Senior Threat Hunting Researcher

Summary

Join Palo Alto Networks as a Senior Threat Hunting Researcher and become a critical part of Unit 42's Managed Services group, safeguarding organizations against cyber threats. Proactively hunt for threats across multiple datasets, leading and conducting threat hunting activities related to malware, threat actor groups, and campaign activity. This role demands a deep understanding of cybersecurity, incident response, threat intelligence, and hands-on technical skills. You will proactively search for malicious activity, use advanced tools to identify anomalies, and develop new hunting techniques. Effective communication is crucial for collaborating with various teams and sharing findings. Help multinational organizations stay ahead of adversaries, enhance their defenses, and improve Palo Alto Networks' solutions by identifying and analyzing new threats.

Requirements

• Understanding the evolving threat landscape, including attack tools, tactics, and techniques, as well as networking and security fundamentals
• Experience investigating targeted, sophisticated, and/or hidden threats in both endpoints and networks
• 6+ years of relevant experience with a proven track record in cybersecurity research, specializing in either APTs or cybercrime, but with the ability to address the broader threat landscape
• Background in writing detections/hunting queries
• Understanding of APT operations, including attack vectors, propagation, data exfiltration, lateral movement, persistence mechanisms, and more
• Familiarity with organizational cybersecurity measures, including protective tools and remediation techniques
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English
• Strong attention to detail
• Knowledge of advanced threat hunting methodologies and the ability to develop novel techniques

Responsibilities

• Perform threat hunting activities on a wide variety of data sources every day
• Work on the latest cybersecurity research projects and attacks on a daily basis
• Build hypotheses, execute manual hunting techniques, gather and analyze results, perform forensic activities, and deliver reports
• Join a global team of experts who handle threats and adversaries on a global scale daily
• Enhance your knowledge and experience in all domains of cybersecurity: Network, Endpoint, Cloud, and 3rd-party vendor data sources
• Develop, create, and execute new hunting hypothesis methodologies to uncover threats, understand their root causes, and attribute them
• We believe in automation and scaling
• Leverage big data to discover threats and multiple threat intelligence

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in an Incident Response environment is a plus
• Proficiency in Python and SQL is beneficial
• Familiarity with reverse engineering is advantageous
• Ability to simplify and clarify complex ideas
• Experience in writing technical blog posts and analysis reports
• Ability to analyze and understand the infrastructure of malicious campaigns
• Self-starter who can work independently and adapt to changing priorities

Benefits

The offered compensation may also include restricted stock units and a bonus