Studying and working with lecturers and other students has been a great experience. The good relationships I developed with my lecturers really stood out and made my experience more memorable. It genuinely felt like they do what they do because they enjoy teaching, and they are good at it, which is truly motivating.
Tell us a bit about your project.
I had two different ideas for my final year project. One was an application for tracking online user activity based on browser fingerprints and integrating AI to create user profiles based on this – a similar concept to how personalised advertisements work – and the other one was creating a password manager application that uses passwordless authentication. I am interested in these topics because they both apply modern technologies to address cyber security problems without compromising privacy or usability.
The final product was influenced by both ideas. Choosing Password Spray attacks as the main aim of detection was a great challenge, as it already bypasses basic defence mechanisms, and even large companies like Microsoft are falling victim of it. The final product – if enhanced further – could either function as a vulnerability testing mechanism to audit the effectiveness of existing security protocols, or as an additional function embedded in an existing Intrusion Detection System (IDS) or Intrusion Prevention System (IPS).
I was thrilled when it was approved by my supervisor and second reader, as I was not aware of similar technologies in use at that point. I was also cautioned that this would be an experimental project, and I should find out if the concept is viable at the first place.
My main goal was to prove that this approach is possible. I sought feedback from both my supervisor, peers, and other lecturers who have related experience, and it would have not been possible without them.
How have you found your course and your time at Brighton?
As I started as a mature student during COVID, the first two years of lectures were mostly online, but I still tried to be at the university in person for lectures when possible. My interest and motivation about the subject would not have developed at the same rate without being able to talk to my lecturers and course mates in person.
How did you choose your course? Why did you choose to study computing and why Brighton?
The reason I chose to study computing, and specifically cyber security, came from some of my friends and people I worked with in my previous career. Even though I was always interested in computers, leaving education in Hungary aged 18, I had no Idea what I would like to do as a career. I was a Chef for just over 10 years, working in England, Wales, France, and Italy, and met people who work in different fields of computer science. The ones who stood out the most worked in cyber forensics for the police and those who were involved in crypto currencies.
I was already contemplating a career change, and then COVID came so I moved to Brighton from France. By chance, the University of Brighton had a cyber security related course, I applied through clearing in August, a week later I was accepted, and everything fell into place from then on.
What have been the highlights of your course?
Studying and working with lecturers and other students has been a great experience overall. The work I did for the different offices of the university and the good relationships I developed with my lecturers really stood out and made my experience more memorable.
I maintained good relationships with many of my lecturers all the way through. It genuinely felt like they do what they do because they enjoy teaching, and they are good at it, which is truly motivating.
I became a Student Ambassador and later a course representative. I worked at many events representing the university both on and off-site. I was always chasing these opportunities because I knew from my previous career experiences that I enjoy passing on knowledge to people who I share interests with.
Tell us about your placement experience.
I worked as an application support analyst for ZE Powergroup, which is a Canadian software developer company, that offers a Software as a Service data monitoring package for large oil, electricity, shipping, and trading companies.
It was a valuable experience, I gained great insight into the everyday functioning of a software company. I learned a lot from my co-workers about the methodologies of resolving service issues, communicating with stakeholders, and how to distribute tasks to the different teams within an organisation.
How has your course helped prepare you for your career, and what are your plans after graduation?
All our lecturers have helped us, especially our Course Leader: Michalis Pavlidis, by bringing graduate job opportunities, relevant careers fairs, and accessible conferences to our attention.
I am applying for jobs in the Brighton area and am very proud to have multiple published academics supporting me. For the near future my options are still open. It has been suggested that I publish my research related to my final year project after the summer.
What advice would you give to someone thinking of studying computing at Brighton?
My advice would be to find your motivation first, something interesting in the course. The way you will succeed might not be the same way as someone else, and that’s ok. Past that, all the lecturers and university staff are there to help you. And don’t forget to make friends along the way!
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