An Exclusive Interview with Sagar Bansal, an 18 Year-Old Information Security Consultant
Real Name: Sagar Bansal
Profile Link: https://www.liveedu.tv/sagarbansal/profile/
Location: India
Power/Abilities: Cyber security, penetration testing
Username: sagarbansal
Profession: Information Security Consultant
Current Projects:
1. Mr. Sagar, please introduce yourself and what you do
At eighteen years of age, I’m a one of the world’s youngest InfoSec experts. Currently, I work for some big companies as an Information Security Consultant.
Furthermore, I am the founder of PHMC|SECURITIES, and Indian-based successful cyber security company.
2. At such a young age, what drove you into a career in information security?
I started experimenting with technology from a young age. And, at 12, I developed my first, no-longer-existing website called Techanoid Solutions.
Passionately, I spent more than 6 months running it; daily posting articles and managing it.
However, one day, hackers exploited an SQLi vulnerability in the website’s comment form and defaced it with nude pictures. What an experience!
Thereafter, my kiddish side got the better part of me; I deleted the whole website, removed the domain name, and sat down in my room soaked in tears.
Consequently, I resolved to start learning ethical hacking and trying to understand how I can protect my online properties from such types of attacks—instead of sinking my passions in the predicaments.
I began reading some cyber security ebooks and enrolling for online courses. I noticed that some of the courses were very superficial and unable to equip someone with sufficient ethical hacking skills.
Therefore, I decided to start creating my own cyber security courses. I partnered with some experienced people who assisted in honing my skills.
Then, my career started to flourish and I began creating best-selling courses, which further established my footing in the industry.
3. Where do you see yourself in like 20 years from now?
Realistically, that’s a little hard to tell.
Anyway, I see myself continuing in the path of learning new things from various sources such as family, friends, students, teachers, and education platforms like LiveEdu.tv.
Eventually, maybe I’ll be the Founder of a next-generation cyber security education company.
4. What do you think is the future of the information security industry?
With the current fast advances in technology, the scope of cyber threats is likely to increase in the future.
Furthermore, the emergence of new technologies like artificial intelligence will further stress cyber security policy measures in organizations, fuelling the need for more InfoSec experts than the number of cops or army officers.
5. Tell us about one of your big accomplishments and why it makes you proud
I am proud that I am the author of one of the longest ethical hacking blogs posts on the Internet. The post covers about 20% of our work in more than 20,000 words and 200 images.
Because of its huge length, it’s divided into separate sections. You can check the article on my website at www.phmcsecurities.org/blog.
6. What made you interested in streaming your projects at LiveEdu.tv? Why would you recommend the platform to others?
Traditional marketplaces like Udemy and SkillShare are full of superficial content.
If you search for ethical hacking courses, you’ll get 300+ videos. Which one would you choose?
They are wasting time with those videos, which you can get easily on places like YouTube.
However, LiveEdu is very different because it has hands-on projects that are streamed live, allowing you to interact with the project creator one-on-one.
If you are looking for great content taught by experienced industry professionals, then LiveEdu is the place to be.
7. Tell us about your love for charity work
I’m still going to college to complete my education. And, I’ve noticed that some students are unable to continue with their education because of lack of fees.
Therefore, I decided to donate my earnings on LiveEdu to such students instead of spending them for my own use.
This way, I’ll assist the students to realize their dreams; something I’m passionate about.
8. You stated that you’d like to donate all the money you make on LiveEdu.tv to charity, why such a big heart?
When I completed High School, I wanted to take a course in information technology, especially in cyber security but my dad wanted me to become a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and pursue a career in the financial sector.
However, I was not self-sufficient at that time to oppose my family and follow my passions. So, I followed their direction but later dropped out.
I think that by donating that money to students who want to learn is a great noble cause. No other person should feel the same pain I experienced.
It’s painful to see your dreams killed in front of your eyes. You want to run away, but financial problems tie your hands up.
I was lucky that I found an escape route to achieve what I want. Now, I’m determined to make someone else’s future bright.
9. What are some of the most challenging aspects of software security affecting businesses today?
Everyday, we hear news of data breaches taking place. Most businesses are not secure at all.
For example, you think Facebook is safe? Malicious people have used sophisticated software to pull private users’ data from the popular social media platform!
The biggest challenge is to establish a balance between the aspects of confidentiality, integrity, availability, user-friendliness, and flexibility.
10. What are some things that the information security community can do to make our world more secure?
Security is an art. The most effective thing that the InfoSec community can do is to spread awareness.
This way, if people know about the cyber threats, they’ll make sound decisions to ensure their security.
For example, if you know about phishing attacks, even if you get a call from your office phone number, you will doubt it.
If you know about malware attacks, you’ll start using the best software to safeguard your machines.
So, providing education is the biggest contribution which the InfoSec community can make.
11. Tell us about something you like doing while glaring your eyes on the computer
I like listening to International Top 50 Songs Playlist on gaana.com–whenever I’m working on my computer or performing a serious penetration test!
12. Tell us about your current projects
On LiveEdu, I’ve made Metasploit, SQLi, and Reconnaissance projects. Next, I want to focus on Social Engineering projects.
These are some of the essential skills for anyone wanting to venture into the information security field.
In future, I plan to make more projects in Disaster Recovery Plans (DRP), Software Development and Security, Bug Bounty, and Risk Management.
13. What advice would you give to peers of your age?
Recently, I watched a video about why people should not start their own businesses at a young age.
I agreed with the points raised in the video (although I’m lucky to have started at a young age): most people who start owning enterprises at a tender age lack sufficient experience and end up becoming big failures without anyone ever knowing them.
Therefore, you need to learn as much as possible; work for someone else while getting the right exposure to escalate your ambitions.
Nonetheless, remember that if you are not getting the experience you need while working under someone, consider changing your job.
14. Is there anything to end with?
I have a dream to make a world where schools and universities are not important; no value for degrees and resumes. I think that the passion to learn is the biggest asset anyone can have.
I would like to encourage other fellow project creators on LiveEdu to take the bold decision of donating their earnings, even for one month, to needy students to help them advance their education.
This way, together we can make a difference in our world!
Will you join me?