Open to opportunities

Dhanush Nair

@dhanushnair

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Cybersecurity engineer specializing in cloud security, CTFs, and incident response.

United States

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What I'm looking for

I seek a hands-on security role focusing on cloud security, automation, and incident response, in a collaborative environment that values mentorship and technical growth.

I am a cybersecurity engineer with hands-on experience designing cloud security challenges, securing cloud infrastructure, and conducting incident response and digital forensics. I hold a Master of Engineering in Cybersecurity from the University of Maryland, College Park and a Bachelor's in Computer Science.

I've led the design and deployment of 10+ cloud security CTF challenges across Azure, AWS, and GCP, engaging thousands of participants at large events such as DEF CON, RSA, BSidesCharm and BSidesSF. I automated infrastructure deployment with Terraform and CI/CD, reducing deployment overhead by 90%.

In professional roles I integrated Qualys CMDB features to improve asset tracking and incident response, assisted GRC audit efforts impacting critical infrastructure, and delivered cybersecurity training that improved team retention scores. I also develop reusable Terraform modules and secure web applications following OWASP practices.

I am driven to build resilient cloud-native security solutions, mentor others through hands-on training and CTFs, and continually expand my offensive and defensive toolset with practical projects and certifications.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Current

CTF Developer

Current

Cloud Village

Jan 2025 - Present (9 months)

Led design and deployment of 10+ cloud security CTF challenges across Azure, AWS, and GCP, engaging 5,000+ participants at major events and reducing infrastructure deployment overhead by 90% through Terraform and CI/CD automation.

Cloud Security Azure AWS GCP)Terraform CI CD Scripting Challenge Design QA&QC GCP

Cybersecurity Intern

Capgemini

Mar 2023 - Jun 2023 (3 months)

Collaborated to integrate Qualys CMDB features, improving asset tracking and reducing incident response times by 25%; assisted GRC audits that mitigated risks tied to over $2M in critical infrastructure.

Vulnerability Management Qualys Asset Management GRC Auditing Incident Response

Cybersecurity Tutor

Sansbrix

Jan 2022 - Mar 2022 (2 months)

Delivered interactive cybersecurity training covering OWASP Top 10 and created a 20-video learning playlist, improving beginner engagement and foundational knowledge retention.

OWASP Top 10 Curriculum Development Mentoring

Education

Degrees, certifications, and relevant coursework

University of Maryland, College Park

Master of Engineering, Cybersecurity

Activities and societies: Member, UMD Cybersecurity Club; participated in CTFs and contributed to CTF challenge design.

Pursuing a Master of Engineering in Cybersecurity with coursework in reverse engineering, network and cloud security, penetration testing, secure software engineering, digital forensics, threat modeling, and cryptography.