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ZAIN KHALIL KHAN
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Zain Khalil Khan

Security builderSoftware engineerCybersecurityAIITTS-MA

I build secure software, AI-powered tools, and operational systems that solve real problems. B.S. in Cybersecurity with a Computer Science minor at DePaul University, Class of 2027.

On air
Detection engineeringSecurity operationsCloud and identityIncident responseNetwork securityOSINTApplied AIFull-stack productPython automationNext.js engineeringEnterprise ITAviation data

New standalone systems and focused collections9 titles

Latest ReleasesExplore all

Detection Rules Studio

Security Labs

Detection authoring and regression workbench that evaluates Sigma-style rules against a labeled event corpus, reporting precision, recall, and per-event outcomes so the cost of broadening a condition is measurable instead of assumed.

Live buildDetection EngineeringSigma

ZeroTrust Gateway

Independent build

Policy-based access broker that evaluates every request against device posture, geo, MFA status, and resource sensitivity to make an explainable allow, step-up, or deny decision.

Live buildZero TrustAccess Control

DevSecPipeline

Independent build

Shift-left security gate that scans a repository on push for hardcoded secrets, vulnerable dependencies, and injection patterns, then blocks or passes the build with a findings report. Its secrets module traces each exposed value through Git history and drives rotation before any history rewrite.

Live buildDevSecOpsSAST

SharePoint Analyzer

Independent build

Enterprise SharePoint security analysis platform that maps users, security groups, files, folders, sharing links, and permissions into a unified access hierarchy. Analyzes permission inheritance and excessive access to identify security risks and simplify SharePoint cleanup, with a planned remediation workflow for creating security groups and automatically applying least-privilege access.

Live buildMicrosoft SharePointMicrosoft Graph

Premier IT Operations Suite

Client Work

Internal IT operations suite that combines a searchable support knowledge base with an auditable technology-history ledger. It centralizes troubleshooting guidance, procedures, infrastructure changes, system context, review status, and institutional knowledge for dependable support and operational decision-making.

Case studyKnowledge ManagementIT Support

Encrypted File Vault

Independent build

Open-source secure file storage prototype with client-side AES encryption, PBKDF2-derived per-user keys, role-based access control, audit logging, S3 presigned URLs, and an admin dashboard.

Live buildAES EncryptionS3

Patient Summary Assistant

Healthcare AI

Streams patient documents and generates specialist-tailored summaries with citation-level traceability. Updates instantly when new records arrive, helping clinicians focus on decisions instead of record gathering.

Live buildPathwayFastAPI

IT Ticketing Platform

Independent build

IT service management platform for submitting, categorizing, assigning, tracking, and resolving technical support requests. Models real-world service desk workflows while providing centralized visibility into ticket status, priorities, and support operations.

Live buildFull StackITSM

Automated Java & Python Grading Engine

Independent build

Hybrid grading system that compiles, executes, and evaluates student submissions at scale. Custom Java test harness with Python orchestration, sandboxed environments, and detailed pass/fail reports.

Live buildJavaPython
In active developmentFounder build

Currently building

Aegis Intelligence

Autonomous AI-powered penetration testing assistant that converts raw reconnaissance data into structured, actionable threat intelligence in real time. Ingests outputs from Nmap and Gobuster, performs live OSINT enrichment, and automatically maps potential vulnerabilities, misconfigurations, and attack paths.

Latest capabilities

  • Ingests raw Nmap and Gobuster output and turns it into structured, prioritized threat intelligence in real time.
  • Normalizes scanner output into a host, port, service, and version model, so reasoning runs on data rather than text.
  • Enriches discovered hosts and services with live OSINT: ownership, exposure, and known-vulnerability context.
  • Chains misconfigurations and outdated services into likely attack paths, ranked by exploitability and blast radius.
Toward public launch95%
Generative AIOSINTCybersecurityReactTypeScript
Zain Khalil Khan in ChicagoChicago, IL

Behind the work

Security builder. IT operator. Product-minded engineer.

I study Cybersecurity with a Computer Science minor at DePaul University while working across enterprise IT and software development. That combination shapes how I build: secure by default, useful under pressure, and grounded in the way people actually work.

Current work

NASCAR IT + Premier AI development

Education

DePaul University, Class of 2027

Engineering practice

Security, software, and AI built as one system.

My work sits where cybersecurity, computer science, and enterprise operations meet. The common thread is practical engineering: understand the threat model, build a usable product, and leave enough evidence for another person to verify how it works.

How experience shapes the work

Security engineering

Detection logic, attack-path analysis, identity controls, cloud security, and incident workflows built around evidence rather than security theater.

  • Detection engineering
  • MITRE ATT&CK
  • IAM and cloud controls
  • Threat investigation
Explore security case studies

Applied AI systems

AI workflows designed for real operational data, human review, traceable outputs, and clear failure boundaries instead of unexplained automation.

  • AI agents
  • Retrieval and grounding
  • Validation guardrails
  • Workflow automation
See production AI work

Software and IT operations

Full-stack products and enterprise technology work shaped by reliability, maintainability, secure data handling, and the people operating the system.

  • Next.js and React
  • Python services
  • Enterprise IT
  • Secure architecture
Browse the complete archive

Working method

From problem to proof

  1. Frame the operating problem

    Identify the user, trust boundaries, failure modes, and evidence needed before selecting a stack.

  2. Build the smallest testable system

    Ship a working vertical slice early, then validate behavior against realistic data and constraints.

  3. Harden the critical path

    Apply explicit controls for identity, authorization, input handling, observability, and recovery.

  4. Document what the system proves

    Separate implemented behavior from assumptions, and connect technical decisions to visible outcomes.

Trust and proof

Work connected to real organizations and working systems.

NASCAR

Enterprise IT operations

Premier

AI and software development

DePaul University

B.S. Cybersecurity, Computer Science minor

Projects
Interactive demos
Security labs
Certs & courses
  • Security work names the control, mechanism, and evidence behind each finding.
  • Live builds are separated from case studies and externally deployed client work.
Inspect public work

Security, software, and operations9 reads

Field NotesExplore all

How I Built Xternal: Production AI Systems Beyond the Chat Box

How I Built Xternal: Production AI Systems Beyond the Chat Box

5 min

How I Built Aegis SOC Analyst: Turning Noisy Telemetry Into Actionable Incidents

How I Built Aegis SOC Analyst: Turning Noisy Telemetry Into Actionable Incidents

4 min

How I Built Fixr: An AI Troubleshooter That Can See the Problem

How I Built Fixr: An AI Troubleshooter That Can See the Problem

4 min

How I Built Khan OS: Designing a Multimodal AI Workspace Around Intent

How I Built Khan OS: Designing a Multimodal AI Workspace Around Intent

4 min

How I Built an Automated Java and Python Grading Engine

How I Built an Automated Java and Python Grading Engine

4 min

How I Built Aegis Intelligence: Giving Reconnaissance Data a Security Narrative

How I Built Aegis Intelligence: Giving Reconnaissance Data a Security Narrative

4 min

How I Built Flight Tracker: Making Four Live Data Sources Feel Like One Product

How I Built Flight Tracker: Making Four Live Data Sources Feel Like One Product

4 min

How I Built an Airport Operations Simulator

How I Built an Airport Operations Simulator

4 min

How I Built an Encrypted File Vault With Client-Side Protection

How I Built an Encrypted File Vault With Client-Side Protection

4 min

Available for opportunities

Let’s build something secure, useful, and worth shipping.

I am interested in cybersecurity engineering, security operations, full-stack software development, applied AI, and enterprise technology roles in Chicago or remote.

Preferred roles

  • Security engineering
  • Security operations
  • Full-stack development
  • Applied AI engineering
  • Enterprise technology
View GitHub