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Sonali Johri
Verified Expert in Engineering
Cybersecurity Engineer and Software Developer
Columbus, OH, United States
Toptal member since September 13, 2023
Bio
With five years of experience in cybersecurity, Sonali specializes in managing large projects, Cisco devices, network security, and cyber monitoring. Her skills span server architecture, vulnerability testing, regulatory compliance, VPNs, and firewalls. She excels in interdisciplinary teamwork, thrives in high-pressure settings, and has strong problem-solving acumen. Sonali's dedication to cyber monitoring and innovative security solutions positions her to drive impactful contributions.
Portfolio
Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond
SIEM, Firewalls, Enduro.js, Governance, Data, Vulnerability Management...
Excellus BlueCross BlueShield
SIEM, Network Security, Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response (SOAR)...
Excellus BlueCross BlueShield
ServiceNow, Vulnerability Management, Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)...
Experience
- Firewalls - 11 years
- Security Awareness Training - 6 years
- Palo Alto Networks - 5 years
- Vulnerability Management - 5 years
- Network Security - 5 years
- SIEM - 3 years
Preferred Environment
Palo Alto Networks, Web Technologies, Vulnerability Management, F5 Networks, Cisco Routers, Web Application Firewall (WAF), SIEM, Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response (SOAR), Email, Security Awareness Training
The most amazing...
...thing I've done is develop and lead the efforts to improve the vulnerability management program and firewall methods in my former role.
Work Experience
Cybersecurity Supervision Specialist
2022 - PRESENT
Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond
- Spearheaded assessing and enhancing banks' cyberinfrastructure, employing SIEM tools, firewalls, and endpoint technologies to fortify resilience against cyber incidents and threats.
- Sustained a strong focus on incident readiness by collaborating with internal teams and external stakeholders to develop and implement effective incident response strategies.
- Conducted meticulous assessments of metrics, governance policies and procedures, asset inventory, and overall organizational structure to evaluate banks' compliance status.
- Fostered a culture of security awareness and best practices within banks, aligning with regulatory requirements and enabling prompt detection and resolution of security issues.
- Collaborated with banking personnel to provide training and guidance on handling cyber incidents, bolstering their capacity to respond effectively and minimizing potential financial risks.
Technologies: SIEM, Firewalls, Enduro.js, Governance, Data, Vulnerability Management, Incident Response
Information and Cybersecurity Engineer II
2019 - 2022
Excellus BlueCross BlueShield
- Observed vulnerabilities and provided guidance to asset owners and vendors based on security compliance and solutions.
- Identified and managed vulnerabilities that apply to specific network components. Ensured network components and applications operated effectively and provided appropriate confidentiality, integrity, and availability.
- Analyzed suspicious activities within Excellus' network using Wireshark, FireEye, Palo Alto, QRadar, Tenable, Splunk, and McAfee Endpoint Security for troubleshooting.
- Collaborated with a team of analysts on performing real-time incident response, swiftly identifying and containing security breaches. Collaborated cross-functionally to mitigate threats and ensure rapid recovery.
- Conducted root cause analysis for high-severity security incidents, leading to the identification and resolution of underlying vulnerabilities. Reduced the likelihood of similar incidents occurring by 40%.
- Maintained a weekly rotating on-call schedule, addressing offenses, indicators of compromise, vulnerabilities, and threats, ensuring consistent coverage outside standard business hours.
- Deployed automated playbooks and dashboards within Splunk, streamlining the resolution of incident responses and ServiceNow tickets, ranging from asset recovery to intricate build requests.
- Detected, isolated, and eradicated malware on workstations proactively, fortifying systems to preclude future infections across devices.
- Developed and adhered to standard operating procedures encompassing offense handling, incident response, patch management, vulnerability policies, and training methodologies.
- Steered initiatives to refine App-IDs, augment firewall policies, and bolster network security measures, closely working with Palo Alto to ensure metric-driven outcomes.
Technologies: SIEM, Network Security, Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response (SOAR), Incident Response, Email, Data Loss Prevention (DLP), Cloud Computing, Vulnerability Management, McAfee, McAfee Endpoint Security
IT Security Operations Intern
2019 - 2019
Excellus BlueCross BlueShield
- Supported client security policies and activities for networks, systems, and applications, including vulnerability management, incident reporting, mitigation, and continuous monitoring.
- Reviewed security logs to ensure compliance with policies and procedures and identified potential anomalies.
- Monitored the authority's network and internal systems for malicious activity.
- Implemented and checked information system security plans to ensure NIST control requirements were met.
- Ensured cybersecurity policies were adhered to and required controls were implemented, facilitating a continuous monitoring system.
Technologies: ServiceNow, Vulnerability Management, Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR), McAfee DLP, Incident Response
IT Network Intern
2018 - 2019
Excellus BlueCross BlueShield
- Implemented various IT network projects, including installing, configuring, and maintaining network services, hardware systems, and peripheral equipment and devices.
- Enhanced and managed troubleshooting issues associated with routers, proxies, load balancers, firewalls, DNS and DHCP, and switches.
- Monitored outbound and inbound traffic on the Palo Alto Firewall using the Panorama tool. Performed network QA tests, system analysis, and troubleshooting to resolve server, workstation, and other network device problems.
- Supervised the adjustment of radius time servers for Cisco devices to correspond to the new two-factor authentication process with the Duo Mobile app.
- Assisted in the implementation, troubleshooting, and operations maintenance of network systems. Created and tested Cisco router configurations with OSPF and routing protocols.
Technologies: Foreman, SSL Certificates, Cisco Routers, F5 Networks, Palo Alto Networks, Skybox, SolarWinds, Incident Response
Experience
Honeypot
Designed and implemented a honeypot as part of a cybersecurity project to showcase my skills and expertise. In this project, I strategically deployed a Linux-based honeypot, a simulated system that appears to be a high-value target for cyber attackers. The purpose of the honeypot was to attract and deceive malicious actors, allowing me to gather valuable insights into their attack techniques, tactics, and behavior.
By creating this honeypot, I demonstrated my ability to understand and replicate the appearance and behavior of genuine services, such as web servers or network devices, within a controlled environment. This involved configuring Linux software tools to mimic these services and make them appear attractive to potential attackers.
By creating this honeypot, I demonstrated my ability to understand and replicate the appearance and behavior of genuine services, such as web servers or network devices, within a controlled environment. This involved configuring Linux software tools to mimic these services and make them appear attractive to potential attackers.
Education
2018 - 2019
Bachelor's Degree in Cybersecurity
Utica University - Utica, NY, USA
Skills
Libraries/APIs
Enduro.js
Tools
SolarWinds, McAfee, McAfee Endpoint Security
Languages
Bash Script
Paradigms
Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response (SOAR)
Platforms
Linux
Other
Vulnerability Management, Web Technologies, Firewalls, IDS/IPS, Network Security, Incident Response, Palo Alto Networks, F5 Networks, Cisco Routers, Web Application Firewall (WAF), SIEM, Email, Security Awareness Training, Forensics, Scripting, Governance, Data, Data Loss Prevention (DLP), Cloud Computing, ServiceNow, Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR), McAfee DLP, Foreman, SSL Certificates, Skybox
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