Most of this week was quiet study time. Between naps and late-night windows, I went deep into n8n courses and mapped out automation strategies focused on cybersecurity.
I’ve been keeping my head down and following a trail that leads to sovereign security — one flow at a time. n8n is more than an automation platform. When you configure it right, it becomes a modular intrusion sensor, an alert system, a cleanup script, and a forensics bot — all on your terms.
Use a webhook or fail2ban output to detect brute-force attempts. Send the IP to an external blocklist or update your own firewall config using an SSH node.
iptables -A INPUT -s 203.0.113.10 -j DROPPoll feeds from AlienVault OTX, AbuseIPDB, or VirusTotal. Filter for relevance and write to logs, databases, or even push notifications.
GET https://otx.alienvault.com/api/v1/indicators
→ Filter + SplitInBatches → Save to MongoDB or JSON
Monitor login logs for patterns like time-of-day anomalies or logins from new geo-IP regions. Trigger alerts through Discord, Matrix, or email.
if geo_country !== "US" → trigger notify.alert()Connect n8n to a tailing log file via a polling script or direct integration with journald. Parse syslog data and extract indicators of compromise (IOCs).
Email → n8n IMAP Node → Parse attachments → Submit to VirusTotal → Generate case file in JSON or markdown.
Detect if a firewall or WAF config is missing entries. Use n8n to regenerate missing rules by comparing the current state to a saved backup.
Paste in a suspicious hash or URL. n8n can enrich it with context (GeoIP, ASN, WHOIS, blacklist history), and then append the results to your local threat notes.
Monitor incoming requests to a decoy port or service. When hit, trigger a full trace route, notify you in real time, and log the full request headers and payloads.
Monitor outbound bandwidth or file write access in sensitive directories. If thresholds are exceeded, fire an alert and optionally disable the interface or account.
Scrape a set of domain assets, cross-match DNS and SSL certs, and run security headers checks. Automate the entire recon pipeline from inside n8n.
Unlike cloud automation platforms, n8n runs locally or on your private server. That means no telemetry, no 3rd-party data handling unless you explicitly configure it.
Each node is modular and chainable. Combine API calls, SSH commands, filesystem checks, and conditional logic to create flows that react in real time — even when you're offline.
It’s not about being paranoid. It’s about being prepared. I’ve started mocking attack simulations in flows just to see if I can catch my own footsteps.
The idea is not just to automate, but to own the automation layer. This week laid the foundation for that — quietly, steadily, with my focus on becoming a true security practitioner.
Signed,
Lorelei Noble