Investigate incidents
Correlate logs, reconstruct activity and explain how an attack unfolded.
- Splunk
- Sysmon
- MITRE ATT&CK
MSc Cyber Security · Plymouth, UK
Alex
Dawkins.
Curious about systems.
Serious about security.
I’m building a career in network and cyber security. I investigate how systems work, where they fail, and what the evidence tells us to improve.
51TryHackMe rooms completed
Top 15%TryHackMe profile ranking
3featured security case studies
6+ yearsprofessional operational experience
01 / Selected work
Questions investigated.
Findings explained.
Incident analysisSPLUNK / SYSMON / MITRE ATT&CK
Tracing an attack.
Connecting the evidence.
A BOTSv3 investigation bringing together host events and authentication logs to reconstruct attacker activity.
THE OUTPUTAttack timeline & defensive recommendations
Read the case study 
Penetration testingNMAP / METASPLOIT / WINDOWS SERVER
Finding weaknesses.
Prioritising the fixes.
An assessment of vulnerable legacy infrastructure in the Sweeny Barbers coursework lab.
THE OUTPUTValidated findings & risk-ranked remediation
Read the case study 
Threat analysisOSINT / IDENTITY / THREAT INTELLIGENCE
Examining trust.
Understanding the risk.
An analysis of the KnowBe4 insider-threat case, connecting identity weaknesses to practical controls.
THE OUTPUTRoot-cause analysis & layered mitigations
Read the case study I like understanding what is happening beneath the surface.
My first degree was in Game Arts & Design. I now study Cyber Security part-time at the University of Plymouth, applying that same curiosity and attention to detail to networks, systems and security investigations.
I balance study with my work at Tesco, where I’ve worked since 2018. That experience has taught me to stay organised, communicate clearly and take responsibility when priorities change.
BA (Hons)Game Arts & Design · 2:1
Now studyingMSc Cyber Security · 2025–2027
03 / Skills in practice
The tools matter.
How I use them matters more.
Explore the coursework and labs behind each area of my practice.
Assess exposure
Discover services, validate weaknesses in a lab and prioritise remediation.
- Nmap
- Metasploit
- TCP/IP
Understand systems
Work through permissions, processes, services and command-line diagnostics.
- Linux
- Permissions
- Hardening
Build cloud foundations
Understand how identity, networking and shared responsibility fit together.
- AWS
- IAM
- VPC
Always learning. I also use TryHackMe to keep practising networking, Linux and security fundamentals.
View my practice04 / Experience & education
How I got here.
A mix of creative study, practical work and a growing focus on security.
Full experience- 2025–2027 · In progress
MSc Cyber Security
University of Plymouth · part-time
Technical investigation, risk analysis and hands-on security coursework.
- 2019–2022
BA (Hons) Game Arts & Design
University of Plymouth · 2:1
A foundation in visual communication, problem-solving and iterative project work.
- 2018–present
Customer Assistant
Tesco · Plymouth
Reliable delivery, clear communication and changing priorities in a busy retail environment.