INITIALIZING SECURE SESSION...
ABLUGG · SECURITY ENGINEER & ANALYST
SESSION AUTHENTICATED · WORKSPACE READY
⬡  MIZAN · THREAT MODEL · CONFIDENTIAL COMPUTING LAYER
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Engineer / Analyst Profile

Threat-aware.
Architecture-first.

My path into confidential computing started with a specific problem: legal AI platforms need to process attorney-client privileged data in the cloud, but standard cloud deployments give the provider · and anyone who compromises them · full visibility into instance memory. That gap led me to hardware-enforced isolation, and I've been building at that boundary ever since.

Two production TEE deployments later, I have hands-on experience with the full attack surface: host-level isolation, attestation flows, supply chain integrity, and the residual risks no enclave can fully close. I build the defenses, then stress-test them · the security assessment below Mizan is my own work product. CompTIA Security+ certified. Open to engineer and analyst roles where security is a first-class constraint.

AppSec runs through every project I've shipped: input validation and injection prevention on all form surfaces, rate limiting and DDoS mitigation at the infrastructure layer, session hijacking controls and encrypted session isolation, supply chain integrity on build pipelines, and AI guardrails to prevent prompt injection at the inference layer. Security wasn't bolted on after the fact · it was in the architecture from day one.

2
Production TEE deployments in legal AI
AWS
Azure
Nitro Enclaves · Confidential VMs
Sec+
CompTIA Security+ certified
Currently
studyingCISSP domains · working toward certification
readingThe Web Application Hacker's Handbook
focusdata-in-use protection · hardware trust models
Selected Operations

What I've shipped.

Production Work
CONFIDENTIAL COMPUTING · FLAGSHIP
Mizan · Legal AI Platform
Zero-trust AI inference inside AWS Nitro Enclaves. Client data never touches the host OS or hypervisor · PCR-validated attestation proves enclave integrity before KMS releases key material, every session. Designed for legal use cases where a single data exposure event ends the product and breaches attorney ethics obligations.
AWS Nitro Enclaves Cryptographic Attestation Zero-Trust Python · Flask React
DOCUMENT  Security Assessment · Confidential Computing Layer SYSTEM  Mizan Legal AI Platform ENGINEER  Muhammad Ablugg · CompTIA Security+ STATUS  UNCLASSIFIED · FOR REVIEW
01  Threat Landscape

Legal AI sits at one of the highest-risk intersections in modern software: attorney-client privileged data, cloud infrastructure with shared-responsibility models, and AI inference ·an attack surface that barely existed five years ago.

The core problem is structural. Default cloud deployments allow the provider to inspect instance memory. For legal data, this isn't a compliance checkbox issue ·it's a categorical breach of attorney ethics obligations. The threat model had to account for adversaries who aren't external hackers. The most dangerous actors are insiders: cloud operators, Mizan employees, or a compromised build pipeline.

02  Attack Surface

Trust boundaries mapped before any code was written:

  • Host OS → Enclave  ·  primary isolation boundary
  • Client → Inference layer  ·  data in transit
  • Build pipeline → Enclave binary  ·  supply chain integrity
  • Mizan operators → Production environment  ·  insider threat
  • Client inputs → AI model  ·  prompt injection surface
03  Controls Implemented

AWS Nitro Enclaves ·Hardware Memory Isolation. The host OS has zero read/write access to enclave memory. Enforced at the hypervisor level, not in software. A root-level host compromise cannot extract enclave data ·the isolation boundary doesn't run through the OS at all.

Cryptographic Attestation via AWS KMS. The enclave binary is measured at boot. PCR values are embedded in the attestation document and validated by KMS key policy before any key material is released. The exact, unmodified binary is the only path to decryption ·a tampered build produces different PCR values and receives nothing.

Attestation-Bound TLS. The enclave generates its own TLS keypair on boot. That public key is included in the attestation document, proving to clients they're communicating with a genuine, unmodified enclave ·not an intercepted proxy. MITM is cryptographically infeasible by design.

No Persistent Storage. All computation is in-memory. Data is discarded on session close. There is no database write path, no log file, no disk surface inside the enclave. Nothing to exfiltrate at rest.

04  Residual Risk
⚠  Open Items
Side-channel attacks · Cache timing and power analysis remain theoretical risks on shared infrastructure. Mitigated by vCPU isolation but not fully eliminated. Constant-time operations on sensitive paths would be the next hardening step.
Prompt injection · LLM behavior is outside the TEE boundary. AI guardrails and input sanitization are applied at the inference layer, but adversarial prompt robustness is an unsolved research problem. Guardrails reduce the attack surface; they do not eliminate it.
KMS policy misconfiguration · Human error in key policy definition is a persistent risk no TEE can eliminate. Addressed with automated policy validation and least-privilege review, but configuration drift over time remains a realistic threat.
CONFIDENTIAL COMPUTING · ZERO-TRUST
Lexora · Legal AI Platform
Zero-trust AI messaging platform with hardware-level memory isolation on Microsoft Azure TEE. Host OS has zero read/write access to enclave memory. Designed cryptographic attestation ensuring only verified, unmodified enclave binaries obtain decryption keys. Session isolation architecture with unique encrypted sessions preventing cross-session data leakage · client-side IndexedDB for privacy-first anonymous usage. Full secure dev lifecycle: code review protocols, rate limiting, DDoS protection, and incident response.
Azure Confidential VMs TEE Isolation Session Isolation Cryptographic Attestation Node.js
LEGAL TECH · AI MARKETPLACE
CounselConnect
AI-powered legal marketplace co-founded and incubated at the Legal Innovation Zone at Toronto Metropolitan University. Led product from ideation through production · managed MongoDB databases including security updates, data integrity testing, and disaster recovery protocols. Coordinated technical roadmap and sprint deliverables alongside the engineering co-founder.
MongoDB Node.js Legal Innovation Zone · TMU 5 Years
WEB APPLICATION
MassRealty Inc.
Full-stack real estate platform with secure contact forms, lead management, and validated data flows. Re-engaged in April 2026 to design and build a second company site from scratch. Security-first from day one.
React Node.js PostgreSQL
WEB APPLICATION
Sabreen's Food
Restaurant web presence with menu management and ordering flow. Built with input validation on all form surfaces, secure contact handling to prevent injection, and rate limiting on submission endpoints.
React CSS Responsive Design
Security Research & Tooling
AWS NITRO ENCLAVES · SECURITY TOOLING
Nitro Attestation Verifier
Client-side CLI tool and Python library for cryptographically verifying AWS Nitro Enclave attestation documents. Parses COSE_Sign1 and CBOR attestation structures, validates PCR0/1/2 against pinned baseline values, and inspects the X.509 certificate chain back to the AWS Nitro root CA. Three verification modes: descriptive inspection, pin-check against known-good baselines, and JSON output for CI/CD pipeline integration. Directly complements the trust model used in Mizan · the client runs this before trusting any enclave-generated response.
AWS Nitro Enclaves COSE · CBOR PCR Validation X.509 · Certificate Chain Attestation Python
NETWORK ANALYSIS · PYTHON
Scapy Packet Sniffer
Local packet capture tool that performs layer-by-layer dissection from Ethernet through IP to TCP/UDP/ICMP. Detects and parses HTTP, DNS, SMTP, and FTP traffic in real time · outputs hex and ASCII payload representations with configurable per-protocol filters.
Python Scapy Network Analysis Protocol Dissection TCP/IP
APPLIED CRYPTOGRAPHY · PYTHON
Consent-Gated Keystroke Auditor
Local keystroke audit tool built for security research. Requires explicit consent before capture begins · logs keystrokes encrypted at rest using Fernet (AES-128-CBC) with the key file stored at chmod 600. Includes a separate decryption utility for log review. Designed to demonstrate the architectural difference between a malicious keylogger and a consented audit tool.
Python Fernet · AES-128 Applied Cryptography pynput
Technical Writing

Writing it down.

The Nitro Enclave Gotcha That Cost Me 90 Minutes: vsock and a Port That Lied
A production debugging session from building Mizan. The parent EC2 instance connected to the enclave over vsock without error · but nothing was actually listening. This is the story of how "connected" and "live" are two different things at the transport layer, and the health check pattern that fixes it.
Read on Dev.to
Capability Matrix

Tools of the trade.

Security & Infrastructure
Confidential Computingproduction
Cryptographic Attestationproduction
Threat Modellingproduction
STRIDE · DREADproduction
Application Securityproduction
AI/ML Securityproduction
Zero-Trust Architecturesolid
AWS · Azure Securitysolid
Network Securitysolid
Risk Assessmentsolid
Development
Pythonproduction
JavaScript · Reactproduction
Node.jsproduction
Gitproduction
PostgreSQL · MongoDBsolid
Linux · Bashsolid
Docker · CI/CDsolid
TailwindCSSsolid
Wireshark · nmapworking
Kali Linuxworking
Background

Education & training.

SEC
Cybersecurity Bootcamp
Springboard  ·  Sept 2025 – March 2026
BA
Bachelor of Arts, Psychology
McMaster University  ·  Sept 2017 – June 2022

My certifications don't fully reflect where my skills are. Security+ was accessible and I earned it · but OSCP, CISSP, and the certs that match my actual experience level cost real money, and I'm working toward them sustainably. I'm not going to pretend the gap isn't there. What I can tell you is that the work on this page is real, the threat model is my own, and the production systems are live. Judge me on that.

Establish Contact

Let's talk.

LinkedIn muhammad-ablugg
Cert CompTIA Security+ · Verified  ·  CISSP · In Progress
Open to Security Engineer & Analyst roles.
I bring production experience in confidential computing, a security-first mindset from day one, and the ability to move fast without cutting corners on trust boundaries. If you're building something that needs to be secure by design · I want to work on it.
Get In Touch
One More Thing

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