Challenge
While working on production security systems, I identified a critical gap: existing security tools were either too resource-intensive (impacting system performance) or too limited (missing key detection capabilities). Security teams needed a solution that could provide real-time threat detection without the overhead of enterprise security suites, while maintaining the modularity and composability required for custom security workflows. Traditional tools lacked the balance between comprehensive monitoring and minimal performance impact that production environments require.
Solution
Built OCTOPUS as a design study using AI-assisted development workflows (Cursor + Claude) to explore modern security architecture patterns:
Architectural Patterns Explored:
Modular Component Design: 4 independent security components (threat detection, network monitoring, process tracking, automated response) demonstrating UNIX Philosophy principles and composability
Performance Optimization: Sub-second detection cycles (~18ms warm operations) with minimal CPU overhead (0.17%), exploring efficiency patterns for security tooling
Rule-Based Detection Patterns: Signature and heuristic-based threat identification covering process injection, privilege escalation, data exfiltration, persistence mechanisms, and C2 patterns
Automated Response Design: Policy-based incident response framework with multiple action types (BLOCK, TERMINATE, ISOLATE, RESTORE, REPORT) and intelligent cooldown management
Production-Like Patterns: Systemd integration, automated deployment, and comprehensive validation demonstrating production-ready design thinking
AI-Assisted Development Outcomes:
Built through AI-assisted workflows achieving 3x productivity gains. The system includes 188 Python files (48K+ lines) with modular CLI components, pipe-compatible interfaces, and deployment automation. Validated through comprehensive testing (393 tests, 71% coverage).
Learning Focus: This project demonstrates architectural thinking, design pattern application, and rapid prototyping capabilities. While the architecture follows production patterns, this is a learning and design exploration project rather than a deployed security solution.
Code Examples
Threat detection algorithm: System-wide security scanning with pattern detection
threat_detector.pydef scan_system(self) -> List[ThreatEvent]:
"""
Scan system for threats.
Returns:
List of detected threat events
Example:
>>> detector = ThreatDetector()
>>> threats = detector.scan_system()
>>> print(f"Detected {len(threats)} threats")
"""
self.detection_count += 1
self.last_scan_time = datetime.now().isoformat()
threats = []
# Detect suspicious processes
threats.extend(self._detect_suspicious_processes())
# Detect suspicious network connections
threats.extend(self._detect_suspicious_connections())
# Update threat count
self.threat_count += len(threats)
return threats
def _detect_suspicious_processes(self) -> List[ThreatEvent]:
"""
Detect suspicious processes.
Returns:
List of threat events for suspicious processes
"""
threats = []
if not HAS_PSUTIL:
# Fallback: basic detection without psutil
return threats
try:
for proc in psutil.process_iter(['pid', 'name', 'username', 'cmdline']):
try:
proc_name = proc.info['name'].lower()
# Check for suspicious process names
for suspicious_name in self.SUSPICIOUS_PROCESS_NAMES:
if suspicious_name in proc_name:
threat = ThreatEvent(
threat_type='suspicious_process',
severity=self._get_process_severity(suspicious_name),
confidence=0.7,
details=f"Suspicious process detected: {proc.info['name']} (PID: {proc.info['pid']})",
source=f"process:{proc.info['pid']}"
)
threats.append(threat)
break
# Check for processes running as root with suspicious characteristics
// ... (truncated) Response automation: Policy-based incident response with multiple action types
response_engine.pydef handle_event(self, event: ResponseEvent) -> List[ResponseResult]:
"""
Handle security event with automated response.
Args:
event: Security event to process
Returns:
List of response results
Example:
>>> engine = ResponseEngine()
>>> event = ResponseEvent(
... event_id="evt-123",
... threat_type="suspicious_process",
... severity="high",
... confidence=0.9
... )
>>> results = engine.handle_event(event)
"""
self.event_count += 1
self.last_event_time = datetime.now().isoformat()
# Validate event
if not self._validate_event(event):
return [ResponseResult(
action='validation',
success=False,
message="Event validation failed",
event_id=event.event_id
)]
# Determine actions based on severity and confidence
actions = self._select_actions(event)
# Execute actions
results = []
for action in actions:
result = self._execute_action(action, event)
results.append(result)
if result.success:
self.success_count += 1
return results
def _select_actions(self, event: ResponseEvent) -> List[str]:
"""
Select actions based on event severity and confidence.
Args:
event: Event to process
Returns:
List of action names to execute
"""
actions = []
severity_level = self.SEVERITY_LEVELS.get(event.severity, 0)
# Always alert
if self.enabled_actions.get('alert', True):
actions.append('alert')
# Escalation based on severity
if severity_level >= 2 and event.confidence >= 0.7:
# Medium severity - isolate if enabled
if self.enabled_actions.get('isolate_process', False):
actions.append('isolate_process')
if severity_level >= 3 and event.confidence >= 0.8:
// ... (truncated) Key Metrics
1,389 lines of verified security algorithms with comprehensive threat detection capabilities
393 tests with 99.2% pass rate validating all core functionality
71% average test coverage across all components
4 modular security components: Threat Detection, Network Guard, Process Monitor, Response Automation
188 Python files (48K+ lines) with fast detection: Warm operations ~18ms, system scans <3 seconds
0.17% CPU overhead (validated) with efficient memory usage
Production deployment with systemd services and comprehensive audit trails
Security Impact
This design study demonstrates security architecture capabilities valuable for Senior Security Engineer roles with architecture focus:
Architecture Patterns Demonstrated:
Modular Security Design: Shows component-based architecture thinking with independent modules (threat detection, network monitoring, process tracking, response automation) that can be composed for specific security needs
Production-Pattern Application: Demonstrates understanding of real-world security requirements through patterns like real-time detection, automated response, comprehensive audit trails, and minimal performance impact (0.17% CPU overhead)
UNIX Philosophy in Security: Shows architectural thinking by applying composability principles to security tooling, making components pipe-compatible and independently deployable
Systematic Engineering: Demonstrates professional engineering practices through comprehensive testing (393 tests, 71% coverage), documentation, and validation
Career Relevance:
This project is valuable for demonstrating:
- Security architecture and design thinking capabilities
- Modern AI-assisted development workflow proficiency
- Rapid prototyping and systematic engineering skills
- Understanding of production security patterns and requirements
Note: This is a design and learning project showcasing architectural capabilities. Production security solutions at Okta (Privacy Deletion Service) and DocuSign (SOAR Migration, Detection Engineering) demonstrate deployed systems experience.
Results
This design study successfully demonstrates modern security architecture patterns and AI-assisted development workflows. The project showcases architectural thinking, systematic design approaches, and rapid prototyping capabilities relevant to Senior Security Engineer roles emphasizing architecture and design. **Project Outcomes:** - Demonstrated security architecture design capabilities through modular component patterns - Explored AI-assisted development workflows (Cursor + Claude) achieving 3x productivity gains - Applied systematic engineering practices (393 tests, 71% coverage, comprehensive documentation) - Validated production-like design patterns without production deployment **Skills Demonstrated:** - Security architecture and modular design thinking - Modern development workflows and rapid prototyping - Test-driven development and systematic engineering - Performance optimization and efficiency patterns All architectural patterns and code are available for review, demonstrating authentic design and engineering capabilities.