Cyber Security & Analytics @ Penn State
Cybersecurity student focused on offensive security, detection, and data analytics. Building secure, data-driven solutions.
I'm Ayan Khan — a Cyber Security and Analytics student at Penn State, currently interning at IBM on data platforms. I got into security because I like understanding how things actually work under the surface, and I stayed because the field rewards exactly that curiosity. Along the way I picked up the CompTIA trifecta and a habit of turning messy data into answers people can use.
Off the laptop, I'm usually on a basketball court, halfway up a climbing wall, or out on the golf course — hobbies that all teach the same lesson as security work: read the situation, commit to a shot, adjust fast when it doesn't hold. I speak five languages (English, Spanish, Hindi, Urdu, and Arabic), which comes in handy more often than you'd think.
I'm a Cyber Security and Analytics major at Penn State, graduating December 2026, building a career at the intersection of offensive security and data.
My experience is deliberately broad. At IBM, I worked on data modernization and AI-readiness initiatives alongside Hakkoda and Snowflake, supporting client teams including Bloomberg. At Auntim LLC, I got hands-on with network security and threat monitoring while building Power BI and Tableau dashboards that drove real decisions. And I hold the CompTIA trifecta — A+, Security+, and PenTest+ — backing the hands-on work with certified fundamentals.
That combination matters: security findings only create change when someone can analyze the data, tell the story, and get stakeholders to act. I do all three.
Certified pentesting fundamentals with hands-on tool experience across recon, exploitation, and crypto.
I know how defenders see an attack — experience with the open-source detection stack end to end.
Turning raw operational data into dashboards, KPIs, and decisions leadership actually uses.
Web fundamentals, automation scripting, and outreach across five languages.
Python
Wireshark
Metasploit
Nmap
Snort
Suricata
Sguil
Kibana
OpenSSL
Python
Wireshark
Metasploit
Nmap
Snort
Suricata
Sguil
Kibana
OpenSSL
SQL
Power BI
Tableau
Excel
HTML
Git
Data Modeling
KPI Development
SQL
Power BI
Tableau
Excel
HTML
Git
Data Modeling
KPI Development
Industry certification covering the full penetration testing lifecycle — planning and scoping, information gathering, vulnerability identification, attacks and exploits, and reporting. The credential that anchors my offensive security track.
Completes the CompTIA trifecta alongside PenTest+ — certified foundations in security architecture, threats and mitigations, cryptography, identity, and core IT operations. Fundamentals first, then offense.
Learn Ethical Hacking from Scratch, The Complete Web Development Bootcamp, Learn Python the Hard Way, and a SQL for Data Science specialization — self-driven training that keeps the toolbox growing between semesters.
Certified in the Microsoft stack — the advanced Excel work (PivotTables, VLOOKUP, Power Query) behind the dashboards and reporting I've delivered in every internship.
Collaborated with Hakkoda and Snowflake on data modernization and AI-readiness initiatives. Supported client teams including Bloomberg in organizing and optimizing data environments, contributing research, analysis, and stakeholder collaboration to projects focused on data governance, accessibility, and business transformation.
Supported outbound client acquisition — researching prospects, crafting personalized outreach, and managing campaigns across email and CRM platforms. Worked with the sales team to qualify leads and build pipeline. Where I learned to communicate with people who don't read technical reports.
Worked alongside the cybersecurity team securing networks and tracking emerging threats. Also analyzed operational and customer data with Power BI, Tableau, Excel, and SQL — designing dashboards and automated reports to track KPIs, workflow performance, and process efficiency.
English, Spanish, Hindi, Urdu, and Arabic — an asset for client-facing consulting, global teams, and threat research in non-English sources.
PenTest+ on offense, Snort/Suricata/Sguil/Kibana on detection. Attackers who understand how they get caught write better findings — and better remediation guidance.
I'm graduating from Penn State in December 2026 and looking for roles across cybersecurity, IT, and tech sales — from penetration testing and security analytics to IT operations, solutions engineering, and technical sales. Based in Allentown, PA — open to relocation.