Omar Chaudhry

Professional Summary

Results-oriented cybersecurity professional with a Master’s degree in Cybersecurity, CompTIA Security+ and CySA+ certifications, and federal government experience in IT audits, risk management, and controls assessment. Proven ability to identify security weaknesses, implement process improvements, and support compliance initiatives. Actively building hands-on defensive security capabilities through enterprise-grade home lab projects focused on SIEM, Active Directory threat hunting, and incident response.

Professional Experience

IT Security & Compliance Analyst

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) | December 2022 – June 2024

• Executed comprehensive IT security audits and assessed contractor compliance against federal Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and strict data protection requirements.
• Leveraged the Risk Management Framework (RMF) to evaluate and implement NIST 800-53 security controls across federal information systems and network endpoints.
• Conducted risk assessments for new software and AI-powered assistive technologies to ensure secure integration within the federal environment.
• Engineered a secure Problem Management lifecycle that mitigated recurring vulnerabilities, reduced exposure windows, and streamlined incident triage.
• Drafted and disseminated critical security advisories and system update documentation to a distributed workforce of over 17,000 federal employees and contractors.

Identity & Access Administrator

National Association of Counties (NACo) | August 2022 – December 2022

• Administered Identity and Access Management (IAM) protocols across on-premises Active Directory and Microsoft Azure cloud environments.
• Enforced Mobile Device Management (MDM) and endpoint security policies using Microsoft Intune to secure corporate data and remote assets.
• Audited hardware inventory and enforced principle-of-least-privilege access controls to prevent unauthorized data exposure and streamline offboarding procedures.

Cybersecurity Research Fellow

The Consortium of School Networking (CoSN) | May 2022 – August 2022

• Researched and reported on cybersecurity postures, data privacy vulnerabilities, and IT staffing challenges across national K-12 school districts.
• Conducted threat intelligence interviews with CTOs and security directors; presented executive threat landscape briefings to trustees and leadership.
• Authored technical documentation and security advisories regarding data governance, access controls, and mitigating emerging ransomware threats.

Graduate Research Assistant

Old Dominion University (ODU) | September 2020 – May 2022

• Supported faculty research in the Department of Cybersecurity with a focus on network security, data privacy, and cyber threat analysis.
• Assisted in designing and conducting experiments on intrusion detection systems (IDS) and secure network protocols.
• Reviewed academic literature to identify trends in cybersecurity governance and risk management frameworks.
• Contributed to a departmental study on cloud security architectures and Identity and Access Management (IAM) in hybrid environments.
• Prepared research summaries, technical reports, and presentations, while providing instructional support to undergraduate networking and cybersecurity students.

Independent Research & Publications

Insider Threats & Social Engineering Research

Author, Generation Cooked (Published Jan 2026)

• Authored an extensive analysis examining how foundational technical illiteracy expands an organization's attack surface, leading to increased Business Email Compromise (BEC) and phishing success rates.
• Researched vulnerabilities in modern Security Awareness Training programs and proposed actionable policy updates for data privacy governance and insider threat mitigation.

Education & Certifications

• CompTIA CySA+ (CS0-003) – November 2025
• CompTIA Security+ (SY0-701) – November 2024
• M.S. in Cybersecurity – Old Dominion University, June 2022

Core Competencies & Skills