Rawan Alfarraj
Cybersecurity Specialist — Security Testing & Vulnerability Management
National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) • Kuwait City, Kuwait

Cybersecurity professional with over 3 years of progressive experience at the National Bank of Kuwait, advancing from SOC operations to a specialized role in Security Testing and Vulnerability Management. Proven expertise in SIEM-based threat analysis, phishing awareness campaigns, insider threat investigations, and CIS Benchmark audits. Skilled in leveraging AI to build intelligent dashboards for real-time security metrics, compliance tracking, and executive reporting. Committed to continuous professional development, actively pursuing new tools, techniques, and certifications to stay ahead of evolving threats. Recognized winner of Zain's '50 Women in Cybersecurity' Challenge.

Professional Experience
Cybersecurity Specialist — Security Testing & VM Mar 2023 — Present
National Bank of Kuwait (NBK), Kuwait City
  • Architected and delivered phishing simulations and security awareness programs for 3,000+ employees and customers, measurably reducing click-through rates quarter over quarter
  • Built AI-powered compliance dashboards with real-time KPI visualization, enabling leadership to track security posture across all business units at a glance
  • Conducted insider threat investigations using SIEM platforms, focusing on exit-risk behavioral analysis and anomaly detection patterns
  • Led end-to-end vulnerability assessments across network infrastructure, IoT devices, and enterprise database systems
  • Executed CIS Benchmark audits on Windows, Linux, and Solaris environments; produced actionable remediation roadmaps for cross-functional IT teams
  • Managed internal and external security audit cycles, coordinating corrective controls and ensuring regulatory compliance across departments
  • Developed automated tracking systems for compliance monitoring and quantifying security training effectiveness
Winner — Zain's '50 Women in Cybersecurity' Challenge
Education
Bachelor of Computer Engineering 2018 — 2022
Kuwait College of Science and Technology (KCST)
GPA: 3.60 / 4.00
Publication

B. Alothman, A. Alhajraf, R. Alajmi, R. Al Farraj, N. Alshareef, M. Khan. "Developing a Cyber Incident Exercises Model to Educate Security Teams." Electronics, 2022; 11(10):1575.
doi.org/10.3390/electronics11101575

Conferences & Activities
Conference — Black Hat Middle East & Africa, Riyadh (Nov 2023)
Competition — Capture The Flag (CTF) Participant, Kuwait
Capstone — Cyber Incident Exercises Model to Educate Security Teams