I loaded 109,864 events into Splunk and went hunting for the noisiest host on the network. My first query found a suspect. My next two proved it innocent — and somewhere in the middle I realized I'd been writing this query language for ten years without knowing its name.

I set out to install Splunk Free and write a tidy walkthrough. Instead I hit four errors, discovered the tutorial was built for a machine that isn't mine, and had to force-restart my laptop — and learned more than a clean install ever would have taught me.

I finally opened TryHackMe — and Module 1 hit differently than I expected. Three rooms, one mystery chest, and a data analyst moment I didn't see coming. Here's what I found in Offensive Security, Defensive Security, and Search Skills through a data analyst's eyes.