Chris Murphy, CISSP, CCNP
I’m a cybersecurity and network engineering professional with extensive experience supporting mission-critical federal IT environments, including security operations, incident response, enterprise network operations, and major incident management for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
I specialize in coordinating high-impact incidents across technical teams, investigating complex security and network issues, managing escalations, and restoring critical services. My background combines hands-on network and security operations with incident leadership, root cause analysis, and cross-functional stakeholder communication.
I hold CISSP and Cisco CCNP certifications, with experience across technologies including Splunk, CrowdStrike, Microsoft Defender, Fortinet, Zscaler, and enterprise Cisco networking.
I’m particularly interested in senior incident response, CSIRT, security operations, network engineering, and cybersecurity opportunities where I can combine technical problem-solving with incident leadership and operational improvement.
CDC Security and Network Operations
Currently, I work as a Cyber Security Analyst / Major Incident Manager supporting the CDC in a 24/7 hybrid NOSC/SOC environment. My day-to-day work connects network monitoring, security operations, alert triage, phishing analysis, and escalation management. The issues range from failed logins, phishing submissions, suspicious endpoint activity, and firewall events to DDoS activity, connectivity loss, and major outages.
Incident Coordination
A big part of my value is judgment: deciding whether an alert is noise, a ticket, an escalation, or the beginning of a coordinated response. I investigate and document findings, manage tickets and conference bridges, and keep technical teams and federal stakeholders informed as the response develops. After service is restored, I help turn what we learned into root cause analysis, after-action reports, runbooks, and clearer procedures for the next incident.
Leadership and Network Engineering
I’ve managed and led a technical team of 12, coordinating priorities, supporting day-to-day operations, and helping teammates succeed. I like leading from the middle: translating ambiguity into action and making sure both the technical details and the human side of operations are handled well.
Before moving deeper into cybersecurity operations, I built my career across network engineering, Windows administration, monitoring operations, technical project management, and infrastructure deployments. At Trextel, I delivered a $20M dual-cellular network deployment across 7,000+ retail sites and 21,000+ endpoints, contributing to a $25M follow-on expansion. I also built and maintained a network-management platform and automated deployment and maintenance workflows with PowerShell and AutoHotKey.
Projects, Tools, and Curiosity
I like building things because building is how I learn.
This site includes small browser-based games and interactive tools I created or adapted to practice skills and share useful learning experiences with others. Some of them are intentionally simple, but they reflect how I like to approach learning: make it interactive, make it repeatable, and make it just engaging enough that practice becomes easier.
Some tools I've made, featured on this site:
- Tape Measure Fraction Practice: a game for practicing imperial fractions, conversions, ordering, and arithmetic. I originally built it while renovating yet another bathroom for my mom. Between measuring and cutting porcelain tile, plywood, and pipes, I realized I was rustier with fractional math than I used to be. As much as I love my metric tape measure, most of our tools and materials are in imperial. This project helps keep those fraction skills quick and sharp while also giving other people a way to practice.
- Morse Code Trainer: an interactive Morse practice tool with audio, timing, and live decoding feedback. I kept seeing a Morse code training card on TikTok and thought it looked like a fun idea, so I decided to build my own version instead. The result is completely free and includes several features the original card doesn't have. Along with standard Morse practice, I added a streak mode that challenges you to correctly enter specific letters, a WPM mode for speed training, and a variety of other enhancements designed to make learning Morse more engaging and customizable.
- Ouroboros: a multiplication game inspired by a math game I used to play in school as a kid. The original only existed on Windows 98 and was Wild West Math's "Buckin' Bronco" game. I set out to recreate the feeling of racing against the clock under pressure, but ended up changing quite a bit along the way. The circular game board, streak mechanics, scoring system, and overall presentation are my own additions, while the core idea of answering multiplication problems quickly before the pressure catches up comes from that childhood memory.
- Humble Choice Steam Redemption Automation: a supervised Playwright automation project that removes repetitive browser clicking while keeping the user in control. The project uses browser automation to navigate Humble Bundle's redemption workflow, identify unclaimed keys, and step through the redemption process while still requiring user oversight at key decision points. What started as a way to save myself from hundreds of repetitive clicks became another example of a mindset I apply almost everywhere: if I find myself doing the same task repeatedly, I start thinking about whether it can be automated, simplified, or made more reliable.
That approach carries over into my professional work as well. Whether I'm writing PowerShell scripts, building small utilities, creating browser automations, improving workflows, or finding ways to reduce operational friction, I enjoy using technology to eliminate repetitive work so people can spend more time solving problems that actually require human judgment. The technical challenge is often interesting, but what really motivates me is building systems that are efficient, repeatable, and less prone to human error.
The Humble automation project is a good example of how I think about technology and trust. It automates a boring task, but because it touches real user accounts, the article is written with transparency first: read the source, understand what it does, copy the files yourself if you prefer, but do not blindly trust code from a stranger on the internet.
That mindset comes directly from working in cybersecurity. Useful automation should reduce friction without hiding risk.
Outside of Work
I’m an electronics nerd, a tinkerer, and a hands-on builder.
I’ve built and modified 3D printers, including a recent scratch-built machine, and I currently have more printers than any reasonable person should probably admit to owning. I’ve been building, soldering, repairing, and flying FPV drones for about a decade. I enjoy working with Raspberry Pis, Arduinos, ESP32s, sensors, firmware, mechanical keyboards, embedded-style projects, and anything that lets software meet the physical world.
That curiosity is part of my professional identity too. I like learning new systems, understanding how things fail, and turning rough knowledge into something useful for a team.
How I Work
I care about being technically useful, but I care just as much about being easy to work with. I want the work to be done well, the team to be stronger, and the people depending on us to feel like someone competent is paying attention.
If you want someone who can understand a network issue, coordinate the response, explain what happened, build a tool to make the next response easier, and still get excited about soldering an ESP32 project after work, that’s where I fit best.
Whether it's cybersecurity, network engineering, incident response, automation, or building something from scratch, I’m always interested in solving meaningful problems and learning from smart people. Take a look at my resume, explore my projects and games, and get in touch if you'd like to work together.
