Jun 9, 2020
Cybersecurity & Me: Opportunity of a Lifetime
Being part of the cybersecurity industry for many years provides one with a lot of time to think and reflect. I have been thinking of this day for years and years, however, during the day, at two in the morning, I could not contain a mix of anxiety and excitement as I waited impatiently to lead the company business of Advanced Intelligence, LLC as my next lifetime venture
I felt that everything that I have done previously — in government, private, and non-profit, was seamlessly and almost magically connecting. In other words, I understood what movie characters meant when they were dramatically stating — all this time I have been preparing for this. Indeed, government investigative experience brings a sense of justice and helps define the mission; corporate security career builds business muscle; startup and entrepreneurship teach how to transform personal passion and thirst to intelligence tradecraft into a life-changing venture positively impacting the society and the community.
As a government cybercrime investigator, I enjoyed the rewarding career helping bring cybercriminals to justice while serving the New York District Attorney. Through first-hand engagement, some of the most sophisticated investigations such as the StubHub or Neverquest enabled me to dissect and understand both the human and technical elements of cybercrime.
As a private sector employee, I learned how to implement strategy and roadmap development for a world-class cyber intelligence and researcher team; learned to efficiently manage SIGINT and HUMINT collection capabilities and analytic tradecraft to establish a top-line of intelligence products and offerings. I mastered the management of repeatable and scalable processes for all aspects of the intelligence lifecycle, recruiting, training, and retaining talent of a multi-million dollar budget.
The entrepreneurial path helped establish one of the most successful malware analysis courses such as “Zero2Hero” and ‘Zero2Automated” with over 8,000 students enrolled. These students obtained deep technical and analytical skills while instilling perseverance and work ethics. Within these courses, my peers and I prepared thousands of cybercrime fighters across the globe and equipped them with tools to efficiently deter the most sophisticated and prolific cyber attacks.
The entrepreneurship and this experience of training thousands of experts equipping them with tools and knowledge needed to defend their communities in the midst of the upcoming Pandemic and the subsequent spike of global cybercrime have also taught me of using my skills for the community good. As a political refugee, I came to the United States vested with hope and responsibilities, deeply interested in social justice, I only pursued professional opportunities following a firm ethical position throughout my career.
I decided to volunteer for Advanced Intelligence, LLC, a company run by my fellow-refugees as their ransomware-prevention agenda had a direct positive impact on real lives across schools, churches, universities, and cities. While helping AdvIntel’s CEO Mr. Boguslavskiy in his simultaneous struggle with the cynicism of the business community and his sever vision impairment caused by macular degeneration, I have fundamentally strengthened my ethical views, manifested my morals, and my firm understanding that as a security leader, I am first-and-foremost responsible to the people and not the abstract concepts of machines, codes, and industries.
Brimming with excitement, I looked ahead to the challenge of establishing the business as the top-notch intel company being a cybersecurity expert, a public servant, an advocate for justice. My commitment to making a positive difference in the community which I care about with all my heart is too great to be compromised. I see my role as a cyber leader very clearly and can barely wait to dedicate myself to the struggle for justice to my full potential in my role as Chairman.
