Danovis Maurice Pooler Jr
From Network Admin to SOC Analyst | Oakland, CA
20 Years IT Experience | Cybersecurity Blog | Home Lab Documented
About Me & My Security Journey
Hello, I'm Danovis Pooler.
For the past 20 years, I've been the person you call when your network goes down, your server won't boot, or your computer decides today is the day it retires. I've worked across the Oakland Bay Area — from Silicon Valley College maintaining student and staff networks, to running my own computer repair business serving hundreds of clients. I've configured routers, managed Windows and Linux servers, and troubleshot everything from TCP/IP issues to hardware failures.
Now, I'm channeling that experience into cybersecurity.
What I'm Building Here
This blog documents my journey from traditional IT administration to Security Operations Center (SOC) analysis. I'm not starting from zero — I'm building on 20 years of foundation.
Building a security operations lab using VirtualBox, ELK Stack, and open-source SIEM tools. Documented every step for other IT pros.
Applying my network admin experience to threat detection. How do you spot malicious DNS traffic? What do failed authentication patterns look like?
Studying for CompTIA Security+ and CySA+ certifications. Sharing study strategies and resources that actually help.
For other IT veterans considering the security leap: what's transferable, what you need to learn fresh, and how to position your experience.
My Current Focus
Right now, I'm targeting remote Tier 1 SOC Analyst positions. My immediate learning priorities:
| Skill | Why It Matters | My Status |
|---|---|---|
| SIEM Fundamentals | The heart of SOC work — log aggregation and analysis | Building ELK stack lab |
| Threat Intelligence | Understanding IOCs and attacker TTPs | Weekly research on MITRE ATT&CK framework |
| Incident Response | From my IT troubleshooting background | Documenting playbooks for common scenarios |
| Network Security Monitoring | Leveraging my traffic analysis experience | Practicing with Wireshark and Zeek |
Kali is still downloading. But I just captured 396 packets of live network traffic — and finally understood why SOC analysts need both patience and curiosity.
From Error to Data
An hour ago: "Permission denied" trying to run Wireshark.
Now: 396 packets captured from interface enp0s31f6.
The fix was simple Linux permissions:
sudo setcap cap_net_raw,cap_net_admin=eip /usr/bin/dumpcap
The result is a window into everything my machine is doing behind the scenes.
What 60 Seconds of Traffic Revealed
Without filtering: Chaos. MDNS broadcasts, TLS handshakes, TCP acknowledgments — hundreds of conversations happening simultaneously.
With filters: Patterns emerge.
| Filter | Result | Insight |
|---|---|---|
dns |
12 queries | My machine constantly looks up domains |
tls |
8 handshakes | Every HTTPS site negotiates encryption |
tcp.port == 443 |
23 connections | Port 443 dominates modern traffic |
ip.addr == 192.168.5.30 |
All my traffic | Source IP verification |
Key Observations
- MDNS Traffic (Local Network): Constant chatter between devices. Hostnames visible. Security note: This is how attackers map your internal network.
- Encrypted Traffic (TLS 1.2): Port 443 connections. Handshake visible, payload encrypted. Security note: Even "secure" traffic reveals metadata.
- My IP Address: 192.168.5.30 — every packet ties back to this source. Security note: Source IP analysis is fundamental to threat hunting.
The SOC Analyst Mindset
Security analysis asks: "What is it actually doing?"
Same tools. Different questions. Better outcomes.
Next step: Once Kali Linux finishes installing, I'll generate "attack" traffic — port scans, brute force attempts — and compare it against this baseline.
— Danovis Pooler, Oakland, CA
The screen split tells the whole story. Left: Kali Linux launching a port scan. Right: Wireshark capturing every packet. For the first time, I watched an "attack" happen from both sides simultaneously.
The Scenario
| Attacker: | Kali Linux VM (10.0.2.15) |
| Tool: | Nmap 7.98 (nmap -sS 10.0.2.15) |
| Target: | Self-scan (safe, legal, educational) |
| Detection: | Wireshark on Linux Mint host |
| Result: | 331 packets captured in real-time |
What the Scan Looked Like
In Kali (The Offense):
Nmap scan report for 10.0.2.15
Host is up (0.0000040s latency).
All 1000 scanned ports on 10.0.2.15 are in ignored states
Translation: 1000 ports probed in 203.68 seconds. All closed or filtered.
In Wireshark (The Defense):
- 331 packets captured
- Source IP 10.0.2.15 visible
- Multiple destination ports
- TCP SYN → RST patterns (stealth scan signature)
Key Detection Insights
| Observation | Technical Detail | Security Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Rapid sequential connections | 1000 ports in ~200 seconds | Automated, not human browsing |
| SYN-only packets | No full handshakes | "Stealth" scan trying to avoid logs |
| RST responses | Target rejecting connections | Host is alive but ports closed |
| Consistent source IP | 10.0.2.15 throughout | Clear attribution possible |
The SOC Analyst Moment
Twenty years of network troubleshooting taught me to read packet traces. But this was different — I wasn't fixing a problem. I was witnessing an intentional probe.
- Normal browsing: Random ports, full handshakes, human timing
- Port scanning: Sequential ports, SYN-only, machine speed
- This scan: 1000 connection attempts in 3.5 minutes
Lab Environment
| Component | Specification |
|---|---|
| Virtualization | VirtualBox on Linux Mint |
| Attacker VM | Kali Linux 2026.1 (10.0.2.15) |
| Scan type | SYN stealth scan (-sS) |
| Ports tested | 1000 common TCP ports |
| Detection tool | Wireshark 4.2.2 |
| Packets captured | 331 |
| Analysis host | Linux Mint (enp0s31f6 interface) |
Next: External Scanning — Configuring cross-VM networking to scan from Kali toward my Mint host.
— Danovis Pooler
Scanning yourself is educational. Scanning across a network is realistic.
This week, I'm configuring my first cross-VM attack scenario — adding a Host-Only network adapter to create a true segmented network between Kali and my Mint host.
What I'll Demonstrate
- VirtualBox network segmentation (NAT vs. Host-Only)
- Lateral movement simulation
- Detection from the "target" perspective
- Clear attacker attribution via distinct source IPs
Follow along as I build a complete virtual SOC lab from my apartment in Oakland — no server rack required.
