Akshara Alex

Application Security Engineer with 4+ years of experience securing web, mobile, and thick-client applications across the full SDLC. Skilled in penetration testing, threat modeling, and DevSecOps integration. Leverages AI tools (Claude) alongside Burp Suite to enhance testing efficiency and coverage. Published researcher in Android FinTech security.

Application Security Engineer at The Clearing Corporation of India (CCIL) (2022-06 – Present)

• Conducted end-to-end security assessments for 15+ web, mobile, and thick-client applications per year, integrating automated scanning into CI/CD pipelines to reduce critical vulnerability exposure.
• Performed manual penetration testing (OWASP Top 10, SANS 25) on APIs and web applications, uncovering business-logic flaws missed by automated tooling.
• Leveraged AI tools (Claude) alongside Burp Suite to streamline manual testing workflows, accelerate vulnerability triage, and generate higher-quality remediation guidance.
• Championed DevSecOps adoption by embedding SAST, DAST, and SCA gates into the SDLC, reducing mean time to remediate (MTTR) through streamlined developer feedback loops.
• Led software composition analysis using Snyk and Syft, managing SBOM inventories and tracking open-source CVEs for timely patching.
• Developed and executed threat models using STRIDE methodology, proactively identifying high-risk attack vectors and recommending prioritized mitigating controls.
• Authored detailed assessment reports with CVSS risk ratings and actionable remediation guidance for technical and executive stakeholders.

MTech in Information Security – University of Hyderabad (2022-06)

BE in Computer Science and Engineering – Acropolis Institute of Technology and Research (2020-09)