"Travel takes up a huge part of my life," says Mekhan Bayryev, application security engineer, about his lifestyle

Mekan Bairyev, application security engineer, MrCyberSec

About Me

I am a cybersecurity specialist. I help companies find vulnerabilities in their projects, explaining and demonstrating how to improve security. I work with both mobile and web applications. I also run my YouTube channel, Mekan Bairyev — MrCyberSec, where I publish videos on various topics in the field of cybersecurity.

My work schedule is unstable. Currently, for example, I go to sleep at 04:00–05:00 and wake up closer to 13:00. But this doesn’t always happen. Usually, I try to go to bed by 23:00 and wake up at 09:00. Overall, you could say I have a flexible work schedule. The time depends on different projects and time zones.

Where and How I Learn

I am self-taught. I read articles, watch videos, follow trends, top security experts online, on Twitter, and in blogs. Every day, I study cutting-edge research in my field to remain a competent specialist.

Hack The Box also helps me. It is a leading platform where you can practice your cybersecurity skills in a gamified format. It has its own academy for training, but I prefer a slightly different approach. I take a challenge, deploy it, and start breaking it. During the process of “breaking,” sometimes things don’t work out. Then I start studying, searching for documentation, and forging a path to my flag. Because the essence of gamification is that by breaking applications, you obtain flags. That is, first, you get a user flag if you manage to execute the hack. Then you can progress to a super-user flag when working with Linux, Windows, for example. Thus, the process of solving the task forces you to experiment and stimulates you to gain new knowledge and skills.

Another method I can highlight is participating in the HTB Cyber Apocalypse CTF. The principle is somewhat similar to HackTheBox. However, these are worldwide competitions where teams solve hacking challenges in a game format to find hidden flags. Points are awarded for each flag, which determine the ranking position.

I do not attend masterclasses. But I take certifications about twice a year. I am studying for the Offensive Security Certified Professional course — one of the top courses from the creators of Kali Linux, used for penetration testing. The course is expensive, but my company paid for it. I will receive the certificate in August.

Here are examples of resources you can subscribe to in order to improve your skills:

— online trainings: HackTheBox, TryHackme, PortSwigger Web Academy

— top 5 Twitter accounts: James Kettle, STÖK, Kévin - Mizu, Frans Rosén, Sam Curry

— YouTube: Joe Grand, Bug Bounty Reports Explained, IppSec, LiveOverflow, Critical Thinking — Bug Bounty Podcast, John Hammond, The Cyber Mentor.

Environment

My environment consists of my family, wife, and daughter, colleagues, friends, racers, drifters, drone pilots, bikers, cyclists, athletes, businessmen, and entrepreneurs. I am a person with broad perspectives. My environment includes the most diverse and interesting people: from very grounded individuals to those who seem not of this world.

But I can honestly say that I dislike attending mass networking events. Perhaps simply because I feel like an introvert. I am uncomfortable having superficial conversations with a conveyor belt of people. I prefer being one-on-one with someone and diving into various topics to go deep into the essence.

But if you, for example, find it difficult to find like-minded people, a good way is to participate in various communities, on Discord, YouTube. Also, participate in hackathons. There, you can code and communicate. Moreover, you can participate with your own team or join another, briefly introducing yourself and your skills.

Once, when I lived in Bali, I was invited to a birthday party. The Russian-speaking community there consists mainly of entrepreneurs and startup founders. It felt like I had walked onto a movie set. There was a large villa, a pool, and a party. I stood there thinking, what am I even doing here? But then I saw a guy who looked roughly like me. We started talking and it turned out he was also a hacker. Next scene: around us is a party, while he and I sit on loungers with laptops, discussing our topics. In short, I’m saying that there are many people from the IT sphere around. “Your own” will always be found, even in the most unexpected locations.

Where I Spend My Free Time

I rest in intervals between work, or in the evening after work. I prefer to walk in the park to release excess tension and fill up with fresh thoughts, so that at night I can start working on a task again.

I also have various hobbies. Work is a hobby. I am also interested in psychology and philosophy. I used to play games: Apex Legends, Dota 2, Counter-Strike. I play puzzles and adventure games with my daughter.

Among less obvious hobbies, I can mention Ultimate Frisbee. It is a sport similar to football, but with a disc instead of a ball. It is not the most popular sport, but my love for it began in 2005.

At that time, I lived in Turkmenistan before moving to Kyrgyzstan. I volunteered at the ACCELS organization, where Peace Corps volunteers came and helped the local population. I remember that there you could use the internet for half an hour a day. I joined to have more access to a computer and, in general, to work with volunteers from other countries. They showed the children Ultimate Frisbee. They took them to the field, threw discs, explained the rules of the game, and since then I started playing. Later, tournaments even began. In Kyrgyzstan, I played for the AUCA student team. We played against Kazakhstan, Russia, and the USA. We developed this sport as best we could until 2010, after which the team disbanded.

I also play padel tennis, a hobby I brought back from Bali. It is similar to tennis, but the racket is smaller. The rules are similar, but you can play off the walls, which, by the way, are glass. There was a time when this hobby caused me pain in my pinky finger. I played for three hours a day for over a month.

I also love going to the mountains, trekking. I generally enjoy enjoying mountain views. I love being alone and thinking about something. For me, the best kind of rest is simply being alone with myself.

Travel also takes up a huge part of my life. And here it is worth telling a bit more in detail.

From 2007 to 2017, I lived in Kyrgyzstan with a Turkmen passport and was there on a student visa. For 10 years, I could not leave anywhere, even to Kazakhstan. But then came the long-awaited moment when I received citizenship of Kyrgyzstan. I remember that my friends, about 15 people, and I went to Freedom Square to the Eternal Flame and took photos with the new passport. My friends then nicknamed me “Liberated Turkmen.” And then all doors opened for me.

First, I went to Georgia, then to India, to Goa, and then to Nepal. I tried to apply for a visa to Tibet, but the procedure was difficult. Then I visited Sri Lanka, periodically returning to Kyrgyzstan. Then there were Kazakhstan, Russia, Bangkok, Koh Phangan. And finally, Bali. We went there with my family, the pandemic caught us, and we stayed on the island for the next four years.

This is an amazing place. If you are planning a trip there, I recommend a few must-do things.

First, live in Ubud. Yes, it has a certain aura and reputation that this is a place only for the enlightened. But I think you will find food for thought here that can shake up your life.

Do not miss the opportunity to visit Balinese performances, especially the Kecak dance. Bali is unique in its culture. Their ceremonies, attire, hats with bananas on their heads, rituals for communicating with spirits — it feels like you have entered another universe.

My favorite experience is Nyepi Day, which takes place in March. This is the day when the entire island turns off the lights and no one goes outside. The island simply plunges into darkness and absolute silence. According to legend, on this day, spirits come out of the ocean and pass through the island. Therefore, people try not to show any signs of life so that the spirits do not take them with them. A beautiful legend. I remember that feeling when you sit, and around you there are only the sounds of nature and the starry sky above your head. Inexpressible sensations.

You should also definitely visit Mount Agung. Its height is 3,031 meters. The road to the summit is difficult and long. We were on the way from 23:00 to 06:00. But believe me, the views opening up as you approach the crater, when everything below you is shrouded in smoke, are absolutely worth every effort.

I hope that soon I will be able to return to Bali again.

Where and What to Buy

To be honest, I do not focus on brands. I have an iPhone 11, and not even the Pro. I do not chase the latest models. I adhere to the principle that if it works, let it work until the end.

I also have a MacBook. I do not use an additional Apple mouse and keyboard. I have a mechanical Keychron keyboard and the most ordinary wireless mouse.