Question 1

How do you run a vulnerability disclosure program?

Accepted Answer

A vulnerability disclosure program (VDP) gives external security researchers a clear, legal way to report bugs in your systems. Publish a security.txt file at `/.well-known/security.txt`, define scope (what's in-bounds for testing), set response time commitments, and provide a secure reporting channel. A VDP is the minimum responsible step; a paid bug bounty program is the next level.

Question 2

How do you secure API keys in production?

Accepted Answer

Store API keys in a secrets manager (HashiCorp Vault, AWS Secrets Manager, Doppler) and inject them as environment variables at runtime — never hardcode them in source code or config files. Rotate keys on a regular schedule (90 days minimum) and implement per-service keys with least-privilege scoping so a compromised key limits blast radius.

Question 3

What is a SIEM and do you need one?

Accepted Answer

A SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) aggregates logs from across your infrastructure, correlates events, and generates alerts for potential security incidents. You need one once you have enough infrastructure that manually reviewing logs is impractical — typically when you're running 10+ services, handling regulated data, or have compliance requirements (SOC 2, HIPAA, PCI-DSS).

Question 4

What is supply chain security for software?

Accepted Answer

Software supply chain security protects every component and process involved in building and delivering software — from open-source dependencies to CI/CD pipelines to build artifacts. Attacks target the weakest link: a compromised npm package, a poisoned Docker base image, or a hijacked build pipeline can inject malicious code into your production deployment.

Question 5

What is zero trust security and how do you implement it?

Accepted Answer

Zero trust is a security model that requires strict verification for every user and device attempting to access resources, regardless of network location. It replaces perimeter-based security ("trust the internal network") with continuous authentication and least-privilege access. Implementation starts with identity-aware proxies, microsegmentation, and device posture checks at every access point.

Question 6

What is zero trust security?

Accepted Answer

Zero trust is a security model built on the principle of "never trust, always verify." Unlike perimeter-based security that trusts everything inside the network, zero trust treats every access request as potentially hostile — regardless of where it originates. Every user, device, and connection is continuously authenticated and authorized before accessing any resource.