P. HWATA

Infrastructure and Security Engineer. Currently specializing in security operations.

Securing Infrastructure. Specializing in Security.

Five years managing production infrastructure, web security and incident response. Currently specializing in Security Operations with a long-term focus on Cloud Security.

  • Linux
  • Cloudflare WAF / DNS
  • Git
  • Website Hardening
  • Incident Response
  • Server Administration

professional evolution

Every stage, building on the last.

Read it like a commit history. Nothing here is a rewrite. It's one continuous branch: understanding how systems work, then how they break, then how to defend them, each stage a specialization of the one before it.

  1. a3f9c1

    WordPress Developer

    5+ years shipping and maintaining production sites for remote agencies.

    merged
  2. 7b2e88

    Servers & Infra

    Linux administration, cPanel, deployment pipelines, uptime ownership.

    merged
  3. e41d0a

    Cloudflare & DNS

    WAF rules, CDN configuration, DNS architecture for client fleets.

    merged
  4. 9c7f42

    Web Security

    Hardening, malware remediation, brute force mitigation, incident response.

    merged
  5. HEAD

    Security Operations

    Formalizing threat detection and response with Security+, TryHackMe and LetsDefend, on top of existing operational experience.

    current focus
  6. origin/next

    Cloud Security Engineer

    AWS security and cloud architecture, extending infrastructure and operations experience into cloud-native environments.

    next specialization

capabilities

Production experience. Current specialization.

The left column is live production experience, already load-bearing across real client infrastructure. The right column is where that foundation is being formalized, on a fixed weekly schedule.

system --production

  • Linux
    Shell, cPanel, sysadmin
    proficient
  • Cloudflare
    WAF, CDN, DNS
    proficient
  • Git
    Version control, deploys
    proficient
  • Web Security
    Hardening, remediation
    proficient
  • WordPress
    Themes, plugins, WooCommerce
    proficient
  • Server Admin
    Hosting, performance tuning
    proficient

system --specializing

  • Security+
    CompTIA, exam scheduled
  • TryHackMe
    SOC learning path
  • LetsDefend
    Live SOC simulations
  • Python
    Boot.dev, automation scripting
  • SIEM & Windows/AD
    Home lab environment
  • AWS
    Cloud Practitioner track

field notes

Incident investigation and threat mitigation, on live systems.

These weren't logged in a SIEM. They were investigated over SSH, under client pressure, with production traffic live: real compromise, real mitigation, real operational response. The discipline transfers directly to a SOC seat.

  • INC-0142high

    WooCommerce store compromised via outdated plugin

    Malicious injection served fake checkout redirects to customers. Isolated infected files, patched the vulnerable plugin, rotated all credentials, and rebuilt wp-config with hardened permissions.

    WP-CLICloudflare WAFSSH
    resolved in 3h
  • INC-0098medium

    Sustained brute force against client admin login

    Rotating IP ranges hammering wp-login. Configured Cloudflare rate limiting and geo rules, disabled XML-RPC, enforced MFA, and documented the response for the client's runbook.

    CloudflareWordfence.htaccess
    resolved in 6h
  • INC-0071low

    DNS misconfiguration during hosting migration

    Intermittent mail delivery failures traced to a stale zone file. Audited MX, SPF and DKIM records, rebuilt the zone, verified propagation, and wrote the migration runbook for future moves.

    digCloudflare DNSmail-tester
    resolved in 2h

career progression

Three specializations. One line of work.

  • foundation

    Infrastructure & Security Engineer

    Five years securing and administering production web infrastructure for remote agency clients across the US, UK and Europe.

  • current focus, HEAD

    Security Operations

    Formalizing threat detection and incident response through Security+, TryHackMe and LetsDefend, on top of existing operational experience.

  • next specialization

    Cloud Security Engineer

    AWS security and cloud architecture, extending an infrastructure and security operations foundation into cloud-native environments.

contact

Open to infrastructure, security operations and cloud security roles.

contact --open-to
SOC Analyst, Security Operations, Infrastructure Security, Web Security, Cloud Security (Junior)
contact --email
contact --linkedin