Wendell Harris

Combining a Cybersecurity education with hands-on experience in incident management and team leadership. Proficient in programming and security documentation, ready to apply technical skills and collaborative mindset to support cybersecurity efforts and ensure effective security operations.

• Microsoft Security Essentials Professional Certificate, Microsoft & LinkedIn, 02/26
• Microsoft Azure AI Essentials Professional Certificate, Microsoft & LinkedIn, 02/26
• Career Essentials in Generative AI, Microsoft & LinkedIn, 03/26
• What is Generative AI?, LinkedIn, 01/26

• Port Scanner, Built a multi-threaded Python TCP port scanner using the socket library to enumerate open ports across user-defined ranges on any target host; supports banner grabbing to identify running services and exports results to file for documentation and reporting. Demonstrates core network troubleshooting skills applicable to IT support and security operations, including TCP/IP fundamentals, service identification, and structured output logging.
• File Integrity Monitor, Developed a Python-based endpoint monitoring tool that generates SHA-256 cryptographic hashes for files in a target directory, stores a secure baseline, and alerts on any unauthorized modification, deletion, or addition — directly mirrors host-based intrusion detection (HIDS) principles used in enterprise SOC environments. Demonstrates applied knowledge of data integrity, cryptographic hashing, and file system monitoring — core skills for IT support roles involving system auditing and endpoint security compliance.
• Password Strength Analyzer, Built a Python CLI tool that evaluates password security against 8 rule-based checks including length, character complexity, and common pattern detection; integrates the HaveIBeenPwned API via k-anonymity to flag credentials found in known breach databases without exposing the full password. Applies authentication security principles and third-party API integration, directly relevant to IT support roles involving user account management, password policy enforcement, and identity security guidance.
• XSS Decoded — Interactive Cybersecurity Learning Guide, Designed and built a 9-module interactive web application from scratch using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript covering Cross-Site Scripting attack techniques including session hijacking, keylogging, reflected, stored, and DOM-based XSS, phishing, credential theft, and open redirects. Implemented live browser-based attack simulations with real-time DOM manipulation, event-driven JavaScript, and a defensive countermeasures section covering CSP, HttpOnly cookies, input sanitization, and output encoding for each attack vector. Integrated the Anthropic Claude AI API to deliver an embedded intelligent Q&A tutor; deployed and hosted on GitHub Pages — github.com/lgarcia2724/XSS-101.

• Captain, Defensive Backs, Varsity Football Team, Rockford University, 08/23, Present
• Student Leader, Regent Experience Guide, Rockford University, 08/24, 05/25
• Member, Men of Confidence Mentorship Program, Rockford University, 08/23, 05/24

• Michelle and Peter Willmott Scholarship