Mahesh Karnakoti
Cornwall,ON
Summary
Senior Cloud Security Developer and technical leader with deep experience securing AWS, Azure, and GCP environments across banking, payments, and high-trust financial platforms. I design and review cloud security architectures, embed automation-first guardrails, and drive risk-based improvements aligned with fintech security, compliance, and resilience standards. I operate independently across the full development lifecycle—reducing fraud and operational risk through stronger detection, secure-by-default patterns, and high-integrity cloud controls. I work closely with infrastructure, AppSec, and vulnerability teams, mentoring with empathy while translating complex cloud and financial security requirements into simple, developer-friendly solutions that scale with fast-moving fintech products.
Overview
7
7
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Cloud Security Architect
Morgan Stanley
Montreal, Quebec
01.2024 - 12.2025
- Engineered enterprise-grade AWS security architectures, including Landing Zones, multi-account governance, identity boundaries, SCP frameworks, KMS/HSM encryption baselines, and VPC/hybrid-network segmentation, supporting global clients and customer-facing platforms.
- Led secure cloud modernization using Terraform, GitLab CI/CD, OPA/Gatekeeper, Lambda-based guardrails, AWS Config rules, detective controls, CloudTrail pipelines, and automated remediation integrated across VM, SecOps, and SRE teams.
- Designed and deployed real-time threat detection pipelines with GuardDuty, Security Hub, EventBridge, Lambda, and CloudWatch, reducing response times for high-severity incidents across customer-facing workloads.
- Implemented policy-as-code and secure CI/CD patterns, integrating IaC scanning, container security, SAST/SCA, EKS hardening, IAM least privilege, and network zoning, achieving a 30%+ reduction in cloud misconfigurations.
- Served as a technical SME for cloud security, data protection, IAM, encryption, and AI/LLM security, advising C-level executives, leadership, and influencing architecture decisions across engineering, product, and customer-facing services.
Application Security Engineer
Verifone
Toronto, ON
12.2021 - 11.2023
- Secured enterprise and customer-facing applications across AWS, Azure, and VMware, integrating security across SDLC pipelines, and CI/CD workflows.
- Conducted threat modeling and implemented SAST, DAST, and SCA automation, reducing recurring high-risk vulnerabilities by 20% and improving developer security readiness.
- Managed Palo Alto/Checkpoint firewalls, IDS/IPS, API gateways, DLP, and encryption platforms, strengthening network and data protection controls.
- Enhanced cloud visibility through CSPM/CNAPP, WAF/edge security tuning, and API security testing, improving compliance with NIST, SOC2, PCI DSS, and ISO standards.
- Collaborated cross-functionally with product, platform, and engineering teams to deliver secure architectures, communicate risks, and mentor junior analysts.
Cyber Security Engineer / Analyst
IBM
Toronto, Ontario
09.2020 - 11.2021
- Delivered cloud security operations, threat detection, and application security controls for enterprise clients across financial and public sectors.
- Tuned SIEM detection logic (QRadar, M365 Defender) and endpoint security platforms, reducing false positives by 25% and improving triage efficiency.
- Strengthened Shadow IT visibility by 40% via advanced Netskope CASB tuning and cloud-activity governance.
- Supported vulnerability management, compliance reporting, and regulatory alignment (NIST CSF, CIS, SOC2).
- Acted as SME for cloud, identity, and API security during escalations and customer-impacting incidents.
Security Analyst / Cloud Security Engineer
HCL Technologies
Hyderabad, Telangana
01.2019 - 08.2020
- Built secure AWS environments using IAM, KMS, CloudTrail, WAF, Shield, VPC segmentation, and hybrid connectivity (Direct Connect, VPN, SDN).
- Performed application security assessments using Burp Suite, WebInspect, ZAP, and API fuzzing for customer-facing workloads.
- Strengthened firewall rule bases and optimized traffic across Palo Alto/Checkpoint, improving network security posture.
- Supported cloud migrations and secure-by-design architectures for enterprise clients across telecom and financial industries.
- Developed automation scripts (Python/PowerShell) to improve compliance monitoring, detection logic, and infrastructure hardening.
Education
Bachelor of Technology - Computer Science
Gandhi Institute of Technology
Hyderabad, IndiaSkills
- Cloud Security Compliance
- Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Problem-Solving and Root-Cause Analysis
- Incident Response Planning
- Cloud Architecture Security
- Threat Detection & Response
- Policy-as-Code Implementation
- CI/CD Pipeline Security
- Risk Assessment & Risk Management
- Vulnerability Management
- Technical Leadership
- Data Encryption & Key Management
- Intrusion Detection / IDS
- Endpoint Security & EDR/XDR
- System Hardening
- Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity
- Penetration Testing Methodologies
- Security Policy Development
Certification
- AWS Certified Security - Specialty
- Microsoft Certified: Cybersecurity Architect Expert (SC-100)
- Azure Security Engineer Associate (AZ-500)
- Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900)
Core Competencies - Technical Skills
Cloud Platforms & Security:
AWS (primary), Azure, GCP • IAM • KMS/HSM • VPC & Network Security • Secrets Management • Zero Trust • CSPM/CNAPP
Infrastructure, Automation & Developer Workflows:
Terraform • Helm • GitOps (ArgoCD/Flux) • Ansible • GitLab CI/CD • Jenkins • Docker • EKS/AKS • OPA/Gatekeeper • Policy-as-Code
Detection, Monitoring & Threat Engineering:
CloudTrail • GuardDuty • Security Hub • EventBridge • Lambda-based detections • IDS/IPS • EDR/XDR • Netskope • QRadar • M365 Defender
Application & Platform Security:
SAST/DAST • SCA • Container Security • API Security • Identity & Access Governance • CI/CD Security Patterns
AI/LLM Security:
Adversarial ML • LLM Red Teaming • Prompt Injection Defense • Data Leakage Prevention • Jailbreak Mitigation
Compliance, Risk & Fintech Requirements:
NIST CSF • SOC 2 • PCI DSS • ISO 27001 • Risk Assessment & Threat Modeling • Secure SDLC • Cloud Security Reviews
Timeline
Cloud Security Architect
Morgan Stanley
01.2024 - 12.2025
Application Security Engineer
Verifone
12.2021 - 11.2023
Cyber Security Engineer / Analyst
IBM
09.2020 - 11.2021
Security Analyst / Cloud Security Engineer
HCL Technologies
01.2019 - 08.2020
Bachelor of Technology - Computer Science
Gandhi Institute of Technology