Matthew Nunez | Cybersecurity & IT Professional

About Me

Cybersecurity professional serving as an IT Security Program Specialist with the State of Tennessee, where I focus on disaster recovery planning, business impact analysis, and NIST SP 800-53 compliance. I hold a B.S. in Cybersecurity from Missouri Western State University and bring a disciplined, team-first mindset shaped by years as a student-athlete. Driven by a genuine passion for cybersecurity, I'm committed to continuously sharpening my skills and making a real impact in the field.

When I'm away from the keyboard, I enjoy fishing, staying active at the gym, and watching movies. Activities that help me recharge and bring fresh perspective to technical challenges.

Security

Network Security
Cyber Threat Intelligence (CTI)
SIEM/Log Analysis
Pishing Analysis

System Administration

Linux/Windows Server
Virtualization (Proxmox/VMware)
Networking (TCP/IP, VLANs)
Cloud (AWS)

Tools & Tech

Docker/Kubernetes
Python Scripting
Active Directory
Splunk
Power BI

Experience

May 2025 - Present

IT Secuirty Program Specialist

State of Tennessee

Coordinate and manage annual Business Impact Analyses (BIAs) with multiple agency partners to identify critical systems, recovery priorities, and operational risks
Develop, maintain, and update Disaster Recovery (DR) and Contingency Plans in alignment with organizational requirements and NIST SP 800-53
Ensure organizational compliance with NIST SP 800-53 controls related to contingency planning, Recovery Time Objective (RTO) / Recovery Point Objective (RPO) Analysis
Produce clear, concise dashboards, reports, and executive-level presentations for agency partners and auditors to communicate risk posture, gaps, and remediation status
Plan, coordinate, and execute functional and tabletop disaster recovery tests, validating recovery procedures, communication workflows, and system restoration capabilities.

February 2024 – July 2024

IT Infrastructure Intern

Boehringer Ingelheim

Provided technical support and managed data center operations, gaining skills in server installation, networking, and troubleshooting.
Verified system configurations for accuracy, troubleshooting issues related to endpoint enrollments, data backups, and network setups.
Led a file organization project for 400+ employees, enhancing project management and data analysis skills
Improved communication skills through staff coordination and accurate data collection

Projects

🏠 HomeLab Infrastructure

Ongoing

Self-hosted media and network services lab built on enterprise virtualization technology. Features containerized applications, network segmentation, VPN tunneling, and DNS-level ad blocking. Continuously expanding with security monitoring and home automation capabilities.

Proxmox Docker Linux Pi-hole VPN LXC

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Hardware: Dell OptiPlex running Proxmox VE, managed remotely
Virtualization: Multiple VMs and LXC containers for service isolation and resource efficiency
Media Stack: Jellyfin media server with Jellyseerr request management and *arr automation suite (Sonarr, Radarr, etc.) running in Docker containers
Security: VPN tunnel for media VM traffic, Pi-hole DNS sinkhole for network-wide ad blocking, network segmentation separating lab from ISP network
Network: Mesh network with multiple access points providing dedicated lab infrastructure, isolated from primary ISP-provided network
Future Plans: Security Onion for network monitoring and threat detection, Home Assistant for IoT device automation and integration

☁️ AWS Portfolio Hosting

Completed

Self-hosted portfolio website built from scratch and deployed using AWS services. Implemented CloudFront CDN, S3 static hosting, Route 53 DNS management, and SSL/TLS encryption.

AWS S3 CloudFront Route 53 ACM HTML/CSS

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Architecture: Static site hosted on S3 bucket with public access policies, distributed globally via CloudFront CDN for low-latency performance
Domain & DNS: Custom domain (matthewnunez.com) managed through Route 53 with A record aliases pointing to CloudFront distribution
Security: Free SSL/TLS certificate provisioned via AWS Certificate Manager with DNS validation, enforced HTTPS redirection on CloudFront
Cost Optimization: Leveraged AWS Free Tier benefits and cost-effective services.
Development: Custom HTML/CSS with dark mode design, responsive mobile-first layout, optimized assets for fast loading

🛡️ TryHackMe SOC Level 1

Completed (Certificate earned)

Comprehensive hands-on training path focused on Security Operations Center fundamentals. Completed modules covering cyber defense frameworks, network security monitoring, threat intelligence, incident response procedures, and SIEM analysis using industry-standard tools.

SIEM Splunk Wireshark IDS/IPS Threat Hunting Incident Response

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Network Analysis: Packet capture analysis with Wireshark, identifying malicious traffic patterns and suspicious network behavior
SIEM Operations: Log analysis and correlation using Splunk, creating custom queries and alerts for threat detection
Threat Intelligence: Understanding attack frameworks (MITRE ATT&CK), analyzing indicators of compromise (IOCs), and threat actor TTPs
Incident Response: Hands-on practice with incident handling procedures, evidence collection, and security event triage
Security Tools: Experience with Snort, Zeek, Suricata for network intrusion detection and prevention

🔐 Microsoft Entra ID Administration Lab

Completed

Hands-on identity and access management lab simulating real-world IT administration for a small law firm environment. Conducted on Azure Free Tier covering the full scope of tasks an on-call IT technician would encounter managing Microsoft Entra ID.

Microsoft Entra ID Azure IAM Conditional Access RBAC MFA

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User Lifecycle Management: Provisioned, disabled, deleted, and restored user accounts simulating onboarding, leave of absence, and offboarding workflows including secure password resets
Group Management: Created and managed security groups with assigned membership, documented dynamic membership rules as a P1 enterprise feature
Roles and Permissions: Assigned and revoked built-in Entra roles including Helpdesk Administrator and User Administrator following least privilege principles to minimize attack surface
Conditional Access and MFA: Documented Conditional Access policy configuration and MFA enforcement strategies including the distinction between free Security Defaults and P1 Conditional Access policies
Incident Investigation: Investigated simulated security incidents using sign-in logs and audit logs, identified VPN false positives, and traced exact account changes through modified properties
Documentation: Fully documented on GitHub including objectives, steps, licensing considerations, and real-world context for each lab task

Cybersecurity & IT Professional

About Me

Security

System Administration

Tools & Tech

Experience

IT Secuirty Program Specialist

State of Tennessee

IT Infrastructure Intern

Boehringer Ingelheim

Certifications

Security+

Network+

A+

Cisco Certified Support Technician

SecAI+

AWS Solutions Architect Associate

Projects

🏠 HomeLab Infrastructure

☁️ AWS Portfolio Hosting

🛡️ TryHackMe SOC Level 1

🔐 Microsoft Entra ID Administration Lab

Get In Touch

Email

LinkedIn

GitHub