Cyber Security Expert | Cloud Security Engineer | AWS Community Builder

Senior Cyber Security Specialist with over 5 years of comprehensive experience securing enterprise cloud infrastructure across AWS, Azure, and GCP platforms. Demonstrated expertise in offensive and defensive security operations, threat intelligence analysis, incident response coordination, and regulatory compliance management.

Security Operations

• Cloud Security Architecture
• Security Operations Center (SOC) Management
• Threat Hunting & Intelligence Analysis
• Security Information & Event Management (SIEM)

Offensive Security

• Penetration Testing & Vulnerability Assessment
• Red Team Operations
• Web Application Security Testing
• Network Security Assessment

Governance & Compliance

• Identity & Access Management (IAM)
• Compliance Frameworks (PCI-DSS, SOC2, ISO 27001)
• Risk Assessment & Management
• Security Policy Development

Technical Capabilities

• Security Automation & Orchestration (SOAR)
• Cryptography & Public Key Infrastructure (PKI)
• Network Security & Firewall Management
• Application Security & Secure Development

Operating Systems Proficiency

• Windows Server (2012-2022), Windows 10/11
• Linux Distributions: RHEL, Ubuntu, CentOS, Kali Linux
• macOS security hardening and administration

Network Infrastructure

• Deep understanding of OSI Model and TCP/IP protocol suite
• Advanced subnetting, VLAN configuration, and VPN implementation
• Protocol expertise: HTTP/HTTPS, DNS, FTP, SSH, SMTP, SSL/TLS, IPSec
• Network hardware: NAS, SAN, enterprise firewalls, IDS/IPS systems

SIEM & Log Management

• Platform expertise: Splunk Enterprise Security, AWS Security Hub, Azure Sentinel
• ELK Stack deployment and custom dashboard development
• Centralized log aggregation: CloudTrail, Syslog, Windows Event Logs
• Custom correlation rule development and alert tuning

Threat Detection & Response

• Advanced threat detection using AWS GuardDuty and custom signatures
• Endpoint Detection & Response (EDR/XDR) implementation
• YARA and Sigma rule development
• NIST-based incident response framework implementation

Vulnerability Assessment

• Enterprise scanning: Nessus Professional, OpenVAS, Qualys, AWS Inspector
• Continuous vulnerability management programs
• Risk-based vulnerability prioritization
• Remediation tracking and validation

Penetration Testing Capabilities

• Network penetration testing and exploitation
• Web application security assessment (OWASP Top 10)
• API security testing and authentication bypass techniques
• Wireless network security testing
• Social engineering and phishing campaign execution

Security Tools Proficiency

• Metasploit Framework for exploitation and post-exploitation
• Burp Suite Professional for web application testing
• OWASP ZAP for automated security scanning
• Nmap for network discovery and security auditing

AWS Security Services

• Security Hub for centralized security management
• GuardDuty for threat detection
• IAM for identity and access control
• AWS Key Management Service (KMS) for encryption
• Web Application Firewall (WAF) and AWS Shield for DDoS protection
• Amazon Macie for data discovery and protection
• AWS Detective for security investigation

Azure Security Platform

• Microsoft Defender for Cloud
• Azure Sentinel for SIEM and SOAR
• Azure Key Vault for secrets management
• Azure Policy for compliance enforcement
• Azure Monitor for security monitoring

Google Cloud Platform Security

• Security Command Center
• Cloud Armor for DDoS protection
• Cloud IAM and Identity-Aware Proxy
• Cloud Key Management Service

Cloud Infrastructure Security

• Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) design and segmentation
• Security groups and network access control lists
• Private network connectivity (AWS PrivateLink, Azure Private Link)
• Zero Trust network architecture implementation

Identity & Access Management

• Multi-factor authentication (MFA) enforcement
• Single Sign-On (SSO) with SAML and OAuth protocols
• Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) design
• Attribute-Based Access Control (ABAC) implementation
• Privileged Access Management (PAM)

Data Protection

• Encryption at rest and in transit implementation
• Data Loss Prevention (DLP) policies
• Secrets management best practices
• Database security and encryption

Regulatory Frameworks

• PCI-DSS: Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard
• SOC 2: Service Organization Control 2
• ISO 27001: Information Security Management
• HIPAA: Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act
• GDPR: General Data Protection Regulation
• NIST Cybersecurity Framework
• CIS Benchmarks implementation

Risk Management

• Enterprise risk assessments and threat modeling
• Business impact analysis
• Control effectiveness testing
• Third-party risk assessment

Compliance Automation

• AWS Config for continuous compliance monitoring
• Azure Policy for governance enforcement
• Automated evidence collection and reporting
• Compliance-as-Code implementation

Security Testing & Exploitation

• Operating Systems: Kali Linux, Parrot OS, BlackArch Linux
• Exploitation Frameworks: Metasploit Framework, Exploit-DB
• Web Testing: Burp Suite Professional, OWASP ZAP, Nikto
• Network Analysis: Wireshark, tcpdump, Nmap, Masscan

Vulnerability Management

• Enterprise Scanners: Nessus Professional, Qualys VMDR, Rapid7 InsightVM
• Cloud-Native: AWS Inspector, Azure Defender for Cloud
• Container Security: Trivy, Clair, Anchore

SIEM & Security Analytics

• Splunk Enterprise Security
• ELK Stack (Elasticsearch, Logstash, Kibana)
• AWS Security Hub
• Azure Sentinel

Digital Forensics & Incident Response

• Autopsy Digital Forensics Platform
• Volatility Framework for memory analysis
• FTK Imager for disk imaging
• The Sleuth Kit for file system analysis
• EnCase Forensic

Automation & Scripting

• Python for security automation and tool development
• PowerShell for Windows security and automation
• Bash scripting for Linux hardening
• Terraform for security-as-code infrastructure

Encryption Standards

• Symmetric: AES-256, ChaCha20
• Asymmetric: RSA-4096, Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC)
• Quantum-resistant cryptography awareness

Cryptographic Hash Functions

• SHA-256, SHA-3
• bcrypt and Argon2 for password hashing
• HMAC for message authentication

Digital Signatures & Certificates

• X.509 certificate management
• PGP/GPG for email encryption
• Code signing certificates
• Certificate Authority (CA) operations

Key Management

• AWS Key Management Service (KMS)
• Azure Key Vault
• HashiCorp Vault
• Hardware Security Modules (HSM) integration
• PKCS#11 cryptographic token interface

In Progress

• AWS Certified Security - Specialty (Target: Q1 2026)
• Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH)
• Offensive Security Certified Professional (OSCP)

Planned Certifications

• CompTIA Security+
• GIAC Security Essentials (GSEC)
• Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)

• AWS Security Fundamentals
• Cloud Security Architecture Design
• OWASP Top 10 Web Application Security Risks
• Incident Response & Digital Forensics
• Penetration Testing with Kali Linux
• Threat Hunting Fundamentals

Primary Languages

• Python: Security automation, tool development, API integration
• PowerShell: Windows security automation, Active Directory management
• Bash: Linux system hardening, incident response automation
• JavaScript: Web application security testing, Node.js security

Security Automation Frameworks

• Python libraries: boto3 (AWS SDK), requests, paramiko, scapy
• PowerShell modules: SecurityPolicy, ActiveDirectory, AzureAD
• Infrastructure as Code: Terraform, AWS CloudFormation, Ansible

Amazon Web Services (AWS)

• Expertise Level: Advanced
• Security Services: Full suite proficiency
• Certifications: AWS Security Specialty (in progress)

Microsoft Azure

• Expertise Level: Intermediate
• Security Services: Defender for Cloud, Sentinel, Key Vault
• Focus Areas: Hybrid cloud security

Google Cloud Platform (GCP)

• Expertise Level: Intermediate
• Security Services: Security Command Center, Cloud Armor
• Focus Areas: Multi-cloud security integration

Infrastructure as Code

• Terraform for multi-cloud security infrastructure
• AWS CloudFormation for AWS-specific deployments
• Ansible for configuration management and security hardening

Container & Orchestration

• Docker container security and hardening
• Kubernetes security configuration (RBAC, Network Policies, Pod Security)
• Container image scanning and vulnerability management

Operating Systems

• Linux: Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Ubuntu, CentOS, Kali Linux
• Windows: Server 2012-2022, Windows 10/11
• Hardening: CIS benchmarks implementation for all platforms

SIEM & Security Analytics

• Splunk Enterprise Security: Advanced querying, dashboard creation, correlation rules
• ELK Stack: Full deployment, custom parsers, visualization
• AWS Security Hub: Multi-account aggregation, custom insights

Vulnerability Assessment & Penetration Testing

• Burp Suite Professional: Web application testing, custom extensions
• Metasploit Framework: Exploitation, payload generation, post-exploitation
• Nmap: Network discovery, service enumeration, NSE scripting
• OWASP ZAP: Automated scanning, authentication testing

Identity & Access Management

• Okta: SSO configuration, MFA policies, lifecycle management
• Azure Active Directory: Conditional access, identity protection
• AWS IAM Identity Center: Multi-account access management

Project Overview Designed and implemented comprehensive security architecture for multi-account AWS environment supporting 200+ production accounts across development, staging, and production environments.

Key Achievements

• Implemented automated security baseline deployment using Terraform
• Designed Zero Trust network architecture with micro-segmentation
• Automated compliance validation against CIS AWS Foundations Benchmark
• Achieved 99.9% threat detection rate through custom GuardDuty rules

Technical Implementation

• Infrastructure as Code: Terraform modules for security controls
• Security Services: AWS Organizations, Security Hub, GuardDuty, Config
• Automation: Python Lambda functions for automated remediation
• Monitoring: CloudWatch, EventBridge for real-time alerting

Business Impact

• 85% reduction in security incidents year-over-year
• Automated compliance reporting saving 200+ hours monthly
• Zero successful external breaches post-implementation

View Project Documentation

Project Overview Built centralized Security Operations Center infrastructure aggregating security events from AWS, Azure, and GCP environments into unified SIEM platform.

Architecture Components

• Log aggregation from multi-cloud sources
• Custom detection rules for cloud-specific threats
• Automated incident response playbooks using SOAR
• Real-time threat intelligence feed integration

Technical Stack

• SIEM: AWS Security Hub with custom Lambda processors
• Automation: EventBridge rules, Step Functions workflows
• Storage: S3 for long-term log retention, Athena for queries
• Visualization: QuickSight dashboards for security metrics

Results

• 60% reduction in Mean Time to Detect (MTTD)
• 40% reduction in Mean Time to Respond (MTTR)
• Automated triage of 95% of low-severity alerts
• Comprehensive audit trail for compliance requirements

View Case Study

Project Overview Implemented continuous vulnerability assessment pipeline integrated with CI/CD workflows for shift-left security approach.

Key Features

• Automated vulnerability scanning across all infrastructure layers
• Risk-based prioritization engine for remediation
• Integration with development workflows (GitHub Actions, GitLab CI)
• Automated compliance reporting for multiple frameworks

Technical Implementation

• Scanners: AWS Inspector, Nessus, Trivy for containers
• Orchestration: GitHub Actions for CI/CD integration
• Tracking: Jira integration for remediation workflows
• Reporting: Automated PDF generation for compliance evidence

Security Impact

• 95% reduction in high-severity vulnerabilities within 6 months
• Average remediation time reduced from 45 days to 7 days
• Zero critical vulnerabilities in production environment
• Automated evidence collection for SOC 2 compliance

Project Overview Deployed production-grade n8n workflow automation platform on AWS EKS with enterprise security controls and hardening.

Security Implementation

• Network isolation using private subnets and security groups
• Encryption at rest (EBS volumes) and in transit (TLS 1.3)
• IAM Roles for Service Accounts (IRSA) for least-privilege access
• Secrets management using AWS Secrets Manager
• Container image scanning in CI/CD pipeline

Kubernetes Security

• RBAC policies for fine-grained access control
• Pod Security Standards (restricted profile)
• Network policies for pod-to-pod communication
• Regular security patching and updates

Business Value

• 40% reduction in manual security operations tasks
• Automated incident response workflows
• Integration with security tools (SIEM, ticketing, threat intelligence)
• Zero security incidents in 12 months of operation

View Project

HackTheBox

• Completed 50+ retired machines
• Focus areas: Web application exploitation, privilege escalation, Active Directory attacks

TryHackMe

• Achievement: Top 5% global ranking
• Completed learning paths: Offensive Pentesting, Cyber Defense, Complete Beginner

VulnHub

• Practice vulnerable VMs for exploitation techniques
• Focus: OSCP preparation, real-world scenarios

picoCTF

• Participated in annual competitions
• Mentoring beginners in cryptography and web exploitation challenges

OverTheWire Wargames

• Completed: Bandit, Natas, Leviathan series
• Advanced challenges: Narnia, Behemoth

• Participated in 10+ international CTF competitions
• Created custom security challenges for local community events
• Regular contributor to CTF writeups and solution documentation

AWS Community Builder Program

• Track: Cloud Security
• Role: Technical content creator and community mentor
• Contributions: Security best practices, architecture patterns

Viet AWS & AWS Study Group

• Position: Co-Founder and Technical Lead
• Members: 500+ active cloud and security professionals
• Activities: Monthly workshops, hands-on labs, certification preparation

Mentorship & Education

• Mentored 100+ aspiring security engineers
• Delivered 200+ technical workshops and presentations
• Topics: Cloud security, penetration testing, incident response, compliance

Workshop Topics

• Cloud Security Architecture Best Practices
• Threat Detection and Incident Response in AWS
• Automated Compliance Management (PCI-DSS, ISO 27001)
• Secure DevOps and CI/CD Pipeline Security
• Container and Kubernetes Security Hardening
• Zero Trust Architecture Implementation

Community Contributions

• Regular security blog posts and technical articles
• Open-source security tool contributions
• CTF challenge creation for community events
• Security training material development

Zero Trust Architecture Implementation of BeyondCorp principles for enterprise environments, focusing on identity-centric security and continuous verification.

AI/ML for Security Operations Leveraging machine learning for anomaly detection, threat prediction, and automated security analysis at scale.

Multi-Cloud Security Posture Management Developing unified security frameworks across AWS, Azure, and GCP for consistent security controls and compliance.

Advanced Threat Hunting Proactive threat identification using threat intelligence, behavioral analytics, and hypothesis-driven investigation.

Purple Team Operations Combining offensive (red team) and defensive (blue team) security methodologies for comprehensive security validation.

Cloud-Native Application Security Security architecture for containerized applications, serverless computing, and microservices architectures.

Areas of Active Collaboration

Cloud Security Architecture Design and implementation of enterprise-grade cloud security solutions with focus on automation and scalability.

Threat Detection & Hunting Development of advanced threat detection frameworks and proactive hunting methodologies.

Security Automation & SOAR Building security orchestration platforms for automated incident response and security operations.

Security Education & Training Creating educational content, conducting workshops, and mentoring next-generation security professionals.

Open-Source Security Tools Contributing to open-source security projects and developing community-focused security solutions.

Email: khavan.work@gmail.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/vanhoangkha
Twitter: @WorkKhavan
Website: vanhoangkha.github.io
Portfolio: Security Projects & Case Studies

Open Source Contributions

• 18 stars: AWS First Cloud Journey (45,000+ learners reached)
• 16 stars: n8n on AWS EKS (Production security implementation)
• 11 stars: AWS Security Best Practices Guide
• 6 stars: Event Security Operations Handbook

Professional Impact

• 200+ AWS accounts secured with automated security controls
• 99.9% threat detection rate in production environments
• 85% reduction in security incidents post-implementation
• $2M+ annual cost savings through security automation
• 45,000+ professionals trained through security workshops and programs