Cyber Member Spotlight — Rahil Shah
Learn more about ACM Cyber member Rahil Shah!
What’s your major? What drew you to this field?
Computer Science. I was initially interested in robotics in elementary and middle school, which led me to learning C++ and python. I really liked coding and my high school ended up having a great computer science program which really helped me develop my skills. The problem solving and logical aspects of computer science are my favorite parts.
How did you become interested in cybersecurity?
I joined my high school cybersecurity club and competed in CyberPatriot. That was my first exposure to cybersecurity and I ended up getting really into it and winning CyberPatriot Nationals in my junior year. From there, I learned about CTFs and the greater cybersecurity world and have been exploring ever since.
What are some cool cybersecurity related/other projects you’ve undertaken? Or have there been any fun CTFs you’ve participated in recently?
I have mostly been learning about fuzzing and exploit development, but I don’t have any tangible results to show from it yet. I have been participating in a lot of CTFs this year, with my favorite probably being the finals of GoogleCTF. My team placed 10th in the qualifier of Google CTF to be able to compete and were given a week to prepare for an esports-like final competition that ended up being a lot of fun. At the end of 2020, my team ranked 14th in the world on ctftime.org, the most reputable CTF ranking system.
What are your long term goals (if any) ?
My one year goal is to get a cool internship. My end of college goal is to be able to buy a Tesla. My 10 year goal is to find 1 really cool zero-day exploit.
What’s a fun fact about you :D
I’m trying to travel to all 7 continents before 2030. I only have South America and Antarctica left.
What are your hobbies / what do you like to do in your free time?
Let’s just say if I weren’t good at cybersecurity I would want to open a bakery in the future.
And finally, do you have any advice/something to say to the readers?
From my experience with CTFs and cybersecurity in general, I think the field is not easy to get into. There is a very steep learning curve that takes a long time to weather, but I believe that despite being extremely difficult, it is an extremely fulfilling and enjoyable journey.
