David Wolf · Portfolio Use Case
Turning a sprawling marketplace security problem into a repeatable app certification, review, and trust program.
Led the security architecture, verification, and delivery model behind Splunkbase App Certification, transforming inconsistent security review across Splunk-built and marketplace apps into a scalable operating model with standards, automation, triage workflows, risk-based blocking criteria, and customer-facing trust signals.
Client
Splunk Inc.
Engagement Type
Full-Time (FTE)
Period
2014–2015
Role
Senior Product Security Engineer
Focus Areas
Marketplace App Security, Application Security Review, Product Security Program Design
The Context
Splunkbase was a major extension point for the Splunk platform, with Splunk-built and third-party apps supporting customer use cases across security, observability, IT operations, integrations, and enterprise workflows. As the ecosystem grew, app quality and security became more than an engineering hygiene issue. It became a customer trust issue.
The Challenge
The portfolio was too large for one-off manual review and too important for purely advisory checks. Early sampling showed inconsistent quality, configuration, metadata, dependency choices, secrets exposure, and unsafe execution patterns. The organization needed a review model that could distinguish real release-blocking risk from noise, scale across hundreds of apps, and preserve engineering trust.
What I Did
The Outcome
The program established Splunkbase App Certification as a durable security operating model. More than 800 substantive findings were triaged or addressed, hundreds of apps were brought into a structured review process, and the Splunk Certified badge became a clearer customer-facing trust signal. The initiative also strengthened the broader product security evidence story used in enterprise security reviews and deal support.
450+
Marketplace apps brought into scope for review and certification workflow design
16
Splunk-built products included in the broader portfolio review and security maturity effort
800+
Substantive Splunkbase findings triaged or addressed through the initiative
To
Broader evidence and tooling maturity that supported a 100/100 Veracode result for a major enterprise deal
Reduced
Reliance on one-off manual review by establishing repeatable certification criteria, automation, and triage patterns
Key Deliverables
Collaboration
Worked across product security, engineering, product management, app owners, leadership, sales engineering, and customer-facing teams to create a review process that raised the app ecosystem security bar while remaining practical for release delivery.
Client
Splunk Inc.
Engagement Type
Full-Time (FTE)
Period
2014–2015
Role
Senior Product Security Engineer
Focus Areas
Marketplace App Security, Application Security Review, Product Security Program Design
The Context
Splunkbase was a major extension point for the Splunk platform, with Splunk-built and third-party apps supporting customer use cases across security, observability, IT operations, integrations, and enterprise workflows. As the ecosystem grew, app quality and security became more than an engineering hygiene issue. It became a customer trust issue.
The Challenge
The portfolio was too large for one-off manual review and too important for purely advisory checks. Early sampling showed inconsistent quality, configuration, metadata, dependency choices, secrets exposure, and unsafe execution patterns. The organization needed a review model that could distinguish real release-blocking risk from noise, scale across hundreds of apps, and preserve engineering trust.
What I Did
The Outcome
The program established Splunkbase App Certification as a durable security operating model. More than 800 substantive findings were triaged or addressed, hundreds of apps were brought into a structured review process, and the Splunk Certified badge became a clearer customer-facing trust signal. The initiative also strengthened the broader product security evidence story used in enterprise security reviews and deal support.
450+
Marketplace apps brought into scope for review and certification workflow design
16
Splunk-built products included in the broader portfolio review and security maturity effort
800+
Substantive Splunkbase findings triaged or addressed through the initiative
To
Broader evidence and tooling maturity that supported a 100/100 Veracode result for a major enterprise deal
Reduced
Reliance on one-off manual review by establishing repeatable certification criteria, automation, and triage patterns
Key Deliverables
Collaboration
Worked across product security, engineering, product management, app owners, leadership, sales engineering, and customer-facing teams to create a review process that raised the app ecosystem security bar while remaining practical for release delivery.
At a Glance
Focus Areas
Tools & Technologies
Evidence & Artifacts
Public-Safe Caveat
This case study uses conservative public-safe language based on resume, profile, and project-management-test source material. Internal artifacts, specific customer names, confidential security findings, proprietary review criteria, and non-public operating details have been generalized or omitted.
David Wolf
AI Security · Product Security · Security Leadership
Based on analyzed public signals, not proof of any individual's or company's internal state.
