Cybersecurity student · Builder · Researcher

Rajwinder
Singh Mankoo

Building security labs. Investigating real signals.
Working toward better defense.

Explore my work View résumé

c0mpl1cated.labs

Built. Tested.
Documented.

Hands-on security work, with the decisions and troubleshooting left in.

Wazuh SIEMDeployment study

From endpoint to investigation

  1. 01
    Linux workloadAgent collects host activity
  2. 02
    Wazuh manager + indexerProcess, correlate, and store events
  3. 03
    Threat Hunting dashboardInspect events and ATT&CK mappings

Proxmox host · Ubuntu Server 24.04 LTS
4 vCPU / 8 GB RAM / 80 GB disk

The first 24 hours of signal

Total events
57
Authentication successes
5
Critical alerts
0

Default rules mapped activity to Sudo and Sudo Caching and Valid Accounts.

Recorded in the August 1, 2026 writeup.
Historical results, not a live feed.

Two bugs. Two useful habits.

  1. Check the downloaded file.

    A version placeholder returned an XML error instead of the installer.

  2. Read the component’s own log.

    The agent was connected. The dashboard needed a refresh.

The writeup includes the commands, symptoms, and reasoning.

Homelab / Security monitoring

Standing up a SIEM
from nothing.

A single-node Wazuh deployment, from storage decisions on an unfamiliar hypervisor to real agent logs and ATT&CK mapping.

My work
Deployment, troubleshooting, validation
Stack
Proxmox · Ubuntu · Wazuh
Outcome
Live log ingestion validated
Read the complete case study
Next in the lab4 planned projects
Not started

Project 02 / Active Directory

Enterprise Active Directory domain, domain controller, member servers, group policy, providing realistic Windows infrastructure and log sources for the detection engineering work that follows.

Not started

Project 03 / Sigma Detection Engineering

Custom Sigma detection rules authored against real log data from Project 01's SIEM, the detection engineering layer of the portfolio.

Not started

Project 04 / Velociraptor DFIR

Digital forensics and incident response tooling built on Velociraptor, correlating with SIEM data and detection alerts for full investigative workflows.

Not started

Project 05 / AI-Assisted SOC

An AI-assisted layer over the SOC stack, triage support and analysis assistance built on the detection and DFIR tooling from earlier projects. Capstone of the series.

The lab, in progress.

I share lab content at c0mpl1cated.labs, with posts designed in Figma.

Visit the Instagram journal

Behind
the work.

Cybersecurity at Southern Utah University.
Minor in Computer Science.

I’m learning how systems fail, how to investigate them, and how to build better defenses.

My focus is detection engineering and purple-team operations. I build enterprise-style labs, compete in CTFs, and turn the work into documentation others can follow.

Alongside my studies, I support students and staff on SUU’s IT Help Desk and develop challenges with BSides Salt Lake City. My research spans privacy-preserving quantum computing and AI.

Southern Utah University

B.S. Cybersecurity · Minor in Computer Science

August 2023 – April 2027 · Expected graduation

Where I’ve
put it to work.

Student IT Help Desk Technician

Southern Utah University · Part-time | Jul 2026 – Present · Cedar City, UT

Provide first-level IT support to students, faculty, and staff for hardware, software, and network-related issues. Troubleshoot Windows, macOS, Microsoft 365, printers, Wi-Fi, and peripheral devices through phone, email, and in-person support. Document and manage support requests via the university's IT ticketing system, and assist with device setup, deployment, and imaging alongside other IT teams.

  • Windows
  • macOS
  • Microsoft 365
  • Networking
  • Help Desk Support

BSidesSLC: CTF Challenge Developer

BSides Salt Lake City · Remote/On-site | Nov 2024 – Present · Utah

Started as an event volunteer at regional BSides conferences (BSides Salt Lake City, BSides RedRocks), handling setup, teardown, and coordination, and progressed into building CTF challenges for the team. Designed scenarios across DFIR, packet analysis, OSINT, and blue team categories, grounded in real-world attack and incident response patterns, including challenge logic and flag validation to keep everything stable during live competition.

  • CTF Design
  • DFIR
  • Packet Analysis
  • OSINT
  • Blue Team

Admissions Mentor

Southern Utah University · Part-time | Dec 2025 – Jul 2026 · Cedar City, UT

Supported the full admissions lifecycle for prospective and current graduate and online students within SUU's Enrollment Management Department, serving as a university ambassador in a high-engagement, professional environment. Processed application materials against university, state, and federal compliance requirements, conducted outbound outreach, and maintained student records across Banner, CRM Slate, Google Workspace, and Slack.

  • CRM Slate
  • Banner
  • Customer Service
  • Data Management

Ambassador: OutreachMAD 2.0

Southern Utah University · Part-time | Dec 2023 – Mar 2025 · Cedar City, UT

Participated in the Utah STEM Action Center's women-in-tech programme, delivering hands-on outreach activities for high school girls, analysing project data, updating websites, and presenting outcomes at conferences.

  • STEM Outreach
  • Web Development
  • Data Analysis
  • Community Outreach

Junior Web Developer

Phoenix Art · Internship | Feb 2023 – Jul 2023 · Ludhiana, PB

Internship focused on front-end web development, building and maintaining web pages and applying problem-solving skills in a professional studio environment.

  • HTML
  • Web Development
  • Problem Solving

A practical
toolkit.

The tools I work with across security, infrastructure, and code.

Detection & SIEM

Wazuh · Sigma Rules · MITRE ATT&CK · Log Analysis · Threat Hunting · Splunk

Offensive security

Nmap · Metasploit · Burp Suite · BloodHound · Mimikatz · Responder

Networking

TCP/IP · Active Directory · DNS / DHCP · VLANs · Firewall Rules · Wireshark

Programming

Python · C / C++ · Go · Java · Bash · PowerShell

Tools & platforms

Ghidra · Linux / Kali · Proxmox · Windows Server · Docker · Git

IT & systems administration

Systems Administration · Technical Support · Microsoft Windows · Network Troubleshooting · IT Infrastructure · CRM Software

Published research

Security beyond
the lab.

Springer · 2026Book chapter

Introduction to Emotion Expression and AI

Examines computational approaches to emotion recognition and generation using CNNs, RNNs, and transformer architectures, with emphasis on privacy, algorithmic bias, manipulation, accountability, and responsible AI.

Publication & authors

Mankoo, Rajwinder Singh, Shivam Patel, Nikunj Tahilramani, Anantkumar Patil, Aditya Bhadouria, and Shadab Mazhar Roushan

In Emotion and Facial Recognition in Artificial Intelligence: Sustainable Multidisciplinary Perspectives and Applications · Springer · 2026

De Gruyter · 2025Book chapter

Quantum Blind Computing for Privacy-Preserving Medical Diagnosis

Examines quantum blind computing for privacy-preserving medical data processing, including secure computation, quantum protocols, scalability, implementation challenges, and ethical considerations.

Publication & authors

Aseri, Vinay, Arnav Dua, Rajwinder Singh Mankoo, and Harish Chowdhary

Chapter 12, Sustainable Blind Quantum Computing · De Gruyter · 2025

Notes from
the process.

What worked, what broke, and what I learned.

August 1, 2026

Project 01: Standing Up a Wazuh SIEM From Nothing

Deploying a single-node Wazuh SIEM on a freshly-discovered hypervisor: storage tradeoffs, two real bugs, and the moment MITRE ATT&CK mapping showed up without writing a single detection rule.

Credentials.

Professional certifications and completed coursework.

Security+

SY0-701

CompTIA · Aug 2026

CRTA

Certified Red Team Analyst

CyberWarFare Labs · Mar 2026

CSEDP

Certified Social Engineering Defense Practitioner

The SecOps Group · Feb 2026

Google IT Support Professional

5-course specialisation

Google / Coursera · Feb 2026

CNSP

Certified Network Security Practitioner

The SecOps Group · Dec 2025

ISC2 CC

Certified in Cybersecurity

ISC2 · Jun 2026

Python (Basic)

Certified

HackerRank · Feb 2022

Introduction to Cyber Security

Certified

TryHackMe · Apr 2024
View my LinkedIn profile

Recognition.

Most Valuable Teammate

NCAE Cyber Games

Southern Utah University Team · Apr 2026

Top 3% Platform Ranking

TryHackMe

TryHackMe Platform

1st & 2nd Place

BSides CTF

BSides Competitions

Open to opportunities & collaboration

Let’s talk
security.

rajwindersinghmankoo@gmail.com Download résumé