ANDREW SAMPSON
Houston,Texas
Summary
Aspiring SOC Analyst with four years of cybersecurity experience in education and practical projects. Proficient in risk analysis, threat detection, and incident response, with a strong foundation in cloud security and compliance frameworks. Demonstrated ability to apply secure software development principles across the SDLC.
Overview
1
1
Certification
2
2
years of professional experience
Work History
M.S. Cybersecurity and Information Insurance
Western Governers University
Salt Lake City, Utah
04.2025 - Current
- Evaluated healthcare penetration-testing engagement across internal/external networks, workstations, internet-facing systems, endpoint security, Active Directory, ePHI, and payment-card environments; identified gaps in scope, testing boundaries, evidence handling, reporting, and operational safeguards to enhance overall security posture.
- Developed penetration-testing recommendations aligned with NIST SP 800-115, PTES, HIPAA, PCI DSS, and OWASP, including rules of engagement, maintenance windows, stop conditions, escalation procedures, evidence retention, credential resets, and post-engagement cleanup.
- Conducted cybersecurity risk analysis for healthcare environment, assessing least privilege, continuous monitoring, risk assessments, risk response, and Plans of Action & Milestones (POA&M); assigned risk based on potential impact to confidentiality, integrity, availability, and compliance.
- Analyzed and secured a simulated Microsoft Azure IaaS environment supporting a 2,000+ employee organization operating across four data centers, with emphasis on regulatory compliance, cloud migration risks, access control, encryption, backups, and vulnerability management.
- Applied secure software-development principles throughout the SDLC, incorporating security requirements, threat modeling, secure architecture, code review, static analysis, penetration testing, fuzzing, deployment hardening, logging, monitoring, and vulnerability remediation.
CompTIA & TryHackMe,
Hands-On Cybersecurity Labs
Houston, Texas
01.2025 - Current
- Executed hands-on cybersecurity labs focusing on network reconnaissance, vulnerability identification, and log analysis to enhance practical skills.
- Analyzed simulated security incidents and used evidence from logs, network traffic, alerts, and system activity to determine potential threats.
- Utilized command-line and security tools to investigate systems and analyze technical output for threat detection.
- Maintained updated knowledge through continuing education and advanced training.
Education
Master of Science - Cybersecurity and Information Assurance
Western Governors University
04-2025
Bachelor of Science - Health Sciences
Sam Houston State University
08-2020
Skills
- Penetration testing
- Vulnerability management
- Risk analysis
- Cloud security
- Regulatory compliance
- Secure software development
- Incident response
- Continuous monitoring
- Network reconnaissance
- Effective communication
- Team building
- Professional demeanor
Certification
- ISC2 Certified in Cybersecurity (CC), CompTIA Security+, CompTIA CySA+, Google Cybersecurity Certificate, CompTIA Pen+
Timeline
M.S. Cybersecurity and Information Insurance
Western Governers University
04.2025 - Current
CompTIA & TryHackMe,
Hands-On Cybersecurity Labs
01.2025 - Current
Master of Science - Cybersecurity and Information Assurance
Western Governors University
Bachelor of Science - Health Sciences
Sam Houston State University