Expert Interview: Infrastructure as Code with Oscar Quintas
One of the best things about working in a tech startup is all the interesting, clever people you get to meet and collaborate with along the way. Growing a company from a cool idea into a serious market contender requires the assembly of your very own team of Avengers (or, Justice League, depending on your allegiance).
With that in mind, we'd like to shine the spotlight on one of our experts, Oscar Quintas. He's part of our Product Content team, working as a Senior Security Researcher. He's also our resident sorcerer on all things Infrastructure as Code (IaC). He is the force behind our 178 (and counting!) IaC platform challenges, and our go-to for all the burning questions we have regarding this fresh, piping hot topic.
We think he's pretty special, so we'd like you to get to know him a little better. Here he will share his insights on the piping hot topic of Infrastructure as Code security, his role, and what organizations can do to better prepare their cloud infrastructure and engineers:
Q:Tell us about your role at Secure Code Warrior. What does a typical day look like for you?
A: I am part of the Product Content team working as a Senior Security Researcher. A typical day involves reviewing challenges code in different languages (Python, Java, Golang, and many others!) to ensure that code quality standards are met, and security best practices are implemented. I also develop new IaC content.
Q: You have been the genius behind all of our Infrastructure as Code platform challenges. What is your process?
A: I would say it is a combination of research, and working hard to deliver content that provides high relevance and engagement to multiple skill levels. I usually start by looking at the most common problems users are facing when deploying infrastructure, and with that information, I develop useful challenges to show the security best practices for each case.
I always try to offer a good learning experience for our warriors, and ensure it is a job-relevant and useful exercise with an ongoing benefit.
Q: IaC security is a really popular topic at the moment. What are the main issues facing companies in terms of their cloud security practices?
A: Infrastructure as Code is all about managing your infrastructure resources using code. With just a few lines of that code, you can deploy hundreds of cloud resources (network, firewall rules, virtual machines, containers, etc.) that can contain security bugs if not properly configured. So, the same principles applied for secure application deployment can apply to IaC, and these risks -- and their fixes -- must be understood by every team involved in the SDLC.
This awareness and action begins with proper training in IaC security, and prioritizing the secure coding skills of your cloud engineers. They can be a powerful layer of defense, and this is especially important when they are building the infrastructure that hosts applications.
Q: There is a lot of industry interest around Kubernetes, and it seems to be used widely. However, our platform data reflects Terraform as an overwhelmingly popular language, with high engagement. Do you have any insights to share on why it is gaining such traction?
A: Terraform is the de facto language for IaC as it allows us to deploy infrastructure resources in multi-cloud environments (e.g. AWS, GCP, Azure) using a simple syntax. It allows you to define your infrastructure using code and it transparently interacts with cloud APIs to manage the deployment of the resources.
This language is incredibly versatile, and as it can be added to source control repositories, DevOps / DevSecOps principles can also be applied to the infrastructure deployment. However, this will also introduce new threats that must be addressed, so comprehensive training in secure coding with Terraform is a must.
Q:Youre an IaC security expert. What is the best part of your job?
A: IaC is still in its early days so there are a lot of new things being released frequently. It is a bit challenging to keep up to date with these new technologies, but it is rewarding at the same time. I really like to learn new things and test security best practices for new services.
Take your IaC security to the next level.
If you want your cloud developers to hone their security skills around Infrastructure as Code, challenge yourself with our IaC Top 8! Read each chapter for the full run-down of eight common IaC security bugs, including interactive challenges to test their new knowledge.
Let us know your score, and make Oscar proud!
We'd like to shine the spotlight on one of our experts, Oscar Quintas. He's part of our Product Content team, working as a Senior Security Researcher. He's also our resident sorcerer on all things Infrastructure as Code (IaC).
Matias Madou, Ph.D. is a security expert, researcher, and CTO and co-founder of Secure Code Warrior. Matias obtained his Ph.D. in Application Security from Ghent University, focusing on static analysis solutions. He later joined Fortify in the US, where he realized that it was insufficient to solely detect code problems without aiding developers in writing secure code. This inspired him to develop products that assist developers, alleviate the burden of security, and exceed customers' expectations. When he is not at his desk as part of Team Awesome, he enjoys being on stage presenting at conferences including RSA Conference, BlackHat and DefCon.
Secure Code Warrior is here for your organization to help you secure code across the entire software development lifecycle and create a culture in which cybersecurity is top of mind. Whether you’re an AppSec Manager, Developer, CISO, or anyone involved in security, we can help your organization reduce risks associated with insecure code.
Book a demo
Matias Madou, Ph.D. is a security expert, researcher, and CTO and co-founder of Secure Code Warrior. Matias obtained his Ph.D. in Application Security from Ghent University, focusing on static analysis solutions. He later joined Fortify in the US, where he realized that it was insufficient to solely detect code problems without aiding developers in writing secure code. This inspired him to develop products that assist developers, alleviate the burden of security, and exceed customers' expectations. When he is not at his desk as part of Team Awesome, he enjoys being on stage presenting at conferences including RSA Conference, BlackHat and DefCon.
Matias is a researcher and developer with more than 15 years of hands-on software security experience. He has developed solutions for companies such as Fortify Software and his own company Sensei Security. Over his career, Matias has led multiple application security research projects which have led to commercial products and boasts over 10 patents under his belt. When he is away from his desk, Matias has served as an instructor for advanced application security training courses and regularly speaks at global conferences including RSA Conference, Black Hat, DefCon, BSIMM, OWASP AppSec and BruCon.
Matias holds a Ph.D. in Computer Engineering from Ghent University, where he studied application security through program obfuscation to hide the inner workings of an application.
One of the best things about working in a tech startup is all the interesting, clever people you get to meet and collaborate with along the way. Growing a company from a cool idea into a serious market contender requires the assembly of your very own team of Avengers (or, Justice League, depending on your allegiance).
With that in mind, we'd like to shine the spotlight on one of our experts, Oscar Quintas. He's part of our Product Content team, working as a Senior Security Researcher. He's also our resident sorcerer on all things Infrastructure as Code (IaC). He is the force behind our 178 (and counting!) IaC platform challenges, and our go-to for all the burning questions we have regarding this fresh, piping hot topic.
We think he's pretty special, so we'd like you to get to know him a little better. Here he will share his insights on the piping hot topic of Infrastructure as Code security, his role, and what organizations can do to better prepare their cloud infrastructure and engineers:
Q:Tell us about your role at Secure Code Warrior. What does a typical day look like for you?
A: I am part of the Product Content team working as a Senior Security Researcher. A typical day involves reviewing challenges code in different languages (Python, Java, Golang, and many others!) to ensure that code quality standards are met, and security best practices are implemented. I also develop new IaC content.
Q: You have been the genius behind all of our Infrastructure as Code platform challenges. What is your process?
A: I would say it is a combination of research, and working hard to deliver content that provides high relevance and engagement to multiple skill levels. I usually start by looking at the most common problems users are facing when deploying infrastructure, and with that information, I develop useful challenges to show the security best practices for each case.
I always try to offer a good learning experience for our warriors, and ensure it is a job-relevant and useful exercise with an ongoing benefit.
Q: IaC security is a really popular topic at the moment. What are the main issues facing companies in terms of their cloud security practices?
A: Infrastructure as Code is all about managing your infrastructure resources using code. With just a few lines of that code, you can deploy hundreds of cloud resources (network, firewall rules, virtual machines, containers, etc.) that can contain security bugs if not properly configured. So, the same principles applied for secure application deployment can apply to IaC, and these risks -- and their fixes -- must be understood by every team involved in the SDLC.
This awareness and action begins with proper training in IaC security, and prioritizing the secure coding skills of your cloud engineers. They can be a powerful layer of defense, and this is especially important when they are building the infrastructure that hosts applications.
Q: There is a lot of industry interest around Kubernetes, and it seems to be used widely. However, our platform data reflects Terraform as an overwhelmingly popular language, with high engagement. Do you have any insights to share on why it is gaining such traction?
A: Terraform is the de facto language for IaC as it allows us to deploy infrastructure resources in multi-cloud environments (e.g. AWS, GCP, Azure) using a simple syntax. It allows you to define your infrastructure using code and it transparently interacts with cloud APIs to manage the deployment of the resources.
This language is incredibly versatile, and as it can be added to source control repositories, DevOps / DevSecOps principles can also be applied to the infrastructure deployment. However, this will also introduce new threats that must be addressed, so comprehensive training in secure coding with Terraform is a must.
Q:Youre an IaC security expert. What is the best part of your job?
A: IaC is still in its early days so there are a lot of new things being released frequently. It is a bit challenging to keep up to date with these new technologies, but it is rewarding at the same time. I really like to learn new things and test security best practices for new services.
Take your IaC security to the next level.
If you want your cloud developers to hone their security skills around Infrastructure as Code, challenge yourself with our IaC Top 8! Read each chapter for the full run-down of eight common IaC security bugs, including interactive challenges to test their new knowledge.
Let us know your score, and make Oscar proud!
One of the best things about working in a tech startup is all the interesting, clever people you get to meet and collaborate with along the way. Growing a company from a cool idea into a serious market contender requires the assembly of your very own team of Avengers (or, Justice League, depending on your allegiance).
With that in mind, we'd like to shine the spotlight on one of our experts, Oscar Quintas. He's part of our Product Content team, working as a Senior Security Researcher. He's also our resident sorcerer on all things Infrastructure as Code (IaC). He is the force behind our 178 (and counting!) IaC platform challenges, and our go-to for all the burning questions we have regarding this fresh, piping hot topic.
We think he's pretty special, so we'd like you to get to know him a little better. Here he will share his insights on the piping hot topic of Infrastructure as Code security, his role, and what organizations can do to better prepare their cloud infrastructure and engineers:
Q:Tell us about your role at Secure Code Warrior. What does a typical day look like for you?
A: I am part of the Product Content team working as a Senior Security Researcher. A typical day involves reviewing challenges code in different languages (Python, Java, Golang, and many others!) to ensure that code quality standards are met, and security best practices are implemented. I also develop new IaC content.
Q: You have been the genius behind all of our Infrastructure as Code platform challenges. What is your process?
A: I would say it is a combination of research, and working hard to deliver content that provides high relevance and engagement to multiple skill levels. I usually start by looking at the most common problems users are facing when deploying infrastructure, and with that information, I develop useful challenges to show the security best practices for each case.
I always try to offer a good learning experience for our warriors, and ensure it is a job-relevant and useful exercise with an ongoing benefit.
Q: IaC security is a really popular topic at the moment. What are the main issues facing companies in terms of their cloud security practices?
A: Infrastructure as Code is all about managing your infrastructure resources using code. With just a few lines of that code, you can deploy hundreds of cloud resources (network, firewall rules, virtual machines, containers, etc.) that can contain security bugs if not properly configured. So, the same principles applied for secure application deployment can apply to IaC, and these risks -- and their fixes -- must be understood by every team involved in the SDLC.
This awareness and action begins with proper training in IaC security, and prioritizing the secure coding skills of your cloud engineers. They can be a powerful layer of defense, and this is especially important when they are building the infrastructure that hosts applications.
Q: There is a lot of industry interest around Kubernetes, and it seems to be used widely. However, our platform data reflects Terraform as an overwhelmingly popular language, with high engagement. Do you have any insights to share on why it is gaining such traction?
A: Terraform is the de facto language for IaC as it allows us to deploy infrastructure resources in multi-cloud environments (e.g. AWS, GCP, Azure) using a simple syntax. It allows you to define your infrastructure using code and it transparently interacts with cloud APIs to manage the deployment of the resources.
This language is incredibly versatile, and as it can be added to source control repositories, DevOps / DevSecOps principles can also be applied to the infrastructure deployment. However, this will also introduce new threats that must be addressed, so comprehensive training in secure coding with Terraform is a must.
Q:Youre an IaC security expert. What is the best part of your job?
A: IaC is still in its early days so there are a lot of new things being released frequently. It is a bit challenging to keep up to date with these new technologies, but it is rewarding at the same time. I really like to learn new things and test security best practices for new services.
Take your IaC security to the next level.
If you want your cloud developers to hone their security skills around Infrastructure as Code, challenge yourself with our IaC Top 8! Read each chapter for the full run-down of eight common IaC security bugs, including interactive challenges to test their new knowledge.
Let us know your score, and make Oscar proud!
Click on the link below and download the PDF of this resource.
Secure Code Warrior is here for your organization to help you secure code across the entire software development lifecycle and create a culture in which cybersecurity is top of mind. Whether you’re an AppSec Manager, Developer, CISO, or anyone involved in security, we can help your organization reduce risks associated with insecure code.
View reportBook a demo
Matias Madou, Ph.D. is a security expert, researcher, and CTO and co-founder of Secure Code Warrior. Matias obtained his Ph.D. in Application Security from Ghent University, focusing on static analysis solutions. He later joined Fortify in the US, where he realized that it was insufficient to solely detect code problems without aiding developers in writing secure code. This inspired him to develop products that assist developers, alleviate the burden of security, and exceed customers' expectations. When he is not at his desk as part of Team Awesome, he enjoys being on stage presenting at conferences including RSA Conference, BlackHat and DefCon.
Matias is a researcher and developer with more than 15 years of hands-on software security experience. He has developed solutions for companies such as Fortify Software and his own company Sensei Security. Over his career, Matias has led multiple application security research projects which have led to commercial products and boasts over 10 patents under his belt. When he is away from his desk, Matias has served as an instructor for advanced application security training courses and regularly speaks at global conferences including RSA Conference, Black Hat, DefCon, BSIMM, OWASP AppSec and BruCon.
Matias holds a Ph.D. in Computer Engineering from Ghent University, where he studied application security through program obfuscation to hide the inner workings of an application.
One of the best things about working in a tech startup is all the interesting, clever people you get to meet and collaborate with along the way. Growing a company from a cool idea into a serious market contender requires the assembly of your very own team of Avengers (or, Justice League, depending on your allegiance).
With that in mind, we'd like to shine the spotlight on one of our experts, Oscar Quintas. He's part of our Product Content team, working as a Senior Security Researcher. He's also our resident sorcerer on all things Infrastructure as Code (IaC). He is the force behind our 178 (and counting!) IaC platform challenges, and our go-to for all the burning questions we have regarding this fresh, piping hot topic.
We think he's pretty special, so we'd like you to get to know him a little better. Here he will share his insights on the piping hot topic of Infrastructure as Code security, his role, and what organizations can do to better prepare their cloud infrastructure and engineers:
Q:Tell us about your role at Secure Code Warrior. What does a typical day look like for you?
A: I am part of the Product Content team working as a Senior Security Researcher. A typical day involves reviewing challenges code in different languages (Python, Java, Golang, and many others!) to ensure that code quality standards are met, and security best practices are implemented. I also develop new IaC content.
Q: You have been the genius behind all of our Infrastructure as Code platform challenges. What is your process?
A: I would say it is a combination of research, and working hard to deliver content that provides high relevance and engagement to multiple skill levels. I usually start by looking at the most common problems users are facing when deploying infrastructure, and with that information, I develop useful challenges to show the security best practices for each case.
I always try to offer a good learning experience for our warriors, and ensure it is a job-relevant and useful exercise with an ongoing benefit.
Q: IaC security is a really popular topic at the moment. What are the main issues facing companies in terms of their cloud security practices?
A: Infrastructure as Code is all about managing your infrastructure resources using code. With just a few lines of that code, you can deploy hundreds of cloud resources (network, firewall rules, virtual machines, containers, etc.) that can contain security bugs if not properly configured. So, the same principles applied for secure application deployment can apply to IaC, and these risks -- and their fixes -- must be understood by every team involved in the SDLC.
This awareness and action begins with proper training in IaC security, and prioritizing the secure coding skills of your cloud engineers. They can be a powerful layer of defense, and this is especially important when they are building the infrastructure that hosts applications.
Q: There is a lot of industry interest around Kubernetes, and it seems to be used widely. However, our platform data reflects Terraform as an overwhelmingly popular language, with high engagement. Do you have any insights to share on why it is gaining such traction?
A: Terraform is the de facto language for IaC as it allows us to deploy infrastructure resources in multi-cloud environments (e.g. AWS, GCP, Azure) using a simple syntax. It allows you to define your infrastructure using code and it transparently interacts with cloud APIs to manage the deployment of the resources.
This language is incredibly versatile, and as it can be added to source control repositories, DevOps / DevSecOps principles can also be applied to the infrastructure deployment. However, this will also introduce new threats that must be addressed, so comprehensive training in secure coding with Terraform is a must.
Q:Youre an IaC security expert. What is the best part of your job?
A: IaC is still in its early days so there are a lot of new things being released frequently. It is a bit challenging to keep up to date with these new technologies, but it is rewarding at the same time. I really like to learn new things and test security best practices for new services.
Take your IaC security to the next level.
If you want your cloud developers to hone their security skills around Infrastructure as Code, challenge yourself with our IaC Top 8! Read each chapter for the full run-down of eight common IaC security bugs, including interactive challenges to test their new knowledge.
Let us know your score, and make Oscar proud!
Table of contents
Matias Madou, Ph.D. is a security expert, researcher, and CTO and co-founder of Secure Code Warrior. Matias obtained his Ph.D. in Application Security from Ghent University, focusing on static analysis solutions. He later joined Fortify in the US, where he realized that it was insufficient to solely detect code problems without aiding developers in writing secure code. This inspired him to develop products that assist developers, alleviate the burden of security, and exceed customers' expectations. When he is not at his desk as part of Team Awesome, he enjoys being on stage presenting at conferences including RSA Conference, BlackHat and DefCon.
Secure Code Warrior is here for your organization to help you secure code across the entire software development lifecycle and create a culture in which cybersecurity is top of mind. Whether you’re an AppSec Manager, Developer, CISO, or anyone involved in security, we can help your organization reduce risks associated with insecure code.
Book a demoDownloadResources to get you started
Secure by Design: Defining Best Practices, Enabling Developers and Benchmarking Preventative Security Outcomes
In this research paper, Secure Code Warrior co-founders, Pieter Danhieux and Dr. Matias Madou, Ph.D., along with expert contributors, Chris Inglis, Former US National Cyber Director (now Strategic Advisor to Paladin Capital Group), and Devin Lynch, Senior Director, Paladin Global Institute, will reveal key findings from over twenty in-depth interviews with enterprise security leaders including CISOs, a VP of Application Security, and software security professionals.
Benchmarking Security Skills: Streamlining Secure-by-Design in the Enterprise
Finding meaningful data on the success of Secure-by-Design initiatives is notoriously difficult. CISOs are often challenged when attempting to prove the return on investment (ROI) and business value of security program activities at both the people and company levels. Not to mention, it’s particularly difficult for enterprises to gain insights into how their organizations are benchmarked against current industry standards. The President’s National Cybersecurity Strategy challenged stakeholders to “embrace security and resilience by design.” The key to making Secure-by-Design initiatives work is not only giving developers the skills to ensure secure code, but also assuring the regulators that those skills are in place. In this presentation, we share a myriad of qualitative and quantitative data, derived from multiple primary sources, including internal data points collected from over 250,000 developers, data-driven customer insights, and public studies. Leveraging this aggregation of data points, we aim to communicate a vision of the current state of Secure-by-Design initiatives across multiple verticals. The report details why this space is currently underutilized, the significant impact a successful upskilling program can have on cybersecurity risk mitigation, and the potential to eliminate categories of vulnerabilities from a codebase.
Secure code training topics & content
Our industry-leading content is always evolving to fit the ever changing software development landscape with your role in mind. Topics covering everything from AI to XQuery Injection, offered for a variety of roles from Architects and Engineers to Product Managers and QA. Get a sneak peak of what our content catalog has to offer by topic and role.
Resources to get you started
Revealed: How the Cyber Industry Defines Secure by Design
In our latest white paper, our Co-Founders, Pieter Danhieux and Dr. Matias Madou, Ph.D., sat down with over twenty enterprise security leaders, including CISOs, AppSec leaders and security professionals, to figure out the key pieces of this puzzle and uncover the reality behind the Secure by Design movement. It’s a shared ambition across the security teams, but no shared playbook.
Is Vibe Coding Going to Turn Your Codebase Into a Frat Party?
Vibe coding is like a college frat party, and AI is the centerpiece of all the festivities, the keg. It’s a lot of fun to let loose, get creative, and see where your imagination can take you, but after a few keg stands, drinking (or, using AI) in moderation is undoubtedly the safer long-term solution.
Developer-driven coding.
Securely.
Contact us today and make software security an intrinsic part of your development process.
