Cyber Expert Exudes Calm in Frenetic Cybersecurity Domain

Cybersecurity can be physically and emotionally taxing. With strained eyes and hunched backs, some practitioners work around the clock examining myriad lines of code. Their goal? The near impossible task of defending against adversaries, who are constantly evolving their tactics and looking to exploit vulnerabilities. 

Burnout has become so common that last fall at ATT&CKcon 6.0 — an annual MITRE event convening community around the well-used resource — cybersecurity leader Lillian Teng centered her keynote address on mental health. Show up for yourself so you can show up for others, she encouraged. 

The sentiment echoes Suneel Sundar's personal and professional philosophy. And, having been in the field for more than 20 years — 11 at MITRE — he's intimately familiar with cybersecurity's formidable threat landscape. 

Bringing Cybersecurity R&D to the World

Sundar is director of research and development at MITRE's Center for Threat-Informed Defense (CTID), a collaborative comprised of security teams from 30 private sector organizations, including non-profits and Fortune 50 companies, who publish research that enhances industry practice and tools. 

"Our core mission is applying a deep understanding of adversary tradecraft and techniques to current operational problems," he explains. "We're trying to cultivate solutions for a safer world." 

At any given time, the Center is working on a variety of projects alongside its members with the explicit goal of creating stronger defenses against increasingly bold and destructive adversaries.

Sundar is constantly impressed by the dedication demonstrated by industry and their passion for building a stronger cyber community through joint research. By actively contributing to the development of collaborative defenses, CTID members benefit from early access to resources that bolster attack detection, prevention, and response.

"Our partners are enthusiastic about working with MITRE," he says. "We're motivated to share our results with the world." 

MITRE's unique mission to create open-source cyber tools and methodologies for the public interest is what brought Sundar to MITRE in the first place, and it's what keeps him here now. 

Choosing Your Own MITRE Adventure 

In addition to his current role in CTID, Sundar helped create other cyber opportunities at MITRE. Sundar is one of the founders of MITRE's popular Cyber New Professionals (CNP) program — a two-year rotation offering early-careerists the opportunity to broaden their definition of cyber work while networking with peers and mentors.

The idea was inspired by a memorable experience he had working in a rotational program at the National Security Agency. "Circulating skills and knowledge across domains creates synergy," Sundar says, adding to both individual career advancements and stronger enterprise-wide capabilities for advancing sponsor missions. 

As the cyber field faces a growing capacity gap, CNP is an especially important mechanism for growing the pool of cyber talent and developing and sharing skill sets. 

Showing Up for Each Other

To help fight off the effects of work stress so common among cyber professionals, Sundar, a certified yoga instructor in his personal time, invites coworkers in meetings to express one personal and professional thing they’re grateful for. 

"The question is an amazing way to get people to say what they're actually proud of and what their priorities are," he explains. 

For her part, Leslie Anderson, head of MITRE's threat-informed defense programs, is proud to work alongside Sundar, who she calls "one of those rare colleagues, generous with time and spirit, who elevates everyone around them."