Software Architect & Engineering Leader

Michael Malenkov

Building products from zero to one. 15+ years architecting security platforms, distributed systems, and the infrastructure behind Fortune 500 products. Equally effective writing production code and making company-level technical decisions.

VP of EngineeringFounding ArchitectAdjunct FacultyCloud SecurityDistributed Systems

Building products from the ground up

I'm a software architect and engineering leader based in New Jersey. My career has been defined by taking products from concept to production — designing the architecture, writing the core code, and leading the teams that ship it.

At Plume Security, I'm building the RansomStop platform — real-time ransomware prevention with behavioral analysis, cross-platform detection, and automated response. Previously at Aqua Security, I led AquaHub from prototype to the company's flagship cloud security product, securing enterprise clients including Netflix and UPS.

Outside of work — teaching CS at Seton Hall, writing music and lyrics, figuring out how stuff actually works, raising kids, and overcoming a coffee addiction.

15+
Years in Software Engineering
7
Products Built Zero to One
F500
Enterprise Clients Served
10
Cups of Coffee Converted to Code Daily
Plume Security

Building a real-time ransomware and attack prevention platform. Deterministic detection pipeline, cross-platform coverage, self-healing integrations. Company’s flagship product.

Aqua Security

Led AquaHub — cloud resource discovery and vulnerability scanning across AWS, Azure, GCP, and Oracle. Flagship product, securing Netflix, UPS, and other Fortune 500 clients.

Mind+ / VRLaunchPad

Built one of the most popular VR gaming launchers for Oculus Rift — acquired by DreamWorks Animation Studios in 2015.

Moblty

Led R&D across digital signage products for Walmart, CVS Health, ShopRite, Altice, and Rite Aid. 15+ features from prototype to production.

Jetsy

Architected a serverless video content recognition platform, instrumental in securing additional investment for the company.

Teliris

Created the InterACT product line — cross-platform multitouch systems for Unilever, Publicis, and Comcast.

Career trajectory

VP of Engineering / Founding Architect
Plume Security
Ransomware prevention startup. Designing the RansomStop platform architecture: real-time file behavioral analysis engine, deterministic detection pipeline using content analysis and behavioral heuristics, automated response system, and cross-platform exfiltration detection spanning Windows (ETW), Linux (eBPF), and macOS. Built NetApp ONTAP FPolicy integration with self-healing operation. Product owner driving technical direction and leading engineering team.
GoPythonReactVueAWSeBPFETWNetApp FPolicy
Lead Software Engineer, CSPM Team
Aqua Security
Led design and development of AquaHub — cloud resource discovery and vulnerability scanning platform that became the company’s flagship product. Architected the Inventory API with OpenSearch-backed resource system combining asset data with risk context across AWS, Azure, GCP, and Oracle Cloud. Built comprehensive test infrastructure and established engineering standards through weekly pair programming.
GoPythonAWS LambdaKinesisOpenSearchTerraform
Lead Software Engineer
Vivoom
Designed the web architecture for the Consumer Experience Builder — dynamic creation and live preview of interactive ad experiences. The product earned industry recognition and awards.
AngularJSJavaPythonGoAWS
Backend Architect / Lead Engineer
Jetsy
Architected a serverless distributed video analysis platform, instrumental in securing additional investment.
PythonAWS LambdaSQS/SNSRekognition
Senior Software Developer / R&D Lead
Moblty
Led R&D for digital signage solutions for Walmart, CVS Health, ShopRite, Altice, and Rite Aid. Built real-time computer vision pipeline for demographic analysis. Led cloud microservices migration. Delivered 15+ features from prototype to production across multiple platforms.
TensorFlowKerasOpenCVMulti-PlatformMicroservices
Senior Software Developer
Droit Financial Technologies
Built core components of the Adept Decision Engine and led monolith-to-microservices decomposition.
JavaSpringNode.jsDocker
Founder / Developer
Mind+ Technologies
Built VRLaunchPad — one of the most popular VR gaming launchers for Oculus Rift, acquired by DreamWorks Animation Studios in 2015. Collaborative education software and client projects.
VR/AROculus RiftUnity
R&D Software Engineer
Teliris Research Labs
Developed the InterACT product line (TouchTable, Easel, Wall): cross-platform multitouch detection, global networking, and hardware/software integration. Clients included Unilever, Publicis, Comcast.
C++MultitouchHardware IntegrationNetworking

Technical depth

Languages
GoPythonJavaJavaScript/TypeScriptC#C++CKotlinHaxeBashSQLPHP
Cloud & Infrastructure
AWS (Lambda, API Gateway, SQS, SNS, S3, DynamoDB, Kinesis, CloudFormation, CloudFront, CloudWatch, Glue)TerraformDockerKubernetesCI/CDGitHub Actions
Security & Detection
Ransomware PreventionCSPMBehavioral AnalysisFile/Data Access AnalysisContainer SecurityExfiltration Detection
OS & System Internals
Linux eBPFWindows ETWFile System InternalsSystem Call TracingProcess MonitoringmacOS Security FrameworkKernel-Level Detection
Platforms & Cross-Platform
Linux (Debian, Arch)WindowsmacOSAndroidiOSSamsung SSSPLG WebOSXamarinNativeScriptReact NativeUnity
Networking & Protocols
gRPCRESTWebSocketNetApp ONTAP FPolicyTCP/IPSSH AutomationTwilio Voice/SIPRabbitMQPubNub
Frameworks & Libraries
EchoGinReactVueAngularDjangoFastAPIFlaskSpringPlay FrameworkExpressNancyFxDropwizard
Data & Storage
OpenSearchPostgreSQLDynamoDBRedisMongoDBMicrosoft SQL ServerMySQLS3Kinesis Streams
Testing & Quality
End-to-End TestingAPI TestingIntegration TestingTest Infrastructure DesignPair ProgrammingCode Review Systems
Architecture
Distributed SystemsMicroservicesEvent-DrivenServerlessReal-Time PipelinesMonolith DecompositionCross-Platform (Linux/Windows/macOS/Android)
ML / AI / Vision
TensorFlowKerasOpenCVdlibFFMPEGLLM IntegrationWhisper STTText-to-Speech PipelinesComputer Vision
Hardware & Interactive
Multitouch SystemsTouch Display DriversDigital SignageVR/AR (Oculus Rift)DirectXOpenGLHardware/Software Integration

Academic foundation

MS

M.S. Computer Science

Stevens Institute of Technology
GPA 4.0Dean's List
BS

B.S. Computer Science, Honors

Seton Hall University

Minor in Mathematics

GPA 3.9Dean's ListSURF Fellowship
SH

Adjunct Faculty

Seton Hall University — Department of Computer Science

Teaching OOP, Data Structures, and Python. Bridging industry practice with academic fundamentals — real architectures, real trade-offs, real failures.

Publication

“A New Bignum Multiplication Algorithm” — MASPLAS 2006

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