Senior Security Researcher - Incident Response Automation - Windows & Linux (Cortex) at Palo Alto Networks

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

As the architect of the Autonomous SOC, you will dive deep into Windows and Linux internals to understand modern adversary techniques. Your mission is to transform the complex art of incident response into high-fidelity, automated science. You will investigate attacker tradecraft, analyze forensic artifacts, and build the logic that allows customers to respond to breaches in seconds.

How we work:

• The Anatomy of an Attack: We deconstruct complex attack patterns across Windows and Linux to build forensic "blueprints." We don't just find a threat; we map out the exact response flows and forensic steps needed to dismantle it from the inside out.

• Precision Matters: We obsess over finding the exact thresholds that allow us to neutralize threats without disrupting the user experience.

• Innovation First: We aren't satisfied with off-the-shelf tools; we develop our own research frameworks and leverage AI to amplify our efficiency.

• From Insight to Action: We don't just write reports. Every piece of research we conduct is designed to be codified into a sophisticated, automated response playbook that protects our customers at machine speed.

We’re looking for people who want to see their research solve "impossible" problems in real-time.

Key Responsibilities

• Deep Forensic Research: Conduct original research into Windows and Linux attack surfaces to identify new response and remediation vectors.

• Codify IR Tradecraft: Translate complex investigative steps (e.g., memory forensics, binary analysis, or cloud-native IR) into scalable, automated workflows.

• Engineer Autonomous Logic: Design "self-healing" security playbooks that don't just alert, but actively neutralize threats across Endpoint, Identity, and Cloud environments.

• Telemetry Mining: Hunt through massive datasets in Cortex XSIAM to find the "ground truth" of an attack and validate that your automations are bulletproof.

• Shape the Product: Act as a subject matter expert for the engineering team, influencing how our XDR and NDR sensors collect data based on your IR findings.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in DFIR or Threat Hunting, including a proven track record of manually containing and remediating live security breaches.

• Proficiency in Windows (Processes, Registry, RPC, WMI) and/or Linux internals (Kernel modules, Syscalls, Namespaces).

• Experience with forensic frameworks and tooling such as Volatility, Sleuthkit, Velociraptor, or similar environments.

• Proficiency in writing clean, testable, and efficient Python code with the ability to approach automation as a formal software engineering discipline.

• Ability to query and manipulate large-scale telemetry using SQL or Pandas to prove complex research hypotheses.

Preferred Qualifications

• Hands-on experience authoring SOAR playbooks (Cortex XSOAR/XSIAM preferred).

• Previous experience in content or engineering for XDR, EDR, NDR, or SOAR products.

• Background in machine learning or statistical modeling for detection and response.

• Practical experience with big data platforms.

Our Commitment

We’re trailblazers that dream big, 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? No. Please note that we will not sponsor applicants for work visas for this position.