Senior SecOps engineer skill for application security

Senior SecOps Engineer

Complete toolkit for Security Operations including vulnerability management, compliance verification, secure coding practices, and security automation.

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Table of Contents

• Core Capabilities
• Workflows
• Tool Reference
• Security Standards
• Compliance Frameworks
• Best Practices

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Core Capabilities

1. Security Scanner

Scan source code for security vulnerabilities including hardcoded secrets, SQL injection, XSS, command injection, and path traversal.

# Scan project for security issues
python scripts/security_scanner.py /path/to/project

# Filter by severity
python scripts/security_scanner.py /path/to/project --severity high

# JSON output for CI/CD
python scripts/security_scanner.py /path/to/project --json --output report.json

Detects:

• Hardcoded secrets (API keys, passwords, AWS credentials, GitHub tokens, private keys)
• SQL injection patterns (string concatenation, f-strings, template literals)
• XSS vulnerabilities (innerHTML assignment, unsafe DOM manipulation, React unsafe patterns)
• Command injection (shell=True, exec, eval with user input)
• Path traversal (file operations with user input)

2. Vulnerability Assessor

Scan dependencies for known CVEs across npm, Python, and Go ecosystems.

# Assess project dependencies
python scripts/vulnerability_assessor.py /path/to/project

# Critical/high only
python scripts/vulnerability_assessor.py /path/to/project --severity high

# Export vulnerability report
python scripts/vulnerability_assessor.py /path/to/project --json --output vulns.json

Scans:

• package.json and package-lock.json (npm)
• requirements.txt and pyproject.toml (Python)
• go.mod (Go)

Output:

• CVE IDs with CVSS scores
• Affected package versions
• Fixed versions for remediation
• Overall risk score (0-100)

3. Compliance Checker

Verify security compliance against SOC 2, PCI-DSS, HIPAA, and GDPR frameworks.

# Check all frameworks
python scripts/compliance_checker.py /path/to/project

# Specific framework
python scripts/compliance_checker.py /path/to/project --framework soc2
python scripts/compliance_checker.py /path/to/project --framework pci-dss
python scripts/compliance_checker.py /path/to/project --framework hipaa
python scripts/compliance_checker.py /path/to/project --framework gdpr

# Export compliance report
python scripts/compliance_checker.py /path/to/project --json --output compliance.json

Verifies:

• Access control implementation
• Encryption at rest and in transit
• Audit logging
• Authentication strength (MFA, password hashing)
• Security documentation
• CI/CD security controls

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Workflows

Workflow 1: Security Audit

Complete security assessment of a codebase.

# Step 1: Scan for code vulnerabilities
python scripts/security_scanner.py . --severity medium
# STOP if exit code 2 — resolve critical findings before continuing

# Step 2: Check dependency vulnerabilities
python scripts/vulnerability_assessor.py . --severity high
# STOP if exit code 2 — patch critical CVEs before continuing

# Step 3: Verify compliance controls
python scripts/compliance_checker.py . --framework all
# STOP if exit code 2 — address critical gaps before proceeding

# Step 4: Generate combined reports
python scripts/security_scanner.py . --json --output security.json
python scripts/vulnerability_assessor.py . --json --output vulns.json
python scripts/compliance_checker.py . --json --output compliance.json

Workflow 2: CI/CD Security Gate

Integrate security checks into deployment pipeline.

# .github/workflows/security.yml
name: "security-scan"

on:
  pull_request:
    branches: [main, develop]

jobs:
  security-scan:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4

      - name: "set-up-python"
        uses: actions/setup-python@v5
        with:
          python-version: '3.11'

      - name: "security-scanner"
        run: python scripts/security_scanner.py . --severity high

      - name: "vulnerability-assessment"
        run: python scripts/vulnerability_assessor.py . --severity critical

      - name: "compliance-check"
        run: python scripts/compliance_checker.py . --framework soc2

Each step fails the pipeline on its respective exit code — no deployment proceeds past a critical finding.

Workflow 3: CVE Triage

Respond to a new CVE affecting your application.

1. ASSESS (0-2 hours)
   - Identify affected systems using vulnerability_assessor.py
   - Check if CVE is being actively exploited
   - Determine CVSS environmental score for your context
   - STOP if CVSS 9.0+ on internet-facing system — escalate immediately

2. PRIORITIZE
   - Critical (CVSS 9.0+, internet-facing): 24 hours
   - High (CVSS 7.0-8.9): 7 days
   - Medium (CVSS 4.0-6.9): 30 days
   - Low (CVSS < 4.0): 90 days

3. REMEDIATE
   - Update affected dependency to fixed version
   - Run security_scanner.py to verify fix (must return exit code 0)
   - STOP if scanner still flags the CVE — do not deploy
   - Test for regressions
   - Deploy with enhanced monitoring

4. VERIFY
   - Re-run vulnerability_assessor.py
   - Confirm CVE no longer reported
   - Document remediation actions

Workflow 4: Incident Response

Security incident handling procedure.

PHASE 1: DETECT & IDENTIFY (0-15 min)
- Alert received and acknowledged
- Initial severity assessment (SEV-1 to SEV-4)
- Incident commander assigned
- Communication channel established

PHASE 2: CONTAIN (15-60 min)
- Affected systems identified
- Network isolation if needed
- Credentials rotated if compromised
- Preserve evidence (logs, memory dumps)

PHASE 3: ERADICATE (1-4 hours)
- Root cause identified
- Malware/backdoors removed
- Vulnerabilities patched (run security_scanner.py; must return exit code 0)
- Systems hardened

PHASE 4: RECOVER (4-24 hours)
- Systems restored from clean backup
- Services brought back online
- Enhanced monitoring enabled
- User access restored

PHASE 5: POST-INCIDENT (24-72 hours)
- Incident timeline documented
- Root cause analysis complete
- Lessons learned documented
- Preventive measures implemented
- Stakeholder report delivered

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Tool Reference

security_scanner.py

Option	Description
target	Directory or file to scan
--severity, -s	Minimum severity: critical, high, medium, low
--verbose, -v	Show files as they're scanned
--json	Output results as JSON
--output, -o	Write results to file

Exit Codes: 0 = no critical/high findings · 1 = high severity findings · 2 = critical severity findings

vulnerability_assessor.py

Option	Description
target	Directory containing dependency files
--severity, -s	Minimum severity: critical, high, medium, low
--verbose, -v	Show files as they're scanned
--json	Output results as JSON
--output, -o	Write results to file

Exit Codes: 0 = no critical/high vulnerabilities · 1 = high severity vulnerabilities · 2 = critical severity vulnerabilities

compliance_checker.py

Option	Description
target	Directory to check
--framework, -f	Framework: soc2, pci-dss, hipaa, gdpr, all
--verbose, -v	Show checks as they run
--json	Output results as JSON
--output, -o	Write results to file

Exit Codes: 0 = compliant (90%+ score) · 1 = non-compliant (50-69% score) · 2 = critical gaps (<50% score)

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Security Standards

See references/security_standards.md for OWASP Top 10 full guidance, secure coding standards, authentication requirements, and API security controls.

Secure Coding Checklist

## Input Validation
- [ ] Validate all input on server side
- [ ] Use allowlists over denylists
- [ ] Sanitize for specific context (HTML, SQL, shell)

## Output Encoding
- [ ] HTML encode for browser output
- [ ] URL encode for URLs
- [ ] JavaScript encode for script contexts

## Authentication
- [ ] Use bcrypt/argon2 for passwords
- [ ] Implement MFA for sensitive operations
- [ ] Enforce strong password policy

## Session Management
- [ ] Generate secure random session IDs
- [ ] Set HttpOnly, Secure, SameSite flags
- [ ] Implement session timeout (15 min idle)

## Error Handling
- [ ] Log errors with context (no secrets)
- [ ] Return generic messages to users
- [ ] Never expose stack traces in production

## Secrets Management
- [ ] Use environment variables or secrets manager
- [ ] Never commit secrets to version control
- [ ] Rotate credentials regularly

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Compliance Frameworks

See references/compliance_requirements.md for full control mappings. Run compliance_checker.py to verify the controls below:

SOC 2 Type II

• CC6 Logical Access: authentication, authorization, MFA
• CC7 System Operations: monitoring, logging, incident response
• CC8 Change Management: CI/CD, code review, deployment controls

PCI-DSS v4.0

• Req 3/4: Encryption at rest and in transit (TLS 1.2+)
• Req 6: Secure development (input validation, secure coding)
• Req 8: Strong authentication (MFA, password policy)
• Req 10/11: Audit logging, SAST/DAST/penetration testing

HIPAA Security Rule

• Unique user IDs and audit trails for PHI access (164.312(a)(1), 164.312(b))
• MFA for person/entity authentication (164.312(d))
• Transmission encryption via TLS (164.312(e)(1))

GDPR

• Art 25/32: Privacy by design, encryption, pseudonymization
• Art 33: Breach notification within 72 hours
• Art 17/20: Right to erasure and data portability

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Best Practices

Secrets Management

# BAD: Hardcoded secret
API_KEY = "sk-1234567890abcdef"

# GOOD: Environment variable
import os
API_KEY = os.environ.get("API_KEY")

# BETTER: Secrets manager
from your_vault_client import get_secret
API_KEY = get_secret("api/key")

SQL Injection Prevention

# BAD: String concatenation
query = f"SELECT * FROM users WHERE id = {user_id}"

# GOOD: Parameterized query
cursor.execute("SELECT * FROM users WHERE id = %s", (user_id,))

XSS Prevention

// BAD: Direct innerHTML assignment is vulnerable
// GOOD: Use textContent (auto-escaped)
element.textContent = userInput;

// GOOD: Use sanitization library for HTML
import DOMPurify from 'dompurify';
const safeHTML = DOMPurify.sanitize(userInput);

Authentication

// Password hashing
const bcrypt = require('bcrypt');
const SALT_ROUNDS = 12;

// Hash password
const hash = await bcrypt.hash(password, SALT_ROUNDS);

// Verify password
const match = await bcrypt.compare(password, hash);

Security Headers

// Express.js security headers
const helmet = require('helmet');
app.use(helmet());

// Or manually set headers:
app.use((req, res, next) => {
  res.setHeader('X-Content-Type-Options', 'nosniff');
  res.setHeader('X-Frame-Options', 'DENY');
  res.setHeader('X-XSS-Protection', '1; mode=block');
  res.setHeader('Strict-Transport-Security', 'max-age=31536000; includeSubDomains');
  res.setHeader('Content-Security-Policy', "default-src 'self'");
  next();
});

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OWASP Top 10 Quick-Check

Rapid 15-minute assessment — run through each category and note pass/fail. For deep-dive testing, hand off to the security-pen-testing skill.

#	Category	One-Line Check
A01	Broken Access Control	Verify role checks on every endpoint; test horizontal privilege escalation
A02	Cryptographic Failures	Confirm TLS 1.2+ everywhere; no secrets in logs or source
A03	Injection	Run parameterized query audit; check ORM raw-query usage
A04	Insecure Design	Review threat model exists for critical flows
A05	Security Misconfiguration	Check default credentials removed; error pages generic
A06	Vulnerable Components	Run vulnerability_assessor.py; zero critical/high CVEs
A07	Auth Failures	Verify MFA on admin; brute-force protection active
A08	Software & Data Integrity	Confirm CI/CD pipeline signs artifacts; no unsigned deps
A09	Logging & Monitoring	Validate audit logs capture auth events; alerts configured
A10	SSRF	Test internal URL filters; block metadata endpoints (169.254.169.254)

Deep dive needed? Hand off to security-pen-testing for full OWASP Testing Guide coverage.

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Secret Scanning Tools

Choose the right scanner for each stage of your workflow:

Tool	Best For	Language	Pre-commit	CI/CD	Custom Rules
gitleaks	CI pipelines, full-repo scans	Go	Yes	Yes	TOML regexes
detect-secrets	Pre-commit hooks, incremental	Python	Yes	Partial	Plugin-based
truffleHog	Deep history scans, entropy	Go	No	Yes	Regex + entropy

Recommended setup: Use detect-secrets as a pre-commit hook (catches secrets before they enter history) and gitleaks in CI (catches anything that slips through).

# detect-secrets pre-commit hook (.pre-commit-config.yaml)
- repo: https://github.com/Yelp/detect-secrets
  rev: v1.4.0
  hooks:
    - id: detect-secrets
      args: ['--baseline', '.secrets.baseline']

# gitleaks in GitHub Actions
- name: gitleaks
  uses: gitleaks/gitleaks-action@v2
  env:
    GITLEAKS_LICENSE: ${{ secrets.GITLEAKS_LICENSE }}

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Supply Chain Security

Protect against dependency and artifact tampering with SBOM generation, artifact signing, and SLSA compliance.

SBOM Generation:

• syft — generates SBOMs from container images or source dirs (SPDX, CycloneDX formats)
• cyclonedx-cli — CycloneDX-native tooling; merge multiple SBOMs for mono-repos

# Generate SBOM from container image
syft packages ghcr.io/org/app:latest -o cyclonedx-json > sbom.json

Artifact Signing (Sigstore/cosign):

# Sign a container image (keyless via OIDC)
cosign sign ghcr.io/org/app:latest
# Verify signature
cosign verify ghcr.io/org/app:latest [email protected] --certificate-oidc-issuer=https://token.actions.githubusercontent.com

SLSA Levels Overview:

Level	Requirement	What It Proves
1	Build process documented	Provenance exists
2	Hosted build service, signed provenance	Tamper-resistant provenance
3	Hardened build platform, non-falsifiable provenance	Tamper-proof build
4	Two-party review, hermetic builds	Maximum supply-chain assurance

Cross-references: security-pen-testing (vulnerability exploitation testing), dependency-auditor (license and CVE audit for dependencies).

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Reference Documentation

Document	Description
references/security_standards.md	OWASP Top 10, secure coding, authentication, API security
references/vulnerability_management_guide.md	CVE triage, CVSS scoring, remediation workflows
references/compliance_requirements.md	SOC 2, PCI-DSS, HIPAA, GDPR full control mappings