eCPPTv3: lessons from the assessment
A candid reflection on preparation, decision-making under pressure, and the lessons I carried into future testing.
Read the writeup →Senior Security Engineer · Thales ASRT
I find how systems break—then help make them stronger.
I work across application security, offensive security, threat detection, and response. My background in the SOC shapes how I test: every attack path should lead to a better defense.
01 / Who I am
Security is more useful when you understand both sides of it.
I’m Karan, a Senior Security Engineer at Thales’ Advanced Security Response Team. I started in security operations, where I learned to investigate suspicious activity and understand the evidence an attack leaves behind. That experience pulled me toward application defense and offensive security.
Today I assess web applications, test attack techniques, build and tune defenses, and automate repetitive security work. Outside the day job, I build labs, work through practical challenges, and write down what I learn—because explaining a technique is often the fastest way to find the parts I do not yet understand.
Ask the question first
Understand the risk before reaching for a tool.
Test realistically
Validate how an attacker would actually move.
Leave better defenses
Turn findings into detection or prevention.
Keep learning in public
Document lessons, not just outcomes.
02 / Selected work
Evidence of how I approach a problem.
A small, deliberate selection of hands-on research—not an exhaustive list of every lab or writeup.
Proving Grounds labs
A curated archive of authorized lab assessments, organized by the techniques and security questions each one explores.
Browse the lab archive →03 / My security journey
From detecting attacks to understanding how they happen.
My path is why I naturally connect offensive testing with detection and application defense.
2026 — Present
Senior Security Engineer · Thales ASRT
Advanced Security Response Team.
2024 — 2025
Security Engineer · Thales ASRT
Application defense, threat response, and security engineering.
2024
SOC Engineer · Imperva
Security operations and investigation.
2022 — 2023
Security Analyst → Senior Security Analyst · SecureOps
Detection, triage, investigation, and incident-response foundations.
2020 — 2020
Information Security & Infrastructure
City of Brampton, Microsoft, and technical-support roles that built a practical infrastructure baseline.
04 / How I think
Better security starts with better questions.
“I don’t start with the tool. I start with the question: what are we protecting, how could it fail, and what would that failure look like?”
When I assess a system
- What is the real attack surface?
- Which path is most likely—not merely possible?
- What evidence would the attack leave behind?
- Can we reproduce, detect, and reduce the risk?
05 / Currently
What has my attention right now.
Building depth through hands-on labs and applied research.
Finding opportunities to automate repetitive validation and investigation work.
Connecting realistic testing with controls that make defenders stronger.
06 / Credentials
Certifications that support the practice.
Click a credential to open its public verification page.
07 / Tools & platforms
Tools I have used in practice.
Grouped by the security work they support, rather than presented as an unstructured wall of logos.
Offensive security
Assess, validate, and report
Kali Linux
Burp Suite Pro
MetasploitNMAPNmap
TENNessus
OWASP ZAPSecurity operations
Detect, investigate, respond
SplunkCSCrowdStrike
CBCarbon Black
MSDefender
WiresharkApplication & network security
Protect the edge
IMPImperva WAF
IMPDDoS Protection
IMPBot Management
HTTPHTTP debugging
Traffic analysisDevelopment & automation
Build repeatable security work
Python
Bash
Git
GitHubPSPowerShell
Postman
Docker