Gaya Dissanayake

I consulted on cybersecurity certifications such as PCI DSS, CMMC, and ISO 27001, working extensively with PCI DSS Level 1 and Level 3 companies. I was fully engaged in the vulnerability management lifecycle and am proficient with tools like Qualys, Rapid7, and Nessus.

My primary responsibilities included providing expert consultancy, managing vulnerabilities and risks, overseeing incident response, handling asset management, administering identity and access management (IAM), leading project planning, and guiding tool selection to strengthen security posture.

The hackathon attracted 15,000 participants from over 100 countries, all motivated to find solutions to the global pandemic. More than 500 projects were submitted during the intense 48-hour event. My team competed in one of the tracks with the highest number of submissions and secured 3rd place.

Despite not knowing any team members beforehand, I quickly adapted to collaborate effectively toward our common goal within the limited timeframe. The 48 hours were intense and demanding, but our passion and positive attitude drove us to success. We were awarded a monetary prize, which was fully dedicated to continuing the project. In addition to my technical expertise, I took on project management and business consulting responsibilities to support our efforts.

I participated in multiple global CTF competitions, conducting manual and automated testing. My work included active and passive reconnaissance, exploit detection, and injection techniques.

My greatest achievement was winning 1st place against one of the world's top twenty universities, whose name I cannot disclose due to security reasons.