Recruiter’s Questions

1\ what interests you most about security engineering? great response "what fascinates me about security engineering is the constant evolution of threats and defenses i enjoy the problem solving aspects—analyzing systems to find potential vulnerabilities before attackers do i'm particularly drawn to your company because you're handling sensitive financial data at scale, which presents unique security challenges that align with my experience in building secure payment processing systems " mediocre response "i've always been good with computers and enjoy keeping systems secure security seems like a growing field with good job prospects, and i like the technical challenges i've read that your company values security, which is important to me " poor response "i like how security engineering gives me tools to lock systems down completely my approach is to implement the strongest possible security controls on everything i believe perfect security is achievable if you follow all best practices to the letter " 2\ how do you stay current with security trends and emerging threats? great response "i maintain a multi layered approach to staying informed i follow specific security researchers on platforms like twitter and github, subscribe to several industry newsletters like sans newsbites and krebs on security, participate in the local owasp chapter, and dedicate time weekly to read vulnerability databases and security bulletins relevant to the technologies we use i also find value in security podcasts like darknet diaries during my commute when possible, i attend security conferences and workshops to network with peers and exchange insights " mediocre response "i follow several security news sites and occasionally check cve listings when i have time i'm part of a few security groups on linkedin and read articles that come across my feed sometimes i'll watch youtube videos about new attack methods " poor response "i rely on our security tools to alert us when there are problems when we need to make changes, i read the documentation for the specific issue most vendors send emails about critical vulnerabilities in their products, so i keep an eye on those " 3\ tell me about a time when you had to explain a complex security concept to non technical stakeholders great response "we needed to implement multi factor authentication company wide, but faced resistance from executives concerned about productivity impacts i created a brief demonstration showing how quickly a password could be compromised, followed by a simulation of the mfa process taking only seconds i used analogies comparing passwords to house keys that can be copied versus mfa being like both a key and an alarm system that verifies the homeowner's identity i provided metrics on security incidents before and after mfa implementation at similar companies, focusing on financial impact this approach helped stakeholders understand both the risks and the minimal operational impact, securing their buy in for the project " mediocre response "i had to explain why we needed to update our password policy i sent out an email with the new requirements and created a document explaining why strong passwords matter some people complained about having to remember complex passwords, so i suggested using a password manager and explained how it works most people eventually complied with the new policy " poor response "when explaining security requirements, i usually provide stakeholders with copies of the compliance standards or industry regulations that mandate certain controls i focus on the potential fines or penalties for non compliance since that's what management cares about if they have questions about technical details, i tell them that it's necessary for security and our team will handle all the implementation " 4\ how do you balance security requirements with business needs and user experience? great response "i view security as an enabler of business rather than just a gatekeeper first, i work to thoroughly understand the business objectives and user workflows before designing security controls for example, at my previous company, our sales team needed to share sensitive documents with clients rather than blocking this activity, i implemented a secure document sharing platform with classification based controls, allowing necessary sharing while maintaining appropriate protections based on data sensitivity i also created different security tiers with corresponding controls, so we could apply more stringent measures to critical systems while keeping less sensitive areas more accessible regular feedback loops with users helped us iteratively improve both security and usability " mediocre response "i try to implement security best practices while keeping the business running when users complain that security measures are too restrictive, i look for compromises sometimes we need to make exceptions to security policies for important business functions i generally start with strict controls and then loosen them if they cause too many problems " poor response "security should always be the top priority because a breach would be much worse than any temporary inconvenience i focus on implementing the controls recommended by security frameworks, and then it's up to the business units to adapt their processes accordingly users eventually get used to security measures, even if they seem difficult at first if someone needs an exception, they can submit a formal request that gets reviewed by the security team " 5\ describe your approach to vulnerability management great response "i take a risk based approach to vulnerability management rather than treating all vulnerabilities equally first, i ensure we have comprehensive asset inventory and continuous scanning capabilities to identify vulnerabilities across our environment when vulnerabilities are discovered, i assess them not just by their cvss score, but by considering factors like the affected system's exposure, the data it contains, compensating controls, and exploitability in our specific context this helps prioritize remediation efforts where they'll have the greatest security impact i work closely with operations teams to establish realistic patching schedules based on risk levels and maintenance windows for vulnerabilities that can't be immediately patched, i help implement compensating controls i also track metrics like mean time to remediate and vulnerability density to continuously improve our process " mediocre response "we run vulnerability scans monthly and create tickets for the it team to patch critical vulnerabilities first, followed by high, medium, and low severity issues i follow up on past due items and document exceptions when patches can't be applied we track our patching percentages to make sure we're keeping up with vulnerabilities " poor response "i focus on getting our vulnerability scanners to show as few high and critical findings as possible when the scanner finds issues, i assign them to the appropriate teams with deadlines based on severity teams that don't patch on time get escalated to management some systems are too sensitive to patch regularly, so we accept those risks as long as we're patching most critical vulnerabilities within 30 days, we're in good shape " 6\ how would you approach building a security program from scratch at a growing company? great response "i'd start by partnering with business leaders to understand the company's operations, crown jewel assets, and risk tolerance this helps tailor the security program to business objectives rather than implementing security for security's sake i'd conduct a gap assessment using a framework like nist csf to identify our current security posture based on that assessment, i'd develop a multi phase roadmap prioritizing quick wins that address significant risks while building foundational capabilities like asset management, vulnerability management, and security awareness i'd establish governance through appropriate policies and standards, making sure they're practical for our size and culture as the program matures, i'd implement security metrics that demonstrate both risk reduction and business enablement throughout this process, i'd focus on building security as a collaborative function that helps the business succeed rather than being seen as an obstacle " mediocre response "i would implement standard security controls based on frameworks like iso 27001 or nist, starting with the basics like antivirus, firewalls, and access controls i'd create security policies and make sure employees receive security awareness training once those fundamentals are in place, i'd gradually add more advanced security measures like intrusion detection systems and dlp i'd also make sure we have an incident response plan " poor response "the first priority would be to implement as many security tools as the budget allows to get immediate visibility and protection i'd create comprehensive policies based on industry best practices and ensure strict compliance from the start so we don't develop bad habits i'd require all systems to meet hardening standards before they can go into production security needs to be established as a serious priority from day one, even if it means slowing down some business initiatives while we build proper security foundations " 7\ tell me about a time when you identified a security risk and took steps to address it great response "while reviewing our cloud environment, i noticed we had inconsistent security configurations across development and production environments rather than just fixing individual issues, i collaborated with our devops team to implement infrastructure as code with security guardrails built in i developed a set of security modules for terraform that enforced encryption, proper network segmentation, and least privilege access controls we then automated security testing in the ci/cd pipeline to catch configuration drift before deployment this approach not only remediated the immediate risks but also prevented similar issues going forward by making secure configurations the default path the project reduced our cloud security findings by 87% while actually accelerating development by standardizing infrastructure deployment " mediocre response "i discovered that many of our aws s3 buckets had overly permissive access controls i ran a script to identify all the buckets with public access and worked with the application teams to reconfigure them with appropriate permissions i then documented the correct configuration settings and shared them with the teams to prevent similar issues in the future " poor response "i found out our developers were using third party libraries without security review, so i implemented a policy requiring security team approval for all new libraries i set up a form for developers to submit requests and created a process where my team would research each library before approving it this slowed down development a bit, but it was necessary to make sure we weren't introducing vulnerabilities through insecure code " 8\ how do you approach security awareness and training for employees? great response "i believe effective security awareness requires moving beyond compliance focused annual training to creating a security culture i segment audiences by role and risk level to deliver targeted training—developers receive secure coding workshops, executives focus on business risk decisions, and general staff get practical guidance on recognizing threats they're likely to encounter i use real world examples from our organization when possible, making the training relevant to daily work to reinforce behaviors, i incorporate regular micro learning opportunities like simulated phishing exercises with immediate feedback, security tips in company communications, and recognition for employees who report security concerns i measure effectiveness through behavior changes rather than just completion rates—looking at metrics like phishing report rates, reduction in security incidents, and increased vulnerability disclosures from teams " mediocre response "i ensure everyone completes the required annual security awareness training and run occasional phishing simulations to test employee awareness when someone falls for a phishing test, they receive additional training i send security newsletters with tips and updates about new threats for teams that handle sensitive data, i provide more specific training on their security responsibilities " poor response "i make sure our annual security training covers all the required topics and tracks completion for compliance purposes the training explains the security policies and the consequences of not following them if we experience security incidents, i send out emails reminding employees about proper security practices the security team handles most security responsibilities, so the main goal is making sure employees know how to avoid obvious mistakes and when to contact security " 9\ what is your philosophy on how security teams should collaborate with development teams? great response "i believe security teams should be partners in building secure products, not gatekeepers that only appear at the end of development i embed security champions within development teams who can provide day to day guidance while still maintaining connection to the core security team i work to make security testing automated and integrated into development workflows, providing real time feedback rather than lengthy reports weeks later when vulnerabilities are found, i focus on education rather than just reporting problems—helping developers understand the underlying security concepts and empowering them to identify similar issues themselves in the future i measure success not just by vulnerabilities found, but by how effectively we're building security knowledge within development teams and reducing the recurrence of common issues " mediocre response "security should be involved throughout the development lifecycle i try to establish good relationships with development teams and make myself available to answer their security questions i perform security reviews before major releases and provide feedback on vulnerabilities that need to be fixed i also create secure coding guidelines for developers to follow " poor response "security needs to verify that applications meet our standards before they go into production i conduct thorough security assessments and provide developers with detailed reports of issues that need to be fixed if applications don't meet security requirements, they shouldn't be released until the problems are addressed i find it's most efficient when development teams finish their work and then bring in security for review before deployment " 10\ how do you prioritize security efforts when resources are limited? great response "with limited resources, strategic prioritization is essential i start by mapping the organization's most critical assets and processes, understanding what would cause the most significant business impact if compromised i perform threat modeling focused on these critical areas to identify the most likely and impactful attack scenarios this guides where to focus our efforts first i look for security investments with multiplier effects—controls that address multiple risks simultaneously or enable other security capabilities for example, implementing strong identity management improves access control across many systems i balance tactical measures that address immediate risks with strategic initiatives that build sustainable security foundations i also consider what can be automated to maximize the impact of the security team's time and regularly reassess priorities as the threat landscape and business evolve " mediocre response "i focus on addressing the highest risk vulnerabilities first, based on severity ratings and which systems are most critical i try to implement security controls that give us the most coverage for the investment when we can't do everything, i document the risks we're accepting and get management sign off i also look for security tools that can automate some of our work to make the team more efficient " poor response "i prioritize meeting compliance requirements first since those are mandatory after that, i focus on implementing as many security best practices as possible based on what our team can handle i try to get additional resources by emphasizing the risks of not addressing security issues if we can't secure something properly, i recommend restricting its use until we have the resources to protect it adequately " 11\ describe a challenging security incident you've helped resolve and what you learned from it great response "we experienced a credential stuffing attack targeting our customer portal that successfully compromised several accounts rather than just resetting passwords, i led a comprehensive response we immediately implemented rate limiting on authentication attempts and temporary ip blocking for suspicious patterns while investigating root cause analysis revealed that beyond the immediate attack, we needed to address underlying issues insufficient mfa adoption, lack of monitoring for suspicious login patterns, and no breach notification process for affected users we implemented risk based authentication that triggers step up verification for unusual login characteristics, improved security monitoring with behavioral baselines, and created an efficient customer notification protocol the most valuable lesson was the importance of defense in depth—we had been over relying on password policies while neglecting other authentication security layers we now treat authentication as a risk based, continuous process rather than a single point in time event " mediocre response "we discovered unauthorized access to a customer database through a compromised employee account i helped investigate by reviewing logs to determine what information was accessed we reset the employee's credentials and checked for any persistent backdoors after the incident, we implemented multi factor authentication for all administrative accounts to prevent similar incidents i learned that even careful employees can have their credentials compromised and that additional authentication factors are important " poor response "we had an incident where malware infected several workstations i worked with it to reimage the affected computers and restore them from backups we installed better antivirus software across the network to catch similar threats in the future the main thing i learned is the importance of keeping security tools updated and making sure employees don't click on suspicious links " 12\ how do you approach cloud security differently than on premises security? great response "while core security principles remain consistent, cloud environments require a significant shift in implementation approach in the cloud, i focus heavily on identity and access management as the primary security perimeter, implementing fine grained permissions with just in time access where possible infrastructure as code becomes essential—i treat security configurations as code that's version controlled, tested, and deployed through automated pipelines this helps prevent configuration drift and enables security at cloud scale i leverage cloud native security services for continuous monitoring rather than traditional network based controls, and automate remediation workflows where feasible data protection strategies change too—focusing more on object level encryption and access policies rather than network segmentation alone the shared responsibility model requires clear understanding of which security controls are managed by the provider versus our team perhaps most importantly, i emphasize training security personnel on cloud specific threats and ensuring developers understand secure cloud architecture patterns " mediocre response "cloud security requires more focus on proper configuration and access management since you don't control the physical infrastructure i work to implement security groups, iam policies, and encryption for cloud resources i use cloud security tools to monitor for misconfigurations and unusual activity it's important to understand the shared responsibility model and which security aspects are handled by the cloud provider versus our team " poor response "i try to implement the same security controls in the cloud that we use on premises, focusing on creating network boundaries and access restrictions that mirror our traditional environment since cloud environments can change quickly, i implement approval processes for any cloud resource changes and regularly audit configurations against our security baselines the key is maintaining consistent security standards across all environments " 13\ what's your approach to integrating security into the software development lifecycle? great response "i believe effective security integration into the sdlc requires both cultural and technical components tailored to each phase in the design phase, i facilitate threat modeling sessions with product and development teams that translate security requirements into specific, actionable tasks embedded directly in their backlog for the development phase, i provide security libraries, patterns, and pre approved components that make secure coding the path of least resistance in the build and test phases, i integrate automated security testing into the ci/cd pipeline with appropriate feedback mechanisms—critical issues block the pipeline while informational findings are routed to dashboards for later review i establish clear remediation slas based on risk rather than treating all findings equally throughout this process, i focus on developer experience, ensuring security tools provide actionable guidance rather than just identifying problems this approach treats security as a quality attribute that's built in collaboratively rather than an external inspection process " mediocre response "i incorporate security at different stages of development we perform security requirements gathering at the beginning of projects, conduct code reviews for security issues, and run vulnerability scans before deployment i provide developers with secure coding guidelines and training when security issues are found, i work with the development team to prioritize fixes based on severity " poor response "my main focus is on thorough security testing before applications go into production i conduct security reviews of completed code and identify vulnerabilities that need to be fixed before release if developers need guidance on security, i provide them with documentation on secure coding practices the security team needs to verify that all requirements are met before approving deployment " 14\ how do you measure the effectiveness of a security program? great response "i take a multi dimensional approach to measuring security effectiveness that goes beyond just technical metrics i track leading indicators that predict future security posture, such as mean time to patch critical vulnerabilities, security debt reduction rates, and coverage of security controls across different asset types for defense effectiveness, i use metrics like dwell time for detected incidents, percentage of attacks stopped at each security layer, and results from red team exercises or bug bounty programs to demonstrate security's business value, i track metrics like reduced friction in secure workflows, security's contribution to sales enablement for security conscious customers, and risk reduction per dollar spent i present these metrics differently to different stakeholders—executives receive business focused dashboards while technical teams get detailed operational metrics the most valuable measurements often come from trend analysis rather than point in time snapshots, showing how our security maturity is evolving over time " mediocre response "i track metrics like vulnerability remediation rates, security incident statistics, policy compliance percentages, and security awareness training completion i create monthly reports showing our progress in these areas and highlight any concerning trends these measurements help demonstrate the security team's value and identify areas needing improvement " poor response "the main indicators i focus on are the number of security incidents and audit findings if these numbers are low, our security program is working effectively i also track whether we're meeting compliance requirements and industry standards security tool coverage across our environment is another important metric—making sure all systems have the required security controls implemented " 15\ what factors do you consider when evaluating security tools or vendors? great response "when evaluating security tools, i first establish clear selection criteria based on our specific use cases and security gaps rather than feature lists i assess how well the tool integrates with our existing architecture and workflows—the best security tool is ineffective if it creates friction or generates alerts nobody has time to address i consider the total cost of ownership beyond just license fees, including operational overhead, training requirements, and potential need for additional infrastructure for critical security tools, i conduct proof of concept testing in our environment with realistic scenarios rather than relying solely on vendor demos i evaluate the vendor's security practices, including their vulnerability disclosure process, product security features, and how they handle customer data i also consider their product roadmap alignment with our future needs and their responsiveness to customer feedback finally, i check references from organizations with similar environments and use cases to understand real world implementation challenges " mediocre response "i look at the key features of each tool and how they compare to our requirements price is always a consideration, but i also evaluate ease of use and integration capabilities with our other systems i read industry reviews and analyst reports to see how the tools rank i usually request demos from the vendors and ask questions about specific scenarios we need to address support quality and the vendor's reputation in the industry are also factors in the decision " poor response "i focus on finding tools with the most comprehensive feature sets within our budget i prefer established vendors with well known names in the security industry since they're more likely to be reliable once i've narrowed down the options, i present them to management with a comparison of features and costs implementation details can be figured out later once we've selected a tool the important thing is getting the capabilities we need in place quickly " 16\ how would you handle disagreements with other teams about security requirements? great response "when facing disagreements about security requirements, i start by trying to understand the other team's objectives and constraints rather than immediately defending the security position this helps identify whether we're dealing with a legitimate business need or just resistance to change i focus discussions on the specific risks being addressed rather than abstract security principles, quantifying potential impact where possible when there's pushback, i look for creative alternatives that achieve security objectives while accommodating the other team's needs—security rarely has only one implementation approach for significant disagreements, i use a structured risk acceptance process that ensures informed decisions by the appropriate level of leadership, documenting the risk, compensating controls, and business justification throughout these discussions, i maintain a collaborative tone, recognizing that security succeeds through partnerships rather than mandates this approach has helped me turn potential adversaries into security allies " mediocre response "i try to explain the security requirements clearly and why they're important if the other team still pushes back, i look for potential compromises that would maintain an acceptable level of security while addressing their concerns for significant security issues, i involve management in the discussion to help reach a resolution i document any exceptions that are granted and make sure they're reviewed periodically " poor response "i stand firm on critical security requirements since they're necessary for protecting the organization i explain the potential consequences of not implementing proper security controls, including compliance violations and breach risks if teams still resist implementing security measures, i escalate to their management sometimes security needs to be enforced even when it's unpopular because the organization's protection is the priority " 17\ what experience do you have with security frameworks and compliance requirements? great response "i've worked with several security frameworks, each serving different purposes in our security program i used nist csf as an overarching framework to assess our security maturity and guide program development, while implementing cis controls for tactical security measures with their prioritized, practical approach for cloud environments, i applied the cloud security alliance matrix to address cloud specific risks beyond just compliance, i value these frameworks as tools to communicate security posture in standardized terms with leadership and customers for regulatory requirements, i've led soc 2 type 2 certification efforts, implementing continuous monitoring to maintain compliance year round rather than treating it as an annual project i've also managed pci dss compliance for payment systems, where i focused on network segmentation to reduce scope and implemented compensating controls where needed what i've found most effective is mapping these various frameworks together to create a unified control set that addresses multiple requirements simultaneously, reducing duplicate efforts while ensuring comprehensive coverage " mediocre response "i've worked with iso 27001 and nist frameworks to guide our security program development i helped implement controls to meet soc 2 requirements and worked on documenting our compliance evidence i'm familiar with pci dss for payment card security and have some experience with hipaa requirements for health data i generally use these frameworks as checklists to ensure we're covering all the necessary security controls " poor response "i make sure our security program follows all the required compliance standards for our industry i focus on implementing the controls specified in these frameworks and preparing documentation for audits when auditors find gaps, i create action plans to address them before the next audit cycle compliance requirements provide a clear roadmap for what security measures we need to have in place " 18\ how do you approach security for a newly identified critical vulnerability with no patch available yet? great response "when facing a critical vulnerability without an immediate patch, i follow a layered mitigation strategy first, i quickly assess actual exploitability in our specific environment rather than relying solely on general severity ratings i work with system owners to implement temporary compensating controls based on the vulnerability's attack vectors—this might include network filtering, additional logging and alerting, application firewalls, or temporarily disabling affected features when possible i establish enhanced monitoring specifically looking for exploitation attempts of this vulnerability, with clear escalation procedures for detected activity for business critical systems that must remain operational, i perform risk based analysis to determine appropriate mitigations while documenting accepted risk with executive visibility throughout this process, i maintain communication with relevant teams about mitigation status and actively track patch development once a patch becomes available, i coordinate risk based deployment prioritizing internet facing and sensitive systems this approach balances security needs with business continuity rather than having a one size fits all response " mediocre response "i would assess the vulnerability's potential impact on our systems and implement temporary workarounds where possible, like firewall rules or configuration changes that might limit exploitation i'd increase monitoring for signs of exploitation attempts and prepare systems for patching as soon as a fix becomes available for critical systems, i'd work with system owners to determine if any should be temporarily isolated or have additional access restrictions " poor response "i would immediately alert all system owners about the vulnerability and instruct them to take affected systems offline if possible until a patch is available for systems that can't be taken offline, i'd implement strict access controls limiting use to only essential personnel the priority is preventing any possible exploitation of the vulnerability, even if it causes some business disruption this cautious approach is necessary until we can properly address the security issue " 19\ tell me about a security project you led that you're particularly proud of great response "i led an initiative to transform our approach to third party security assessments, which had become a major bottleneck for business partnerships rather than just optimizing our existing process, i reimagined it entirely i developed a risk based framework that classified vendors into tiers based on data access, integration depth, and business criticality, with appropriate assessment depth for each tier for lower risk vendors, i implemented a streamlined self attestation process with automated validation of key controls for higher risk vendors, i created a collaborative assessment approach focusing on their security outcomes rather than specific implementations i built automated workflows that integrated with our procurement system, ensuring security assessment initiation at the right time with minimal friction the results were significant—we reduced assessment time for low risk vendors from 3 weeks to 3 days, increased assessment quality for high risk vendors by focusing analyst time where it mattered most, and improved security coverage across our vendor ecosystem by making the process sustainable what made this project particularly rewarding was how it demonstrated security as a business enabler rather than just a control function—our procurement and business teams became strong advocates for the security process " mediocre response "i implemented a new vulnerability management program that improved our patching process i set up regular scanning across our environment, created a risk based prioritization system for vulnerabilities, and established slas for remediation based on severity i worked with it teams to define patching workflows and responsibilities the project reduced our average time to patch critical vulnerabilities from 45 days to 15 days and significantly improved our security posture " poor response "i led the implementation of a data loss prevention system to protect sensitive information i researched different dlp solutions, selected a vendor, and deployed the tool across our environment i created policies to detect and block unauthorized data transfers and set up alerts for security incidents the system successfully blocked numerous potential data leaks and gave us better visibility into how information moves throughout our organization " 20\ where do you see the security field evolving in the next few years, and how are you preparing for those changes? great response "i see several significant evolutions coming to security first, the shift toward security becoming genuinely embedded in development and operations rather than a separate function—moving from devsecops as a methodology to security being intrinsically part of engineering culture and tooling second, the increasing use of ai in both offensive and defensive security—not just for threat detection but for vulnerability discovery, security architecture analysis, and even code remediation third, the expansion of security beyond traditional it boundaries as more physical systems become connected and the lines between ot and it security blur to prepare for these changes, i'm developing deeper knowledge of software engineering practices and contributing to open source security tools to better understand security from a developer's perspective i'm expanding my knowledge of machine learning concepts specifically related to security use cases and their limitations i'm also actively building cross functional skills by working with teams outside traditional security boundaries most importantly, i'm focusing on building adaptive security strategies that can evolve with these changes rather than static security programs that quickly become outdated " mediocre response "i think cloud security and zero trust architectures will continue to grow in importance as organizations move away from traditional perimeter security ai and automation will play bigger roles in security operations, helping teams keep up with threats i'm preparing by learning more about cloud security certifications, reading about zero trust implementation strategies, and taking some online courses about security automation tools i try to keep up with industry publications to stay aware of new trends " poor response "security will need to become more stringent as threats continue to increase more regulations will probably be introduced requiring stricter controls security teams will need larger budgets and more authority to implement necessary protections as attacks become more sophisticated i'm focusing on becoming an expert in current security technologies and compliance requirements so i can help organizations meet these growing challenges i believe the fundamentals of security will remain the same, just with more advanced tools "