No Password Required Breakout Room with Fagan Afandiyev

No Password Required Breakout Room with Fagan Afandiyev

From No Password Required by Cyber Florida

April 21, 2026 · 20 min

About this episode

Fagan Afandiyev discusses his journey in cybersecurity, highlighting the importance of competitions and community in his growth.

Fagan Afandiyev — Elite Cybersecurity Competitor and Legendary Whitehatter No Password Required: Breakout Room: Episode 1 — Fagan Afandiyev Fagan Afandiyev is a cybersecurity student at the University of South Florida and a member of the CyberHerd competition team, known for his strategic mindset and passion for solving complex challenges. From competing in international robotics competitions to discovering cybersecurity through hands-on platforms, Fagan has built his skills through curiosity, persistence, and a love for problem solving. Fagan shares how competitions, community, and continuous learning shaped his journey into cybersecurity. He walks through his growth within USF’s cyber community, and how that led to a penetration testing internship at Microsoft. He also offers insight into the mindset needed to succeed in cybersecurity, encouraging others to embrace challenges, learn through failure, and find enjoyment in the process. Follow Fagan on Linked in here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fagan-afandi/ Presented by ThreatLocker

People in this episode

Guest: Fagan Afandiyev

Topics covered

  • cybersecurity
  • competitions
  • penetration testing
  • community
  • continuous learning

Keywords

  • University of South Florida
  • CyberHerd
  • Microsoft
  • problem solving

Sponsors

ThreatLocker

Mentioned in this episode

Products: Microsoft

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