Bechara Rizk

About

A Computer and Communications Engineer working as an Infrastructure Engineer at Murex, across cloud and on-premises production systems — provisioning AWS environments with Terraform for 13 clients while supporting a 15,000-server Linux and VMware estate at 99% SLA compliance.

I built my team's cloud monitoring and alerting platform from scratch: CloudWatch dashboards, custom metrics, synthetic canaries, and tiered alerting wired into ServiceNow. Backed by a cybersecurity background in penetration testing, and certified in CompTIA Security+ and AWS SysOps Administrator.

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Linux (+ bash scripting)
AWS (EC2, RDS, CloudWatch, Step Functions)
Terraform (IaC)
Monitoring & Observability
Jenkins / Rundeck (CI/CD)
VMware / vCenter
Active Directory (Windows)

Git
Python
SQL (Oracle, Sybase, PostgreSQL)
Penetration Testing
Networking (GNS3)
Django
JavaScript - HTML - CSS

Experience

IT INFRASTRUCTURE ENGINEER — CLOUD INFRASTRUCTURE & AUTOMATION

MUREX - LEBANON, JULY 2024 - PRESENT

Build and maintain AWS infrastructure for 13 client environments (3 in production, 10 in build/pre-launch) using Terraform (IaC) — EC2, RDS, Step Functions workflows, and CloudWatch monitoring.
Designed and built a reusable monitoring and observability platform from scratch across all 13 client environments — CloudWatch dashboards, custom metrics, alarms, and synthetic canaries.
Engineered tiered alerting with per-environment thresholds and ServiceNow routing across three response teams by alarm type and time of week, with fallback for unmatched alarms; tickets auto-enrich with live metrics, and repeat alarms update the open ticket rather than raising a new one.
Automated patching via a Step Functions workflow that replaces instances without triggering alarm storms.
Produce monthly alarm-firing reports to tune thresholds and surface recurring infrastructure issues.
Administer and troubleshoot 15,000+ Linux servers (RHEL, CentOS, Ubuntu) and databases (Oracle, Sybase, PostgreSQL), resolving outages, load failures, and performance issues at 99% SLA compliance.
Deployed two highly available Rundeck instances on AWS for automation across 13 clients, with zero-downtime upgrades and proactive monitoring.
Manage VMware vCenter environments (ESXi host installation, VM provisioning) and maintain and extend Jenkins CI/CD pipelines supporting development workflows.

ETHICAL HACKING & PENETRATION TESTING INTERN

HIPERNATION - LEBANON, JUNE 2023 - AUGUST 2023

Conducted penetration tests for multiple clients using Kali Linux and Burp Suite, identifying OWASP Top 10 vulnerabilities and infrastructure misconfigurations; presented reports and live demos that enabled them to fortify their security.
Assessed identity management and access controls within client database systems, providing security improvement recommendations.
Enumerated machines on cloud environments (AWS) to help clients visualize their virtual infrastructure.

WEB EDITOR

MSFEA COMMUNICATIONS, AUB - LEBANON, JUNE 2022 - JUNE 2024

Managed and edited AUB MSFEAs website's content accessed by the students and faculty members.
Enhanced the responsiveness of multiple pages to ensure correct rendering on various screen sizes.

Certifications

CompTIA Security+

AWS SysOps Administrator - Associate

Projects

HealthDB

A database designed to be used by an insurance company to keep track of their assets and clients.

Encryption Tools

A collection of tools to encrypt and decrypt text, and more.

AAA Platform

A custom implementation of an Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting platform.

Adaptive MQTT/CoAP Switching

A research project about the implementation and evaluation of an adaptive communication protocol for IoT.

AUBCOVAX

Web interface for vaccination management, central database, secure patient records, and medical personnel scheduling.

GPA Calculator

A webpage that helps students determine their overall GPA.

TCP Reset Attack & Detection

Developed Python algorithms to launch a TCP Reset attack from a device then detect from another device.

Capture The Flag

Participated in multiple capture the flag challenges both on local machines and on the cloud.

Peer to Peer Communication

Implemented reliable peer to peer communication using UDP over an unreliable network.

Blackjack

A webpage that allows users to play blackjack against a computer.

Education

BACHELOR'S OF COMPUTER AND COMMUNICATIONS ENGINEERING

AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF BEIRUT, 2020 - 2024

GPA: 3.91 — Graduated with Distinction
Placed on the Dean's Honor List for 7 consecutive semesters: Spring 2020-2021 through Spring 2023-2024.

GENERAL SCIENCE BACCALAUREATE

GRAND LYCEE FRANCO LIBANAIS, 2007 - 2020

Graduated with a scientific baccalaureate.

Relevant Coursework

This course covers advanced topics in ethical hacking and penetration testing such as Microsoft Active Directory attacks & enumeration, lateral movement and pivoting, evasion of anti-viruses, Intrusion Detection/Prevention systems & firewalls, port redirection, SSH, HTTP/HTTPS & DNS tunneling for C2 traffic & bypassing deep packet inspection, advanced techniques in Windows and Linux privilege escalation.
AUB, EECE 503J
Final grade: A+

Practical course in database design, covering SQL, ER diagrams, and relational algebra, with hands-on application development and advanced query skills.
AUB, EECE 433
Final grade: A+

Covers Internet security with focus on threats, vulnerabilities, and preventive measures. Topics include email, web, IP security, intrusion detection, firewalls, VPNs, and attack source tracing.
AUB, EECE 655
Final grade: A

Fundamental course on ethical hacking and penetration testing, covering reconnaissance, exploitation, and countermeasures with hands-on labs and tools. Learnt to set up a hacking environment and practice penetration testing.
AUB, EECE 503G
Final grade: A+

This course delves into the fundamentals of Active Directory, covering essential aspects such as navigating Users and Computers, mastering Group Policy, and automating tasks using PowerShell. Through hands-on labs and practical tools, I explored creating test OUs, managing desktop configurations, securing network drives, and troubleshooting group policies.
Udemy, Paul Hill
Certificate

Lab course exploring Internet technologies: IP, ARP, ICMP, UDP, TCP, LAN switching, routing protocols (RIP, OSPF, BGP), NAT, DHCP, DNS, SNMP, and IP multicast.
AUB, EECE 451L
Final grade: A+

Course on mobile networking, emphasizing wireless technologies (Bluetooth, ZigBee, Wi-Fi) and mobile computing applications. Covers standards like GSM, UMTS, LTE, and introduces emerging 5G networks.
AUB, EECE 451
Final grade: A

Covers Symmetric and Public-key Encryption, Hash functions, Network Security, and topics like Block Ciphers, AES, RSA, and Authentication Protocols.
AUB, EECE 455
Final grade: A+

Covers data communications, WANs, circuit/packet switching, routing, congestion control, LANs, communications architecture, protocols, and internetworking.
AUB, EECE 350
Final grade: A+

About

Some of my Skills