Andrew Duba, Information Security Analyst III, is a member of the Digital Forensics and Incident Response Team. During conversations about his job, “most people think of what they see in movies and TV.” These depictions often embellish what the job is like, so “it can be tough to demystify and make it more accessible.” Realistically, Andrew’s job involves addressing security challenges by leveraging existing tools, establishing new tools, and integrating these tools to work together. He also finds vulnerabilities within WashU and mitigates them alongside the appropriate administrators.
Andrew began working as a system administrator after graduating from the Missouri University of Science and Technology. As a part of the job, he worked to prevent hackers from accessing his system and dealt with any who managed to break in. Over time, this aspect became more attractive to Andrew. Equally important, “I realized I was pretty decent at it, so I ended up specializing in it.” As a member of our Digital Forensics and Incident Response Team, Andrew’s job meets all of his requirements: Something he can make a living at, something the world needs, something he is good at, and something he enjoys.
When asked about his favorite part of the job, Andrew says it is what he learns about: “from programming, to how to go about testing a system for weaknesses and finding creative ways to glue sources of information together to build actionable reports.”
Andrew decompresses after a long workday in a variety of ways. He likes to walk his dogs, do high-intensity cardio, and lift weights. Andrew also takes guitar lessons so that he can play in a band when he retires. As a new homeowner, Andrew is getting into Do-It-Yourself projects. To help furnish his house, he wants to build a couple of Morris chairs, folding Adirondack chairs, Windsor chairs, and install wainscoting. Before winter, he hopes to finish building a fence so that his dogs may freely roam the backyard.