Principal Security Researcher - Autopilot (Cortex)

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 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 Description

Your Career

Join our research team as a Security Researcher and become an integral part of our expanding group building Autopilot - a groundbreaking autonomous investigation and response platform.

In this role, you’ll transcend traditional research boundaries by designing, developing, and implementing investigation modules that enable Autopilot to autonomously identify, analyze, and neutralize sophisticated threats across massive infrastructures.

Your responsibilities will encompass analyzing emerging malware patterns, adversarial tactics, and process behaviors across enterprise-scale environments, leveraging telemetry from millions of endpoints. You’ll focus on discovering attack signatures, detecting statistical outliers, and ensuring the platform effectively counters real-world threats and advanced persistent threat campaigns through validation against live production data.

Your Impact

Architect Autonomous Security Systems: Build graph-based algorithms and intelligent decision-making frameworks to investigate and neutralize targeted threat actors
Scale Human Expertise: Apply AI, statistical modeling, and graph theory to replicate complex analyst workflows and automate incident response at scale
Transform Telemetry into Intelligence: Engineer reusable frameworks that convert raw security data into actionable insights and automated response capabilities
Counter Advanced Adversaries: Conduct deep-dive analysis of malware and APT attack chains to stay ahead of evolving TTPs and emerging threats
Drive Research Innovation: Collaborate in a high-growth environment to influence product direction, refine research workflows, and advance detection mechanisms

Qualifications

Your Experience

5+ years in security or threat research, demonstrating thorough investigation capabilities that produced actionable outcomes and measurable impact
Proven experience as part of an R&D/development team, along with strong proficiency in Python programming
Deep comprehension of attack vectors and methodologies targeting endpoints and enterprise infrastructure
Proficient in analyzing large-scale datasets to derive significant insights using sophisticated analytical techniques
Demonstrated ownership mindset with capability to autonomously advance initiatives from inception through completion
Analytical thinker who excels in both independent work and team collaboration settings
Superior verbal and written communication abilities
Passionate cybersecurity practitioner motivated to address emerging security challenges

Advantage

Comprehensive understanding of operating system internals (e.g., Windows, Linux, macOS).
Hands-on experience with graph databases and algorithmic implementations
Background in statistics, advanced data analysis, or machine learning methodologies

Additional Information

The Team

Our research team sits at the heart of our products and is tightly aligned with our mission to stop cyberattacks. We continuously push boundaries - rethinking how we, and the industry as a whole, approach cybersecurity. Our researchers are not afraid to build bold, original solutions to problems others haven’t attempted to tackle.

Rather than following trends, we set them. We’re looking for people who are comfortable operating in ambiguity, energized by complex challenges, and motivated by addressing the evolving risks of modern life - risks that can only be mitigated through a secure digital world.

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.