Human-Centered Cybersecurity

Human-Centered
Cybersecurity.

I combine cybersecurity analysis, human-centered UX design, and applied AI to build clearer, safer digital experiences. My projects use generative AI, rapid prototyping, and workflow automation, supported by human review and technical validation.

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8
Credentials & Badges
6
UX & AI Projects
8
Cyber Projects
Résumé available upon request.
StatusOpen to opportunities
Hands-onDocumented cybersecurity projects built through practical labs and independent work.
VerifiableSupporting files and technical evidence are available on GitHub.
ClearFindings and recommendations are written for the people who need to act.

About Me

Cybersecurity through a human lens.

I focus on human-centered cybersecurity: building systems, workflows, and security communication that people can actually understand, trust, and use under pressure.

My work connects cybersecurity analysis, secure UX thinking, AI-assisted documentation, and product-minded security projects. I care about reducing alert fatigue, preventing unsafe workarounds, and translating technical risk into clear decisions for users, teams, and organizations.

Professional memberships: ISC2 Tampa Bay Chapter and OWASP.

Human-Centered SecurityDesigning security around real behavior, trust, clarity, and decision-making.
Cybersecurity AnalysisSOC workflows, log review, threat thinking, incident investigation, and defensive labs.
AI-Enhanced WorkflowUsing AI tools to accelerate research, documentation, technical learning, and security storytelling.
Product MindsetConnecting cybersecurity, usability, business trust, and scalable digital safety solutions.
Résumé available upon request. LinkedIn Credly Credentials Badges & Report GitHub

Credentials & Continuing Learning

Learning backed by evidence.

My eight public badges span cybersecurity, UX design, applied AI, and professional development. Explore each credential and its issuing organization.

Google Cybersecurity Professional Certificate V2 badge

Google Cybersecurity Professional Certificate V2

Coursera

Issued January 8, 2025

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Onward to Opportunity badge

Onward to Opportunity

D’Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families

Issued February 23, 2026

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View my full badge wallet ↗

Cybersecurity Aptitude

How I think. Where I thrive.

My CyberGEN.IQ cognitive profile identifies Design & Development as my strongest cybersecurity quadrant, alongside strengths in Offensive Operations and Analysis & Forensics.

Download full report (PDF, 5.3 MB) ↓
Radial chart showing five cognitive constructs: Critical Thinking, Initiating, Responding, Real-Time, and Exhaustive.
Cognitive profile across the five constructs assessed by CyberGEN.IQ.
Cybersecurity quadrant scores: Offensive Operations 70, Defensive Operations 44, Analysis and Forensics 67, Design and Development 87; Design and Development is highlighted as the strongest fit.
Cybersecurity quadrant alignment, with Design & Development highlighted as my strongest fit.
Example aligned roles including security control assessment, system authorization, cybersecurity workforce management, and secure project management.
Example roles aligned with the report’s highest-scoring quadrant.

These assessment results describe cognitive styles and role alignment, not overall ability or a certification. Original charts from my CyberGEN.IQ report by Haystack Solutions.

How I Use AI

Applied AI in Cybersecurity & UX

I apply generative AI to support cybersecurity research, human-centered UX design, rapid prototyping, and technical documentation. Through independent projects and security labs, I explore AI-assisted workflows for security analysis, workflow automation, and accessible learning experiences.

My process combines prompt engineering, research synthesis, and iterative testing with human review. I validate AI-generated outputs against project requirements and technical evidence, then refine them for accuracy, usability, and clear communication.

Learning Experience

Interactive PDF Study Guide

AI-assisted summaries, quizzes, and flashcards turn study material into an accessible learning experience. My contribution connects the learning flow, interface design, and progress tracking.

Security Automation

DeceptionForge SOAR Gateway

Generative AI supports context-aware decoys in a security proof of concept. My work combines dashboard design, telemetry workflows, schema validation, safety controls, and simulated response testing.

Application Prototyping

South America Explorer

A responsive travel application brings together an interactive route map, itinerary cards, and planning tools. It demonstrates how I translate requirements into a usable digital experience.

How I Work · Agile & Security

Small iterations. Security at every step.

I apply Agile principles to my independent projects: break a product idea into manageable pieces, build a useful first version, and refine it through testing and feedback. I connect user needs with security considerations throughout that cycle.

01 / Understand & Prioritize

Start with the user and the risk.

I turn the problem into small, actionable requirements and prioritize by user value, effort, and risk. I consider what data a feature needs, who should have access, and what could go wrong before shaping the solution.

02 / Build & Check

Make progress in small increments.

I prototype a focused flow, review how it works, and refine the next version. Security questions sit alongside usability checks: are permissions appropriate, inputs handled safely, and sensitive information protected?

03 / Learn & Improve

Let evidence guide the next step.

I use testing, observed friction, and technical findings to revisit priorities. I document limitations and follow-up work so the next iteration improves both the experience and its security.

Where security meets product design

FoodWill connects donation coordination with location privacy. The Secure AI Trading Agent combines a research workflow with protected API access and human approval controls. These projects show the kinds of product and security decisions I bring into the same development cycle.

What “done” means to me

A working feature needs more than a polished screen. I look for a clear user flow, relevant security checks, reviewed outputs, and documented limitations before treating an iteration as ready.

Read my approach to Agile cybersecurity →

Client Work, UX Case Studies & Cybersecurity Labs

Selected Work with Evidence

Each project highlights the problem addressed, process, and available evidence so recruiters and prospective clients can understand the security thinking, product-building ability, and human-centered impact quickly.

AI AGENT · PAPER API guardrails · validation · audit logs
AI Security ProjectAutomation / APIs

Secure AI Trading Agent

Built an AI-assisted market research and paper-trading workflow with protected API access, validation checks, human approval controls, and auditable activity logs.

POST /api/v1/alerts/ingest Decoy Async SOAR trigger 202 contain High-fidelity deception + response orchestration
Security ProductSOAR / Deception

DeceptionForge SOAR Gateway

Built a Google AI Studio active-defense application that generates context-aware decoys, ingests threat telemetry, records incidents, and supports SIEM forwarding and SOAR-style response workflows.

Resilience: 94% PAWS & PROTECT E-Commerce Flow secure_by_default
Cyber LabSecure UX

Paws & Protect Secure UX

Solved the conflict between e-commerce conversion and account security by adding transparent checkout cues, password resilience feedback, and secure-by-default trust patterns.

CYBR4810SOC Operations

SOC Telemetry SIEM Triage

Built a SOC triage workflow that solves alert fatigue by clustering repeated auth events into one prioritized investigation path with clearer severity, context, and response actions.

CYBR4220Vulnerability Management

Vulnerability Triage & Remediation

Solved vulnerability overload by turning scan output into prioritized remediation cards with severity, affected service, evidence, and practical patch guidance.

CYBR3210Cloud & IaC

Zero-Trust Cloud IaC Provisioning

Designed a secure cloud baseline that solves misconfigured admin-access risk by provisioning infrastructure with restrictive security groups and explicit access controls.

CYBR7400Applied Cryptography

Applied Cryptography & Web PKI CA

Built a PKI lab that solves the mystery of browser trust by creating a root CA, signing CSRs, deploying TLS, and testing certificate-chain failures.

CYBR4200Network Defense

Perimeter Firewall Access Controls

Solved boundary exposure problems by designing firewall ACLs, NAT rules, and validation tests to reduce visible services during simulated reconnaissance.

Technical Practice

Where I test, investigate, and build.

My home lab gives me a controlled environment for practicing network defense, system administration, traffic analysis, incident investigation, and clear technical documentation.

Segmented Home Lab

A virtual environment used to test security controls, observe system behavior, and document repeatable defensive workflows.

  • Kali Linux, Ubuntu Desktop and Server, and Windows systems
  • OPNsense firewall, access-control rules, NAT, and segmentation
  • Wireshark, tcpdump, Nmap, and security-log analysis
  • Web, SSH, syslog, and certificate-service testing

Evidence-Driven Work

Each lab connects technical activity to an understandable security decision rather than presenting tools without context.

  • State the security problem and expected outcome
  • Capture relevant logs, traffic, configurations, or screenshots
  • Explain findings, limitations, and recommended next actions
  • Publish supporting evidence when it is safe to share
01 / Detect

Collect

Gather signals and organize repeated noise into a clearer picture.

02 / Prioritize

Rank

Evaluate severity, evidence, and affected systems to decide what comes first.

03 / Respond

Recommend

Propose practical containment, remediation, or follow-up actions.

04 / Explain

Communicate

Translate technical findings for both technical and nontechnical audiences.

Security OperationsAlert triage, SIEM concepts, log review, and incident investigation
Network SecurityWireshark, tcpdump, Nmap, OPNsense, ACLs, NAT, and segmentation
SystemsLinux, Ubuntu Server, Windows, SSH, Apache, syslog, and UFW
Vulnerability ManagementAssessment, risk prioritization, remediation planning, and validation
Security EngineeringTLS, PKI, certificates, least privilege, and secure configuration
Supporting SkillsSQL, beginner Python, Figma, technical documentation, and accessible communication

Blog

Security ideas, put into practice.

Practical perspectives on cybersecurity, AI, and building safer digital experiences.

View all blog posts
Security Strategy

Applying Agile Principles to Cybersecurity

A practical approach to prioritizing risk, delivering security improvements, and learning through short feedback loops.

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AI & Security

Agentic DevSecOps: What Changes When AI Agents Are Part of the Pipeline

Autonomous agents are starting to write code, open pull requests, and touch infrastructure. Security has to keep up.

Read article
Fundamentals

How to Make a Website Secure: What Actually Matters

The practical fundamentals that keep a site safe — not the buzzwords, the habits that actually reduce risk.

Read article

Thought Leadership

Ideas Worth Sharing

AI · Cyber · UX

Bridging the Trust Gap in AI Security Dashboards

How visual transparency prevents security analysts from bypassing automated alert models — and why Explainable AI is a UX mandate, not just an engineering goal.

Career Journey

From Design to Defense

Why my UX background is my primary engine for building structural digital resilience — and how I came to understand that “human error” is always a design failure.

Data Visualization

Cognitive Load in Cyber Operations

Why data displays are the first line of defense against advanced persistent threats, and how designing for high-stress comprehension directly reduces threat dwell time.

Get in Touch

Let’s work
together.

Open to full-time cybersecurity analyst roles, UX/security hybrid positions, and contract engagements. Based in Atlanta, GA — available remotely nationwide.

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linkedin.com/in/shimamudakha Résumé available upon request.
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