Detection Engineering Tutorial: Cloud Security, Kubernetes Logging & SOC Career Path

In this episode of Simply Defensive, we sit down with JB, a Senior Cybersecurity Engineer working in detection engineering. JB shares his journey from SOC analyst to detection engineer, diving deep into the challenges of cloud-native security, Kubernetes logging, and building a sustainable career in cybersecurity.

What We Cover:

What detection engineering actually means in 2025Working with dual-cloud environments (AWS + GCP)The challenges of Kubernetes logging and ephemeral containersSANS FOR508 (Digital Forensics and Threat Hunting) experienceHow to avoid burnout in InfoSecBuilding a SOC career: What do entry-level analysts really need to know?Work-life balance with kids and an ambitious security careerDefCon stories and the Octopus Games competitionResources & Links Mentioned:

Live Overflow's Hextree.io learning platform: https://hextree.ioSANS FOR508 (GCFA): https://www.sans.org/cyber-security-courses/advanced-incident-response-threat-hunting-training/Marcus Hutchins (MalwareTech) on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/malwaretech/Graham Helton's Kubernetes security work: https://www.linkedin.com/in/grahamhelton3/Simply Defensive Podcast: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4Q-ttyNIRAr6DVrsASx1-Fv-TsooJ3M4

Connect with JB:

YouTube: @JBCulbertTwitter/X: @JBTweetsStuff

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome

00:50 JB's Day-to-Day Role in Cybersecurity

01:47 Past Experiences and Career Journey

02:27 Challenges in Detection Engineering

03:23 Kubernetes and Incident Investigation