TARANG P. PATEL
New Haven,Connecticut
Summary
Master of Science in Cybersecurity professional with a strong background in penetration testing, application security, and cloud ecosystems. Proven track record of identifying vulnerabilities using dedicated lab environments and bug bounty frameworks. Proficient in Python, Splunk, and secure AWS infrastructure design, with a core focus on embedding defensive security mechanisms into Agile DevSecOps pipelines.
Overview
3
3
years of professional experience
Work History
Software Engineer (AppSec Focus)
Aionix11
02.2026 - Current
- Develop and maintain robust web applications using PHP and JavaScript, integrating secure coding standards to proactively mitigate OWASP Top 10 vulnerabilities (SQLi, XSS).
- Implement principles of Secure Software Architecture and Cloud Security Orchestration to ensure data integrity and infrastructure resilience across cloud-based environments.
- Perform deep-dive security audits of relational databases using complex SQL queries to identify anomalies and ensure rigorous data protection.
- Architect and maintain real-time SIEM dashboards using SQL and Power BI, recommending and implementing actionable solutions to mitigate threats across the corporate infrastructure.
- Collaborate in an Agile DevSecOps environment under the guidance of Senior Security Architects, contributing to daily threat-focused stand-ups and Security Sprint Reviews.
Volunteer Penetration Tester
Life Mission
East Haven, Connecticut
12.2023 - 01.2026
- Conducted targeted vulnerability assessments on the organization's core WordPress ecosystem, identifying OWASP Top 10 threats and utilizing Wordfence to configure real-time web application firewall (WAF) rules to neutralize malicious traffic and plugin exploits.
- Secured Zeffy-integrated donation portal on WordPress, hardening authentication workflows and leveraging Wordfence monitoring to audit payment tiers for parameter tampering and unauthorized access.
- Partnered with development team to establish secure maintenance workflows, utilizing Wordfence malware scans and file integrity checks with manual patch verification to safeguard donor data.
- Authored risk assessments and incident summaries for non-profit leadership, translating security alerts, blocked attack vectors, and plugin vulnerabilities into actionable remediation roadmaps for non-technical stakeholders.
Education
Master of Science - Cybersecurity
Sacred Heart University
Fairfield, CT12-2024
Bachelor of Science - Information Technology
Gujarat Technological University
India05-2023
Skills
- Splunk (SIEM)
- Snort (IDS/IPS)
- Wireshark
- Log Analysis
- Digital Forensics
- Penetration Testing
- Ethical Hacking
- Metasploit
- Burp Suite
- Vulnerability Assessment
- Linux System Security
- TCP/IP Networking
- Cloud Security (AWS)
- Python
- PHP
- MySQL
- Secure Coding (OWASP Top 10)
Projects
- SQL Injection Identification & Mitigation Lab, Utilized Burp Suite and Damn Vulnerable Web Application (DVWA) to intercept and analyze HTTP requests, locating critical input injection points., Validated defense-in-depth strategies, implementing parameterized queries and input sanitization to successfully remediate the vulnerabilities.
- IDS/IPS Deployment & Validation Using Snort, Deployed and configured Snort with custom rulesets alongside Wireshark for real-time network traffic monitoring and packet analysis., Increased automated threat detection rates by 80% and achieved a 98% reduction in successful simulated network attacks.
Technical Certifications
- CompTIA Security+, In Progress, 2026
- Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA), In Progress, 2026
- Certified Cyber Security Expert (CSE) - Tech Defense, In Progress
- Splunk Core Certified User / SIEM Log Analysis Certification, Completed
Skills
Splunk (SIEM), Snort (IDS/IPS), Wireshark, Log Analysis, Digital Forensics, Penetration Testing, Ethical Hacking, Metasploit, Burp Suite, Vulnerability Assessment, Linux System Security, Windows Server, TCP/IP Networking, Cloud Security (AWS), Python, JavaScript, PHP, HTML/CSS, MySQL, Secure Coding (OWASP Top 10)
Timeline
Software Engineer (AppSec Focus)
Aionix11
02.2026 - Current
Volunteer Penetration Tester
Life Mission
12.2023 - 01.2026
Master of Science - Cybersecurity
Sacred Heart University
Bachelor of Science - Information Technology
Gujarat Technological University