George Desire

  When most people think about cybersecurity, they picture someone working alone, typing away in a dark room, breaking down complex codes or tracing an attack. While there is some truth to the solitary focus required in technical work, the reality is that cybersecurity thrives on collaboration. During my training, I was reminded of this truth when my team and I were grouped together to solve tasks on TryHackMe. Each challenge felt like a puzzle, and while any one of us could have tried to work through it individually, the experience became far more engaging and productive when we combined our efforts. What struck me most was how differently each person approached the same problem. One teammate would notice small details that others overlooked. Another would take the time to explain why a certain step mattered, which made it easier for the rest of us to connect the dots. Instead of slowing us down, these different perspectives sped us up. We were not just completing tasks, we were...

  This week was one of those weeks where I felt like I wasn’t just learning concepts, but actually living them. Every day opened a new door, and by the end of it, I could see how the little things were slowly piecing together into something bigger. We started with virtualization and dual booting . On paper, they sounded like technical jargon, but the deeper I went, the clearer the picture became. I realized that virtualization is like renting a space within your own house. You’re still in your house, but you’ve set up another mini-room inside it where you can do something entirely different without disturbing your main space. Dual booting, on the other hand, is more like building two separate houses and choosing which one to live in at a time. Understanding the differences made me appreciate why virtualization is often the go-to for cybersecurity learners like me. It’s flexible, safe, and doesn’t mess with your main operating system. Then came Kali Linux . At first, it felt inti...

When we think of war, most of us picture soldiers, bombs, and tanks. But in today’s world, there’s another battlefield that we often forget. The cyberspace. And the Russia-Ukraine conflict has shown us just how real and powerful cyberwarfare can be. Even before the physical war escalated, Ukraine was already being hit by cyberattacks. These weren’t random hacks. They were deliberate, organized, and meant to weaken the country. One example that still stands out is the NotPetya malware attack in 2017. It started in Ukraine but quickly spread around the world, crippling companies and governments, and causing damages of over 10 billion dollars. That was a clear sign that a cyberattack in one country could shake the entire globe. Fast forward to 2022, when the conflict reached new heights. Ukraine faced DDoS attacks on government websites, data-wiping malware targeting critical systems, and even attempts to shut down its energy grid and financial institutions. The goal was clear: disru...

Week one of our technical classes is officially done, and I must say, it has been both enlightening and exciting. This week, we focused on Windows Fundamentals , and I got the chance to dive deeper by completing Windows Fundamentals 1 and Windows Fundamentals 2 on TryHackMe. I really appreciate our facilitator for the way she breaks things down and makes sure no one is left behind. It creates an environment where learning feels less overwhelming and more engaging. Another highlight for me has been my classmates. Everyone is always willing to help, share knowledge, and cheer each other on. It’s a reminder that learning is so much easier and more enjoyable when you’re surrounded by people who are just as eager to grow as you are. It has only been one week, but I already feel the progress, and I’m excited for what’s ahead.

Today marked the official start of our technical classes and guess who’s feeling like a mini-hacker already? Me. 😂 We met our facilitator, the ever-vibrant Terry Muthoni, who gave us an introduction to cybersecurity. She patiently answered our questions and somehow managed to make the whole “scary tech stuff” sound like gist. Honestly, I think I hit jackpot with this facilitator. Permit me to say it again: I have the best and most beautiful facilitator. Don’t argue. 😌 Now to the real deal. Our first assignment was to install Kali Linux. If you know, you know. That thing nearly showed me shege at first. My laptop was doing like it wanted to disgrace me in front of my future, but thankfully, the resources shared came to my rescue. I finally pulled through and got it up and running. Of course, I had to flex small once it was installed. I started running some basic commands: whoami – just to confirm that it was still me in front of the system. pwd – to know where I was standin...