Master’s Thesis in DevOps – Scalable and Secure Key Rotation for IoT Systems

What we're looking for:

The DevOps team at Smartex builds and operates the infrastructure powering innovative solutions for the textile industry. We are a diverse, international, and mission-driven company focused on reliable, scalable, and secure systems with real-world impact. We are looking for a highly motivated DevOps Intern (Master's Thesis) to join our team. You will work with experienced engineers on cloud infrastructure, automation, and system reliability in an industrial context. This is a great opportunity to grow in DevOps, infrastructure, and distributed systems in a fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities:

• Design a secure architecture integrating Salt and HashiCorp Vault for wireless credential management.
• Eliminate static wireless keys by implementing automated and periodic key rotation.
• Ensure zero service disruption during credential updates through the use of a temporary SSID.
• Enable IoT devices to dynamically switch between multiple SSIDs based on lifecycle stage and rotation events.
• Implement secure bootstrap mechanisms.
• Guarantee secure storage, access control, and auditing of credentials using Vault.
• Validate system resilience against common threats (e.g., credential leakage, unauthorized access).
• Deliver a scalable and reproducible solution suitable for large-scale IoT deployments.

Contact:

Alexandra Moutinho, People Generalist