Charlee Thompson
My Cybersecurity Training
Business Partner Overview
Business Collaboration
Quick Facts
Edenic Energy is a climate technology company that works to improve energy in underserved communities. The main focus of the company is updating outdated infrastructure. The software collects and analyzes data to understand the best way companies can maximize their energy and find more environmentally conscious options. Edenic Energy works directly with partners to personally help them grow and develop better systems by monitoring energy usage and its effects.
The business uses an artificial intelligence (AI) based network which detects energy through sensors and makes decisions about the safest way to handle the energy through projects. Edenic Energy offers low-cost subscriptions for shared energy which is by building owners to create a cleaner and more sustainable future.
Business Collaboration
About the Owner
Thomas Hunter Jr. is the CEO and visionary of Edenic Energy. He holds a degree in Engineering Technology with a specialization in renewable energy from DeVry University. Thomas has multiple credentials in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.
Seeing that people of color are disproportionately exposed to polluted and unsafe areas, Mr. Hunter has worked to create safer technology for balancing out energy in these areas. Endenic Energy works to use predictive analytics to create climate tech solutions that directly benefit the environment. His company works to create renewable energy sources that don't leave a large carbon footprint.
Business Collaboration
About the Business
Edenic Energy is a renewable energy company that is committed to environmental preservation and sustainability. Their services widely include solar panel installations, wind turbine systems, energy-efficient solutions, and more. The business works with other companies to help implement more renewable energy practices, lessen carbon footprint, and create a cleaner environment.
The business works with both residential and commercial clients, creating solutions personalized to the client’s unique needs. Edenic Energy helps its clients take better control of their energy usage and potentially save money in the long run.
Business Collaboration
Current Vulnerabilities
Edenic Energy collects a lot of data about the buildings, companies, and communities that it serves. This data is not strongly protected. Most of Mr. Hunter’s passwords are similar making it easier for someone to gain access. His hardware, drives, and storage are not regularly scanned for viruses or malware. This leaves the client’s information out in the open and liable to hackers.
The business itself does not back up its data and instead stores it on a hard drive. This could cause significant harm if it were to become lost. Backing up data ensures that the client’s information can be protected and secure. The business serves numerous people and holds data on its stakeholders.
My Security
Proposal
Our goals for our proposal were to address the main cyber security concerns of our partner business, as well as threats we identified through SWOT analysis and the CIA triad.
Our plan implements multiple different cyber security protocols and solutions to protect our partner, such as a Virtual Private Network (VPN), a network scanner, and a firewall, coupled with improved training for employees on how to deal with cyber threats. We also implemented a new password system, with new policies on the strength of passwords and a keylogger to securely store passwords./p>
Our proposal was successfully granted, allowing us to implement our solution for our business. This will ensure that our partner is not at a high risk of botting and other bulk attacks, protecting them for years to come.
My Security
Proposal
Presentation
During the Cybersecurity & Defense Internship, I worked with Beth Cerrone and Jamie Kreider to learn about the basics of cybersecurity, and potential career pathways within it.
Throughout the week, I worked with a company to develop cybersecurity solutions to protect against various cyber threats. I worked with my team to analyze the threats to the business, and then developed a comprehensive solution. At the end of the week, I presented my cybersecurity solution to a panel of three judges and received grant money to implement the solution.
Internship Highlights
- Security Site Tours
- Business Partner Meeting
- Working With Experts
- Cybersecurity Labs
I was given the unique opportunity to take exclusive tours of multiple government and security sites to speak directly with security professionals. During these tours, I was able to witness first-hand how cybersecurity operates at the national and international level.
First, I received an exclusive tour of the United States Pentagon where I was able to view the interior of the Pentagon as well as see some of the different meeting rooms throughout the Department of Defense.
We also toured the Department of Homeland Securities’ Cybercrimes Center where we received classified tours of the cyber crimes unit of the DHS and learned how Homeland Security uses cyber intelligence to track major crimes such as drug smuggling, human trafficking, and major theft.
In order to apply the skills I learned throughout the internship, I worked directly with an aspiring entrepreneur based in the Washington D.C. area to discuss their companies cybersecurity needs.
After three meetings where I walked through the business model, protected information, and staff training of the companies, I worked with my team to create a staff training protocol and threat analysis for my business partner.
At the end of the internship, I advocated for, and received funding for, my business partner to implement the cybersecurity training protocols so they can best protect their client information and continue to develop with a reduced fear of cyber attacks and cybersecurity threats.
To learn more about the world of cybersecurity, I was given the unique opportunity to speak directly with cybersecurity experts from multiple different organizations and backgrounds.
I worked directly with one of the leading consultants in Cyber Threat Management, and a consultant for cyber policy for the National Counterintelligence Executive, Phuong Nguyen, to learn about common threat assessment and cybersecurity counterintelligence. I also heard from the global leader in Firewall Creation, David Balenson; the author of the most widely-regarded O’Reilly book on cybersecurity, Michael Collins; and the lead SME for the FutureG Initiative for the Department of Defense.
Throughout the internship, I also heard presentations from, and spoke with, representatives from the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, and the National Security Agency. To learn the physical side of cybersecurity, we also had the unique opportunity to meet with globally-recognized penetration testers and network threat assessors.
In order to put the skills we learned to the test, I had the unique opportunity to use a cybersecurity software used for graduate instructional courses to learn a myriad of cybersecurity skills.
Starting with network cybersecurity, I worked through labs dedicated to network security and linux to understand how networks communicate with each other and how cybersecurity poses a threat to this communication. I used these Linux skills to complete capture-the-flag coding competitions as well as virtual rooms.
At the end of the internship, I worked with an expert from a leading cybersecurity consulting firm to learn how to built ethernet cables. I used ethernet cord, crimpers, and wire strippers to produce functioning ethernet cables.