Hacking Home Lab — Kali Linux, Metasploitable
    Awards
    CTF Competition Winner⁠, Abu Dhabi University | College of Engineering
    Jun 2025

    Placed 1st in university-level cybersecurity CTF, demonstrating practical skills in incident response, forensics, and network defense.

    Cyber CTF 3rd Place Winner⁠, GISEC and Dubai Electronic Security Center
    May 2025

    Placed 3rd in national CTF focused on incident response using SIEM and Elasticsearch, competing against teams from across the UAE.

    Nov 2024

    Designed and built an IDS/IPS in Python capable of detecting and blocking SSH brute-forcing, Nmap scanning, and ARP poisoning.

    Best Innovative Start-up, Intersec Messe Frankfurt
    15 Jan 2024
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