Ghaymah Cloud SecOps Assessment

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• Executive Summary
• Assessment Architecture
• Repository Structure
• Key Findings Dashboard
• Assessment Deliverables

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Executive Summary

Author: Ziad Mahmoud Abdelgwad Qabilah Profile: https://qabilah.com/profile/ziadalex2003/
Role: Cloud Security Engineer Intern (SecOps Track)
Target Environment: Ghaymah Managed Cloud Services (ghaymah.systems, mithal.space)

This repository contains a comprehensive Security Operations (SecOps) assessment for Ghaymah Cloud Infrastructure (Managed Kubernetes + Block Storage). The project demonstrates end-to-end security engineering, covering offensive auditing, defensive detection engineering, privacy compliance, and incident response architecture.

The assessment is broken into five core domains:

1. Security Audit: A custom, production-ready Bash script automating port enumeration, TLS validation, and local permission audits.
2. Incident Response: A full PICERL methodology plan mitigating brute-force attacks and data exfiltration using Wazuh and n8n SOAR.
3. Privacy Assessment: Manual dynamic analysis of browser privacy violations, including tracker identification and HTTP security header audits.
4. SIEM Engineering: A custom Python-based Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) engine with real-time log parsing and a web dashboard.
5. Ransomware Response: A strategic recovery playbook emphasizing immutable backups and environment wipe-before-restore procedures.

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Project Objectives

• Automate Defenses: Prove the ability to write reliable scripts (ghaymah_audit.sh) and parsers (siem_engine.py) to automate security workflows.
• Architect Detection: Design robust detection rules (Wazuh XML) capable of identifying complex, distributed threats.
• Communicate Risk: Translate highly technical findings into actionable, reviewer-friendly documentation (Privacy Reports, Ransomware Plans).

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Assessment Architecture

graph TD
    subgraph "Phase 1: External Assessment"
        EXT[External Attack Surface] --> T1(Task 1: Security Auditing)
        T1 --> T3(Task 3: Privacy Assessment)
    end
    
    subgraph "Phase 2 & 3: Internal Defense"
        T3 --> INT[Ghaymah Internal Network]
        T1 -->|Generates Logs| INT
        INT --> T4(Task 4: SIEM Engine)
        T4 -->|Triggers| T2(Task 2: Incident Response SOAR)
    end
    
    subgraph "Phase 4: Disaster Recovery"
        T2 -->|If Defenses Fail| T5(Task 5: Ransomware Recovery)
    end

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Repository Structure

ghayma/
├── README.md                              ← You are here
├── TESTING_GUIDE.md                       # Instructions for validation
├── docs/                                  # Master Indices & Reviewer Guides
│   ├── evidence-index.md
│   ├── findings-summary.md
│   └── sample-output.md
│
├── task1-security-audit/                  # Bash automation & compliance
│   ├── ghaymah_audit.sh
│   └── security_checklist.md
│
├── task2-incident-response/               # PICERL, Kill Chain & Wazuh
│   ├── incident_response_plan_PICERL.md
│   ├── kill_chain_timeline.md
│   ├── wazuh_brute_force_rules.xml
│   └── wazuh_rules_explained.md
│
├── task3-privacy-assessment/              # Browser DevTools dynamic analysis
│   └── privacy_assessment_report.md
│
├── task4-siem/                            # Custom Python SIEM Engine
│   ├── siem_engine.py
│   ├── siem_detection_rules.md
│   └── dashboard/                         # ★ LIVE HTML/CSS/JS DASHBOARD ★
│       ├── index.html
│       ├── style.css
│       └── app.js
│
└── task5-ransomware/                      # DR, Backups & Recovery Strategy
    └── ransomware_response_plan.md

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Key Findings Dashboard

Task	Finding	Severity	Evidence
Task 1	SSH (Port 22) Exposed	WARNING	ghaymah_audit.png
Task 1	Content-Security-Policy (CSP) Missing	WARNING	ghaymah_audit.png
Task 3	Missing HSTS Header	HIGH	network_headers.png
Task 3	Analytics Tracking Scripts (Client-side)	MEDIUM	network-overview.png
Task 4	SIEM: In-Memory State Exhaustion	CRITICAL	Architecture Review

Note

For a full list of findings and remediation recommendations, see docs/findings-summary.md.

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Tools Used

Tool	Where	Purpose
Bash + coreutils	Task 1	System auditing (nc, openssl, find, stat)
Wazuh	Task 2, 5	Host/network IDS, FIM, log correlation
n8n	Task 2, 5	SOAR automation (self-hosted on K8s)
Browser DevTools	Task 3	Dynamic network and client-storage analysis
Python stdlib	Task 4	SIEM engine (no external pip dependencies)

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Security Controls Implemented

• Automated Hardening: Fast, targeted bash scripts replacing bloated OS checks.
• Zero-Trust NetworkPolicies: Segmented K8s architecture preventing lateral movement.
• Tiered Detections: Mathematical thresholds in Wazuh preventing alert fatigue.
• Immutable Recovery: WORM storage strategies mitigating ransomware encryption.

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Screenshots Gallery

All evidence is embedded directly into the task documentation. Use the links below to view the visual evidence:

• Task 1: Audit Script Execution
• Task 3: TLS Certificate Verification
• Task 3: Missing Security Headers
• Task 4: SIEM Dashboard UI
• Task 4: Real-time SIEM Alerts

(For a master list of all evidence, see docs/evidence-index.md).

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Testing & Validation

To run the automated tests, security audits, or spawn the SIEM dashboard locally, please refer to the TESTING_GUIDE.md.

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Recommendations

The repository demonstrates a highly mature defensive posture. Immediate remediation efforts should focus on edge-level HTTP security headers (HSTS/CSP) and decoupling the SIEM log ingestion using Kafka to ensure horizontal scalability during volumetric attacks.

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Lessons Learned

• Aesthetic vs. Practical Auditing: Deep system enumerations (/etc/shadow, SUID binaries) are theoretically good but often out-of-scope for cloud-shared environments. Targeted checks are far more valuable.
• Order of Operations: In a ransomware scenario, wiping the environment before restoring data is critical to preventing immediate reinfection by sleeper agents.

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Conclusion

This portfolio project demonstrates a balanced approach to Security Operations, blending offensive validation (Bash auditing, Privacy tracking) with robust defensive engineering (SIEM, Wazuh, SOAR). It is highly defensible, structurally organized, and ready for technical interview discussion.

Assessment Deliverables

• Task 1: Security Audit
• Task 2: Incident Response
• Task 3: Privacy Assessment
• Task 4: SIEM Engine
• Task 5: Ransomware Playbook