Principal/Senior Security Researcher - Virtualization (Cortex)

Our Mission

At Palo Alto Networks®, we're united by a shared mission-to protect our digital way of life. We thrive at the intersection of innovation and impact, solving real-world problems with cutting-edge technology and bold thinking. Here, everyone has a voice, and every idea counts. If you're ready to do the most meaningful work of your career alongside people who are just as passionate as you are, you're in the right place.

Who We Are

In order to be the cybersecurity partner of choice, we must trailblaze the path and shape the future of our industry. This is something our employees work at each day and is defined by our values: Disruption, Collaboration, Execution, Integrity, and Inclusion. We weave AI into the fabric of everything we do and use it to augment the impact every individual can have. If you are passionate about solving real-world problems and ideating beside the best and the brightest, we invite you to join us!

We believe collaboration thrives in person. That's why most of our teams work from the office full time, with flexibility when it's needed. This model supports real-time problem-solving, stronger relationships, and the kind of precision that drives great outcomes.

Job Summary

Are you an innovative security researcher with a deep understanding of the cyber threat landscape and a passion for protecting modern environments? Do you want to tackle the challenge of securing enterprise networks against evolving threats?

• Conduct deep research into virtualization technologies, and targeted attacks to fortify our attack prevention mechanisms.
• Stay current with the latest attacker methodologies, APT campaigns, and Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTPs) targeting virtualization systems.
• Analyze emerging threats and malware to identify new techniques and formulate effective detection and prevention strategies.
• Leverage AI and big data methodologies to investigate and analyze extensive datasets across our customer base.
• Design cutting-edge protection components and develop sophisticated detection rules to enhance the effectiveness of our security solutions.
• Drive the research and development of novel protection concepts, seeing them through to production-grade quality, and serve as a subject matter expert in the field.
• Play a pivotal role in shaping the future of our security product offerings.
• Collaborate closely with Engineering, Product Management, and other research teams to seamlessly translate research findings and insights into new production features.

• 5+ years of experience in cybersecurity research, with a proven track record of impactful projects.
• B.Sc. or M.Sc. in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Computer Engineering, or equivalent military experience required
• Hands-on experience in real-world threat hunting, incident response, or detection engineering.
• Solid knowledge of the cyber threat landscape, modern malware techniques, and APTs.
• Proficiency in programming languages such as Python, Go, Java, or other relevant languages.
• Strong understanding of OS internals (Windows, Linux, and macOS, for example).
• Excellent problem-solving skills and a passion for cybersecurity innovation.
• Ability to work independently, take initiative, and collaborate effectively in a team environment.

• Experience with virtualization platforms or understanding of virtualization-related attacks (e.g., focused on ESXi/vCenter).
• Proven background in security solution development, particularly within the EDR/XDR space.
• Proficiency in reverse engineering, including practical experience with disassembly and debugging tools.
• Demonstrated experience utilizing advanced techniques like statistics, machine learning, or complex data analysis for security-related applications.
• Experience with vulnerability research or development within the Linux environment.
• Experience with research or development focused on Linux internals.