Ajit Kumar Soni

WAF Administrator (Imperva & Akamai)

With nearly 9 years of experience in web security, I currently serve in a lead role overseeing Imperva WAF and Akamai WAF platforms. I am responsible for configuring, managing, and optimizing the security and performance of web application firewalls. My key responsibilities include:

• Configuring and managing security policies, rules, and access controls to protect web applications.
• Monitoring traffic for security threats, analyzing logs, and generating detailed reports.
• Handling incident response, investigating potential threats, and adjusting firewall settings as needed.
• Integrating WAF platforms with other security tools and IT systems for enhanced protection.
• Ensuring optimal performance by fine-tuning security settings and reducing false positives.

With a deep understanding of web security, I lead initiatives to maintain secure, efficient, and reliable web applications, contributing to a robust security posture for the organization.

Past Organizational Experience: Specialist-IT & Information Security in SOC (Security Operations Center)

• Managed and administered Imperva On-Prem Web Application Firewalls (WAF), including configuration, fine-tuning, and policy updates to enhance the security posture.
• Handled Akamai WAF administration, ensuring optimal performance, and troubleshooting issues related to WAF devices and configurations.
• Led Akamai Host Onboarding with automation using Terraform, ensuring seamless integration of new applications and devices into the WAF infrastructure.
• Performed detailed device fine-tuning, adjusting rules and thresholds to improve accuracy and reduce false positives/negatives in threat detection.
• Conducted comprehensive alert analysis, identifying potential security incidents and ensuring timely escalation for further investigation.
• Monitored and maintained the health of WAF tools, with an in-depth understanding of the architecture of tools like Imperva and Akamai.
• Worked on Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPS), monitoring their functionality to protect critical infrastructure from external threats.
• Reviewed and analyzed weekly/monthly dashboard reports for WAF tools, presenting findings to clients, and ensuring the security posture was continuously improving.
• Tracked blacklisted IPs and unauthorized activities, providing insights and mitigation strategies based on up-to-date threat intelligence.
• Identified and understood current trends in attacker tools and techniques, staying ahead of evolving threat actors.
• Led cross-functional and multicultural teams, fostering collaboration, optimizing resource utilization, and driving team performance through interactive and motivational leadership.
• Mentored and guided 20-30 team members, ensuring their professional growth, optimizing task allocation, and driving operational efficiency.

Past Organizational Experience: Lead WAF & IT Security Administrator

I lead security administration for Imperva On-Prem WAF (L2), Akamai WAF, and SIEM (IBM QRadar - L1). My responsibilities include:

• Developing and reviewing security policies, SOPs, and validation reports.
• Ensuring quality control and precise method validation for analytical systems.
• Creating and maintaining information security policies and awareness.
• Evaluating internal control systems and recommending improvements.
• Administering WAF platforms, including policy creation and exception management.
• Monitoring SIEM (IBM QRadar) for anomalies and security incidents.
• Guiding IT security teams to adhere to best practices and standards.
• Reviewing network security measures to safeguard enterprise data.
• Designing and implementing security controls, including logging and risk mitigation.
• Staying updated on security threats, vulnerabilities, and patches.

I focus on maintaining high-level security, ensuring data integrity, and driving a culture of continuous improvement in IT security.

• Growth Path: Sep'16 to Jul'18: System Engineer, AuG'18 to ApR'19: Security Engineer

• System Engineer:Handled and resolved system-related issues, ensuring smooth operations across IT infrastructure.
  Utilized the BMS Remedy ticketing tool to log, track, and resolve incidents and service requests.
  Monitored, maintained, and troubleshot IT infrastructure to ensure minimal downtime and optimal system performance.
  
• WAF Engineer L1:Monitored and managed Web Application Firewall (WAF) systems to protect web applications from cyber threats, attacks, and vulnerabilities.
  Identified, analyzed, and responded to security incidents in real-time, ensuring the enforcement of security policies.
  Assisted in the creation, tuning, and management of WAF rules to optimize firewall performance and ensure effective protection.
  Provided support for incident response, escalating critical security issues as necessary.
  
• SIEM Engineer L1:Monitored and managed Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) tools to detect and investigate security threats, analyzing logs from multiple systems and applications.
  Correlated and analyzed security events to identify potential threats and vulnerabilities.
  Supported the configuration, tuning, and management of SIEM tools, optimizing detection accuracy and reducing false positives.
  Assisted with incident triage and investigation, escalating major threats to senior security teams for resolution.
  Ensured compliance with security policies, best practices, and regulatory requirements related to SIEM and WAF systems.
  Collaborated with senior engineers to improve security posture and response times for detected security incidents.