Principal Security Researcher (Advanced Threat Prevention)

Company Description

Our Mission

At Palo Alto Networks® everything starts and ends with our mission:

Being the cybersecurity partner of choice, protecting our digital way of life.
Our vision is a world where each day is safer and more secure than the one before. We are a company built on the foundation of challenging and disrupting the way things are done, and we’re looking for innovators who are as committed to shaping the future of cybersecurity as we are.

Who We Are

We take our mission of protecting the digital way of life seriously. We are relentless in protecting our customers and we believe that the unique ideas of every member of our team contributes to our collective success. Our values were crowdsourced by employees and are brought to life through each of us everyday - from disruptive innovation and collaboration, to execution. From showing up for each other with integrity to creating an environment where we all feel included.

As a member of our team, you will be shaping the future of cybersecurity. We work fast, value ongoing learning, and we respect each employee as a unique individual. Knowing we all have different needs, our development and personal wellbeing programs are designed to give you choice in how you are supported. This includes our FLEXBenefits wellbeing spending account with over 1,000 eligible items selected by employees, our mental and financial health resources, and our personalized learning opportunities - just to name a few!

At Palo Alto Networks, we believe in the power of collaboration and value in-person interactions. This is why our employees generally work full time from our office with flexibility offered where needed. This setup fosters casual conversations, problem-solving, and trusted relationships. Our goal is to create an environment where we all win with precision.

Job Description

Your Career

You will be part of the team that builds and delivers the threat detection capabilities powering Palo Alto Networks’ Advanced Threat Prevention (ATP). The ATP detection team is responsible for decoding network protocols, identifying applications, and detecting threats across our enterprise customers’ networks.

As a Principal Security Researcher, you will play a key leadership role in shaping detection methodologies and driving multiple projects in parallel. You will not only propose innovative ideas and deliver them into production, but also mentor and guide other researchers, ensuring the team continues to raise the bar. This is a unique opportunity to influence Palo Alto Networks’ detection strategy at scale, while making a measurable impact on protecting enterprises worldwide from advanced threats.

Your Impact

• Propose innovative detection ideas and lead the design and delivery of 2–3 major projects simultaneously.

• Mentor and guide 2–3 junior or mid-level researchers, providing both technical direction and career development support.

• Drive advanced research into vulnerabilities, Zero-Day exploits, and emerging attack vectors, and translate findings into effective IPS and ML-based detections.

• Ensure rapid response to Zero-Day vulnerabilities with IPS protections released to customers within 24 hours.

• Reverse engineering efforts to uncover new vulnerabilities and build proactive defenses.

• Define detection methodologies for complex or emerging attack vectors, ensuring scalability and robustness across products.

• Partner with product, QA, and cross-functional engineering teams to align detection strategy with product roadmap and customer needs.

• Represent the team in technical discussions internally and externally, helping shape industry direction in threat prevention.

Qualifications

Your Experience 

• Strong leadership and communication skills with proven ability to mentor and guide other researchers.

• Deep technical expertise in exploit techniques such as buffer overflows, use-after-free, format string, XSS, SQL injection, CSRF, MITM, and DoS.

• Extensive knowledge of core network protocols including HTTP, UDP, FTP, SMTP, DNS, and SMB.

• Proficiency in analyzing network traffic using tcpdump, Wireshark, or equivalent tools.

• Experience applying AI/ML to security problems is highly desirable.

• Advanced proficiency in Windows and Linux development environments.

• Strong programming skills in scripting and system-level languages (Python, Bash, Perl, C/C++).

• Hands-on experience with penetration testing tools (Metasploit, Burp Suite, Nmap) and debugging tools (WinDbg, OllyDbg, GDB) is a strong plus.

• BS/MS in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or related field, or equivalent professional/military experience.

• Demonstrated track record of successfully leading multiple projects end-to-end with measurable impact.

• Publications or presentations at top security conferences (e.g., Black Hat, DEF CON) are a strong plus.

• Ability to influence detection strategy within the team and across related groups.

Additional Information

The Team

We are on a mission to build the industry's best Security large language model.

Our engineering team is at the core of our products – connected directly to the mission of preventing cyberattacks. We are constantly innovating – challenging the way we, and the industry, think about cybersecurity. Our engineers don’t shy away from building products to solve problems no one has pursued before.

We define the industry, instead of waiting for directions. We need individuals who feel comfortable in ambiguity, excited by the prospect of a challenge, and empowered by the unknown risks facing our everyday lives that are only enabled by a secure digital environment.

Compensation Disclosure

The compensation offered for this position will depend on qualifications, experience, and work location. For candidates who receive an offer at the posted level, the starting base salary (for non-sales roles) or base salary + commission target (for sales/commissioned roles) is expected to be between $157000 - $255000//YR. The offered compensation may also include restricted stock units and a bonus. A description of our employee benefits may be found here.

Our Commitment

We’re problem solvers that take risks and challenge cybersecurity’s status quo. It’s simple: we can’t accomplish our mission without diverse teams innovating, together.

We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations for all qualified individuals with a disability. If you require assistance or accommodation due to a disability or special need, please contact us at  accommodations@paloaltonetworks.com.

Palo Alto Networks is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity in our workplace, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or other legally protected characteristics.

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

Is role eligible for Immigration Sponsorship?: Yes