Cyber Member Spotlight — Alex Guo
Learn more about ACM Cyber member Alex Guo!
What’s your major? What drew you to this field?
I am a Computer Science major in Muir College. I developed a peculiar interest with computers and electronic devices during elementary school, wanting to explore the ins and outs of how they work. My first real mobile device was an iPod touch (2nd Generation) from 2008, and my first video game console was the Wii from 2006. My parents self-built a desktop computer (Intel codename “Sandy Bridge” CPU) in 2011, and I am still using that today, even during quarantine. Besides tweaking around with hardware, I took 3D Animation and Computer Science classes in high school, which furthered my interest into computer science. In addition, I participated in computer security extracurriculars, which I will discuss in more detail below.
How did you become interested in cybersecurity?
I joined my high school’s cybersecurity organization during the beginning of tenth grade, approximately in the summer of 2015. This was the first year that my high school had a formal cybersecurity organization. Downloading free Windows software from Microsoft Dreamspark (now Azure Dev Tools) was a major perk of joining the cybersecurity team. Another reason that I joined was that my high school was still using Windows XP for most of their computers in 2015 (even after Microsoft’s end of support date) when Windows 10 was about to come out, which I find as a very insecure and outdated practice! I was a head Windows lead during my junior and senior years, and I had weekly responsibilities for training my school’s teams up to speed on various Windows topics. My own cyber team competed in multiple cybersecurity competitions, including CyberPatriot, SoCal Cyber Cup (formerly the San Diego Mayor’s Cyber Cup), and the California Cyber Innovation Challenge (CCIC). Our team earned first place in the 2017 SoCal Cyber Cup Challenge and third place in the 2018 CCIC. We advanced to the National Finals Competition for CyberPatriot IX and X in the Open Division, during my junior and senior years. Having the opportunity to travel and compete at the in-person final rounds is probably the most fun part of these cybersecurity competitions. Besides competitions, I attended a couple of security boot camps to enhance my knowledge in computer security, including the SoCal Cyber Cup ESET and USD GenCyber camps. All of these experiences kept me passionate and involved with cybersecurity and computer science.
What are some cool cybersecurity related/other projects you’ve undertaken? Or have there been any fun CTFs you’ve participated in recently?
Honestly, I haven’t really done too many security related DIY projects on my own time. I have yet to set up my homelab router/firewall/VPN solution with the Raspberry Pi’s that I received from the 2017 USD GenCyber boot camp and the 2017 CyberDay LA Competition. My apologies for procrastinating on this; hopefully I’ll set up my pi-cluster soon and work on security-related projects on my compute cluster. In terms of competitions, I am a part of the Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition (CCDC) team right now, specializing in Windows Server configuration and defense. This will be ACM Cyber’s second year competing in the CCDC, and it’s quite eye opening to see our team make regionals for the first time this season! I have high hopes for success for such a young team. What’s exciting yet scary to witness for the CCDC is the Windows and Linux boxes getting hacked and defaced by the red team (uh oh)…
What are your long term goals (if any) ?
My goal in a few months is to earn my Security+ certification because I have been putting this off for way too long now. My long-term goal in industry is to work in areas in regards to cloud, security, and enterprise infrastructure. There is a lot more to Computer Science than just working as a software engineer, and frankly, I have not fully made up my mind yet.
What’s a fun fact about you :D
I have played around with every major client and server version of Windows since Windows XP (yes, the operating system you used when you were a kid). Of course, I also dive into various Linux distributions.
What are your hobbies / what do you like to do in your free time?
I’m a DIY’er who likes to take apart electronics and assemble them back together. Note that I am a tech enthusiast, so I probably spend too much time looking at computing and technology news, especially for products involving the manufacturing and assembly of semiconductors.
And finally, do you have any advice/something to say to the readers?
I am going to leave you all with this saying from UCSD’s retired Simple Boy in the Midwest: “Start Early, Start Often!”. However, it is never too late to explore any subfield of computing, including cybersecurity, machine learning, architecture, graphics, and much more. Computer security may sound daunting at first, since there can be a high learning curve for some people. Weathering through this path, whether through security workshops or competitions such as CTFs, is very enjoyable and fulfilling at the end.
I hope to see all of you ACM Cyber ppl in person someday when it is safe to do so! Stay safe, and we are all in this together! (pending COVID-19 vaccinations and state/county restrictions)
