Principal Security Researcher

Security represents the most critical priorities for our customers in a world awash in digital threats, regulatory scrutiny, and estate complexity. Microsoft Security aspires to make the world a safer place for all. We want to reshape security and empower every user, customer, and developer with a security cloud that protects them with end to end, simplified solutions. The Microsoft Security organization accelerates Microsoft’s mission and bold ambitions to ensure that our company and industry is securing digital technology platforms, devices, and clouds in our customers’ heterogeneous environments, as well as ensuring the security of our own internal estate. Our culture is centered on embracing a growth mindset, a theme of inspiring excellence, and encouraging teams and leaders to bring their best each day. In doing so, we create life-changing innovations that impact billions of lives around the world. Are you passionate about reverse engineering malware? Do you enjoy partnering, collaborating, and driving work with different security & engineering teams to keep the company safe? The Microsoft Threat Intelligence Center (MSTIC) is looking for a Principal Security Researcher to join our team! The Microsoft Threat Intelligence Center (MSTIC) is growing fast and looking for a seasoned malware reverse engineer with experience supporting threat intelligence analysis and security services and products. Are you passionate about reversing malware? MSTIC is responsible for delivering timely threat intelligence across our products & services teams, assisting with our engineering response to security issues/incidents and assisting with government policy outreach for the company. Microsoft’s mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. As employees we come together with a growth mindset, innovate to empower others, and collaborate to realize our shared goals. Each day we build on our values of respect, integrity, and accountability to create a culture of inclusion where everyone can thrive at work and beyond. In alignment with our Microsoft values, we are committed to cultivating an inclusive work environment for all employees to positively impact our culture every day.

Responsibilities

In-depth technical knowledge of adversary capabilities, infrastructure, and techniques to define, develop, and implement the techniques in discovering and tracking the adversaries of today and identify the attacks of tomorrow.    Tactical software development to support triage and analysis of datasets and information associated with APT activity and behavior as well as APT artifact analysis.    Conducting triage and compressive analysis of known and suspected malicious applications, documents, network traffic and artifacts in support of MSTIC’s TI analysts, services, and products Reverse engineering & binary analysis to include dynamic and static malware analysis. Experienced user of static analysis tooling (e.g., IDA Pro, Ghidra etc.)   Contributing host- and network-based detection signatures/scripts to a variety of Microsoft products and services Maintaining a deep understanding and knowledge of the latest offensive and defensive Tactics, Techniques and Procedures (TTPs) 

Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

• 7+ years experience in software development lifecycle, large-scale computing, modeling, cybersecurity, and/or anomaly detection
  • o OR Doctorate in Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science or related field.
• In-depth technical knowledge of adversary capabilities, infrastructure, and techniques that can be applied to define, develop, and implement the techniques to discover and track the adversaries of today and identify the attacks of tomorrow.  
• Tactical software development to support triage and analysis of datasets and information associated with APT activity and behavior as well as APT artifact analysis.  
• Conducting triage and compressive analysis of known and suspected malicious applications, documents, network traffic and artifacts in support of MSTIC’s TI analysts, services, and products.
• Reverse engineering & binary analysis to include dynamic and static malware analysis. Experienced user of static analysis tooling (e.g., IDA Pro, Ghidra etc.).
• Knowledge across all critical elements and common data types used in threat intelligence analysis, including malware used in targeted adversary campaigns; host and log forensics including methods of data collection and analytic techniques; and network forensics including common protocols and how those are used in adversary operations. 

 Other Qualifications:

• Ability to meet Microsoft, customer and/or government security screening requirements are required for this role. These requirements include, but are not limited to the following specialized security screenings: Microsoft Cloud Background Check:
  - This position will be required to pass the Microsoft background and Microsoft Cloud background check upon hire/transfer and every two years thereafter.

Preferred Qualifications:

• • Demonstrated experience analyzing malicious desktop, mobile and web applications developed in common programming languages such as x86/x86-64 Assembly, ARM, C, C++, C#, Visual Basic, PowerShell, Ruby, Python, ActionScript, ASP, Java, JavaScript, HTML, etc.
  • Demonstrated experience using commercial and open-source malware analysis tools and platforms such as debuggers, disassemblers, decompilers, sandboxes and virtualization solutions.
  • Demonstrated experience analyzing packed and obfuscated programs, scripts, and shellcode, including experience in identifying and subverting anti-disassembly, anti-decompilation, anti-debugging and anti-virtualization/emulation and anti-forensic techniques and methodologies.
  • Tactical software development experience in support of automation, triage and analysis of datasets, information and artifacts associated with APT related malware and campaign activity.
  • Experience working closely with threat intelligence analysts to understand their workflow and analytic problems and turning those into large-scale analytics.

Security Research IC5 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $137,600 - $267,000 per year. There is a different range applicable to specific work locations, within the San Francisco Bay area and New York City metropolitan area, and the base pay range for this role in those locations is USD $180,400 - $294,000 per year.

Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here: 

https://careers.microsoft.com/v2/global/en/us-corporate-pay.html

Microsoft will accept applications for the role until November 29, 2024.

Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. 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 any other characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations and ordinances.  We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application or the recruiting process, please send a request via the Accommodation request form.

Benefits/perks listed below may vary depending on the nature of your employment with Microsoft and the country where you work.

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