Principal Researcher - Cortex Cloud Security

Overview

Palo Alto Networks is dedicated to safeguarding the digital world by merging innovation with impactful cybersecurity solutions. Our collaborative culture values every voice and idea, encouraging bold thinking and advanced technology use. We emphasize in-person teamwork to foster problem-solving and strong connections, with flexible arrangements when necessary.

Role Summary

The Principal Researcher for Cortex Cloud Security will play a crucial role in defending cloud-based applications from evolving threats. This position involves crafting and maintaining detection and compliance rules focused on security misconfigurations, leading cutting-edge cybersecurity research, and working closely with engineering and product teams to secure cloud business environments.

Primary Responsibilities

• Create and sustain detection mechanisms to guard against cloud attacks and enforce compliance.
• Research new cloud services to detect vulnerabilities and potential security configuration issues.
• Analyze cloud attack methods and align detection strategies with security frameworks and standards.
• Develop innovative security detection rules to strengthen defense capabilities.
• Collaborate with engineering and product teams to enhance security operations through simplification and optimization.
• Improve processes related to security content creation, automation, and deployment.
• Participate in public cybersecurity discussions and publish research to establish leadership and promote best practices.

Qualifications

• At least 8 years of experience in security compliance and threat research.
• Minimum of 2 years hands-on experience securing public cloud environments such as AWS, GCP, or Azure.
• Proficient with Linux command-line tools and troubleshooting techniques.

Preferred Skills

• Experience programming in Python, familiar with GenAI or large language model (LLM) integrations for automation.
• Knowledge of Git version control, continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipelines, and bug tracking systems.
• Familiarity with BigQuery, SQL, JSON, REST APIs, and infrastructure as code tools like Terraform.

Additional Information

Palo Alto Networks values diversity and inclusivity, providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities. This employer does not offer visa sponsorship for this role.

All applicant information is handled confidentially in alignment with Equal Employment Opportunity standards.