In this episode, we explore the remarkable career transformation of Hiroshi Tanaka, a security veteran with 15 years of experience in offensive security, penetration testing, and red team operations.

Despite his extensive background in a Fortune 500 company, Hiroshi realised that his ability to "break things" was no longer sufficient as his organisation transitioned towards DevOps and cloud-native development.

He shares his candid journey of overcoming the fear of becoming "irrelevant" and the challenge of preventing vulnerabilities during development rather than just finding them in production. We dive deep into the solution that changed his career trajectory: the Certified DevSecOps Professional (CDP) programme.

Key Discussion Points:

• The 60-Day Pivot: How Hiroshi transitioned from offensive security to a secure SDLC mindset through 100+ hands-on labs covering CI/CD integration, SCA, SAST, and DAST.

• Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC): Mastering the security of automated pipelines using tools like Jenkins, GitLab CI, Ansible, and Terraform.

• Tangible Results: Within 30 days of his certification, Hiroshi automated security scanning that caught 23 high-severity vulnerabilities before they reached production—issues that previously would not have been caught for months.

• The Professional ROI: The business impact of reducing deployment delays from two weeks to two days and how this pivot led to a promotion to AppSec Lead with a 40% salary increase.

Hiroshi explains how gaining technical credibility allowed him to speak the "same language" as DevOps teams, shifting his role from a quarterly auditor to a key player embedded in sprint planning.

Looking Forward: We also touch upon emerging trends for 2026, including the necessity of securing AI supply chains and data pipelines through certifications like the Certified AI Security Professional (CAISP).

Whether you are looking to master Kubernetes security, API security, or Threat Modeling, this episode serves as a comprehensive guide for any security professional or developer looking to upgrade their career and join the top 1% of cybersecurity engineers.

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AI Security Certification and Training:

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To address these challenges, the Certified AI Security Professional (CAISP) certification provides the skills needed to secure the AI supply chain and infrastructure. The course covers:

The emergence of Agentic AI represents a fundamental paradigm shift in cybersecurity. Unlike traditional, static software, agentic systems are defined by their autonomy, planning capabilities, and ability to use tools to execute multi-step goals. This shift means defenders are no longer just securing code, but rather dynamic, goal-driven entities that can be turned against their creators.

The Taxonomy of Threats

The attack surface for these agents is vast, with several critical vectors identified in the sources:

• Prompt Injection and Jailbreaking: This is the primary method for hijacking an agent. Attackers use direct injection (malicious commands fed directly) or indirect injection (poisoning data the agent processes, such as a webpage or document) to override core instructions.

• Autonomous Exploitation: A compromised agent can effectively become an autonomous hacker. It can independently scan for "one-day vulnerabilities" or execute website exploits without further human intervention.

• Multi-Agent Mayhem: When agents collaborate using protocols like MCP (Machine Communication Protocol), risks multiply. Attackers can exploit these protocols for impersonation or to coordinate multiple agents into a "digital crime syndicate" to bypass security controls.

• Unchecked Autonomy: The speed of AI operation means a minor error can escalate into a major incident before a human can intervene, making minimal oversight a critical vulnerability

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This episode focuses on how these principles fit into the DevSecOps Maturity Model (DSOMM), a structured framework that enables organisations to embed security practices from the start, ensuring that rapid delivery does not come at the cost of protection.

Ready to take the first step?

The Certified DevSecOps Professional (CDP) course is the ultimate starting point for those looking to automate security and lead organisational change. Through 100+ hands-on labs, the CDP program teaches you to build secure CI/CD pipelines using SCA, SAST, and DAST tools. You will learn to automate security gates, apply Infrastructure as Code techniques, and successfully progress an organisation from DSOMM Level 0 to Level 2. Don't just follow the trends—lead them by becoming a certified expert today

We break down the five critical security dimensions—Test and Verification, Patch Management and Design, Process, Application and Infrastructure Hardening, and Logging and Monitoring—to show how they create a multi-layered defence.

With the global cybersecurity workforce facing a 4 million professional shortage, there has never been a more lucrative time to specialise. DevSecOps experts earn 18-28% more than traditional security roles, with certified professionals commanding an additional 12-15% salary premium.

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