Dennis Pelton
Cloud DevSecOps Engineer • Security Researcher • Builder
Cloud DevSecOps Engineer • Security Researcher • Builder
I build things that make complicated systems run, and occasionally build things to break those systems. My background lives at the intersection of infrastructure, security, and automation, where I’ve designed and scaled cloud platforms, wrangled Kubernetes clusters, and built tooling that lets engineers move fast without breaking everything in production (most of the time).
I’ve helped stand up core banking infrastructure from scratch, created platforms that abstract away complexity for entire teams, and spent a fair amount of time breaking systems on purpose just to make them stronger. When I’m not deep in Terraform or chasing down a stubborn edge case, I’m usually finding ways to make security more accessible, mentoring engineers, or turning “this should be simple” into something that actually is. I like solving hard problems, automating the boring ones, and leaving systems better than I found them.
I'm always on the lookout for new challenges and opportunities to learn and grow. If you have a project/role in mind or just want to chat about all things cloud, security, or anything in between, feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn!
Built Core Banking Infrastructure from Scratch
Helped design and build a cloud-native core banking platform from the ground up, enabling secure, real-time financial transactions at scale. Led the development of automated, infrastructure-as-code driven environments that ensured consistency, compliance, and rapid deployment across the platform. This work laid the foundation for a highly available, resilient system capable of supporting mission-critical financial operations.
Created and Implemented Container Orchestration Platforms
Designed and built container orchestration platforms on Kubernetes, EKS, and ECS that abstracted the complexity of managing containerized applications, enabling developers to deploy and manage applications with ease. These platforms reduced deployment time by over 80%, improved developer productivity, and increased deployment frequency.
Designed and Implemented Security CTFs for Major Conferences
Created and managed security capture the flag (CTF) competitions for major technology conferences, providing hands-on learning experiences for attendees and promoting security awareness.
BSides Tampa Badges
Since BSides Tampa 10 I have been designing and creating custom badges for the conference. These badges are not just collectibles but also serve as interactive tools that enhance the conference experience. Each badge is designed with unique features and challenges that encourage attendees to engage with the conference content and network with other participants. The badges have become a beloved tradition at BSides Tampa, fostering a sense of community and excitement among attendees while showcasing creativity and innovation in badge design.
Beyond designing the main conference badges for each ticket type, I have also invented several special event badges. The Uber Badge is awarded to honored attendees and badge CTF winners. The Lyft Badge recognizes individuals who contribute to and uplift the local security community, whether through simple acts of kindness or larger efforts.
Ham Radio Foxes
What started as a fun project for DEFCON 31 has become a tradition at various security conferences, where I've been designing and building custom ham radio foxes for attendees to use in capture the flag competitions. What sets my Fox Hunts apart from normal Fox Hunts is that whoever finds my foxes first gets to keep them! My foxes are built to be interacticve art pieces, complete with hidden puzzles and hackable controllers to ensure users can interact with the badge once it's in their hands.
My Fox hardware and firmware are both open source and can be downloaded from my GitHub repository. This project has been forked and converted into various forms by other security researchers, and has been used in many CTFs at conferences like BSides Tampa, BSides Orlando, DEFCON, ShmooCon and more. The foxes have become an anticipated event for many attendees, and a source of pride for those who manage to win one.
Designed and Implemented Security CTFs for Major Conferences
Created and managed security capture the flag (CTF) competitions for major technology conferences, providing hands-on learning experiences for attendees and promoting security awareness.