Ishaan ArekarAbout
I'm a computer science student at Arizona State University (class of 2028). I like taking projects end to end: a real-time computer vision pipeline that counts people on the GPU and streams to a live dashboard, or a multi-user web app with proper auth, structure and error handling.
On the security side, I work on ASU's IT Operations, Security & Compliance team. I support SOC 2 audits, triage vulnerabilities, manage least-privilege access, and write Python that automates the repetitive parts of compliance work.
The two halves feed each other: shipping software teaches me what breaks, and security work teaches me how to build it so it doesn't. Right now I'm going deeper on both through AWS and cloud security.
- Subject
- CN=Ishaan Arekar, O=Arizona State University, OU=Computer Science
- Key usage
- build, ship, secure
- Valid from
- 2024-08 → 2028-05
- Extensions
- full-stack, computer vision, SOC 2, vuln mgmt, cloud security (learning)
Two tracks, equal weight
Build
Products that work end to end, from the data pipeline to the screen.
- Full-stack apps with Flask and Angular
- Real-time computer vision on the GPU (OpenCV, YOLOv4, CUDA)
- REST APIs and real-time data with Firebase
- Cloud deployment on AWS learning
- Clean, modular, testable code (factory pattern, blueprints)
Defend
Keeping systems compliant, patched and locked down, on the job every day.
- SOC 2 compliance support and audit evidence
- Vulnerability triage and remediation follow-up
- Least-privilege access; IAM in the cloud learning
- SOC and detection fundamentals: logging, alerting, triage learning
- Secure-by-default code: hashed passwords, signed tokens, no secrets in repos
Work
-
FitStack
Real-time occupancy tracker running YOLOv4 on the GPU.
Python · OpenCV · YOLOv4 · CUDA · Firebase · Angular · TypeScript
write-up
- Problem
- Knowing how many people are in a space right now, live, instead of counting by hand or guessing.
- What I built
- A people-counting pipeline that runs YOLOv4 through OpenCV's DNN module, keeps only person detections above 0.5 confidence, and uses non-maximum suppression to turn overlapping boxes into a stable count. It detects CUDA at runtime and moves inference to the GPU when one is present, falling back to CPU otherwise. A background thread pool streams counts to Firebase Realtime Database for a live Angular dashboard.
- Security considerations
- Only the count goes to the cloud, not video frames, which keeps what leaves the machine to a single number.
- Outcome
- A live count on the dashboard with writes only on a count change or every 5 seconds, instead of every frame, so network I/O never blocks the capture loop.
-
ScanTaps
Privacy-first lost and found for ASU, using NFC and QR tags.
PWA · NFC · QR · Firebase · JavaScript · EPICS team of six
write-up
- Problem
- ASU's Tempe campus has 55,500+ people across a mile-wide campus, and lost and found ran on manual intake and record-keeping, with no verified way to claim an item.
- What I built
- As budget lead on a six-person EPICS team, I owned the project budget and hardware (NFC tags, cards and fobs). The team built a Progressive Web App: tap an NFC tag or scan a QR code on an item and a page opens that connects the finder and the owner, on any phone.
- Security considerations
- Designed around privacy: signed tokens in tag URLs instead of personal data, owner sign-in through ASU credentials, finder and owner contact details hidden from each other, no personal info in logs, rate limits against spam, and an audit trail of staff actions.
- Outcome
- Stage 1 shipped: a working PWA with NFC and QR across Android, iOS and desktop, and an encrypted database designed and tested.
-
VITRA automation
Python tooling for vendor IT risk assessments at ASU.
Python · ServiceNow · compliance · work project
write-up
- Problem
- Vendor IT risk assessments were tracked by hand in spreadsheets, so missing vendor documents and overdue reassessments were easy to miss.
- What I built
- Internal Python tooling that pulls vendor and control data from ServiceNow, runs scripted checks that flag missing documentation and overdue reassessments, and generates status reports.
- Security considerations
- It handles internal vendor-risk data, so the code and data stay inside ASU and nothing from it is published here.
- Outcome
- Replaced manual spreadsheet tracking and cut manual review time for the VITRA queue.
internal · no public repo
-
Flask Blog Platform
Multi-user blogging app with full authentication.
Python · Flask · SQLAlchemy · Jinja2 · SQLite · bcrypt
write-up
- Problem
- A multi-user content app needs real authentication and a structure that stays maintainable as it grows.
- What I built
- A Flask app built on the application factory pattern with four blueprints (users, posts, main, errors). A one-to-many user-to-post model in SQLAlchemy, paginated feeds, per-author pages, and profile image upload with resizing.
- Security considerations
- bcrypt password hashing, Flask-Login sessions, and time-limited password reset tokens signed with itsdangerous and sent over Flask-Mail. Custom 403, 404 and 500 pages so users never see raw errors.
- Outcome
- Routes, forms and handlers stay modular and can be tested separately.
-
Weather Desktop Client
PyQt5 desktop app on the OpenWeatherMap API.
Python · PyQt5 · REST APIs · python-dotenv
write-up
- Problem
- A desktop client for a third-party API has to handle every way the network or the API can fail.
- What I built
- A PyQt5 GUI that queries the OpenWeatherMap REST API and shows temperature, conditions and an icon mapped from the response's condition code.
- Security considerations
- The API key is loaded from environment variables, so no secret ever lands in source control.
- Outcome
- Eight HTTP status codes plus connection, timeout and redirect errors each get their own clear message instead of a crash.
-
SOC home lab
SIEM, log ingestion, sample detections and an investigation write-up.
SIEM (TODO: Splunk / Wazuh / ELK) · detections
in progress · write-up coming once it's built
write-up
- Problem
- TODO
- What I built
- TODO: which SIEM, which log sources
- Security considerations
- TODO: detections written and an investigation walkthrough
- Outcome
- TODO
Experience
-
jan 2026 — now
Student Support Specialist · IT Operations, Security & Compliance, ASU
- Built Python tooling that automates vendor IT risk assessments (VITRA), replacing spreadsheet tracking with checks on ServiceNow data that flag missing docs and overdue reassessments.
- Support ASU's SOC 2 program: audit evidence, control ownership tracking, and documentation reviewed by internal and external auditors.
- Triage system and application vulnerabilities during audits, prioritize remediation, and follow up with owners until fixed.
- Manage least-privilege access provisioning and deprovisioning; script repetitive steps in ServiceNow ticket resolution.
-
sep 2025 — jan 2026
Instructional Assistant · School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences, ASU
- Supported 200- and 400-level math courses through office hours and grading.
-
may — aug 2025
Product Development Intern · NSE Academy, Mumbai
- Turned market and program data into Power BI and Excel dashboards that informed product decisions.
- Prototyped educational products, scoping the technical side to user requirements.
-
jan — may 2025
Head of Prototyping · EPICS, ASU
- Led prototyping for a community engineering project: set timelines and delivered high-fidelity prototypes.
-
2025 — now
Indian Students' Association at ASU
- Chief of Staff (2026 — present) · Treasurer (2025 — 2026)
-
exp. may 2028
B.S. Computer Science · Arizona State University
- GPA 4.00 · Dean's List, two consecutive years · NAMU Scholarship (first year)
Skills
● Software & cloud
- Python, C++, Javalanguages
- TypeScript, JavaScript, SQLlanguages
- Flask, SQLAlchemy, Jinja2backend
- Angular, PyQt5frontend
- REST APIs, Firebase, SQLitedata
- OpenCV, YOLOv4, CUDAvision
- Git, GitHubtools
- AWSlearning
● Security & ops
- SOC 2 audit supporton the job
- Vendor risk (VITRA)on the job
- Vulnerability triageon the job
- Least privilege / access mgmton the job
- ServiceNowon the job
- Secrets managementin my code
- SOC fundamentalslearning
- Cloud security / IAMlearning
Achievements
- 4.00 GPAB.S. Computer Science, Arizona State University
- Dean's Listtwo consecutive years, ASU
- NAMU Scholarshiprecipient, first year at ASU
Contact
Building something, or securing it? Let's talk.
I'm looking for Summer 2027 internships in software engineering, cloud, or security. Send me a message and I'll get back to you.