Senior Security Researcher, Data & AI (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 take our mission of protecting the digital way of life seriously. We are relentless in protecting our customers and we believe that the unique ideas of every member of our team contributes to our collective success. Our values were crowdsourced by employees and are brought to life through each of us everyday - from disruptive innovation and collaboration, to execution. From showing up for each other with integrity to creating an environment where we all feel included.

As a member of our team, you will be shaping the future of cybersecurity. We work fast, value ongoing learning, and we respect each employee as a unique individual. Knowing we all have different needs, our development and personal wellbeing programs are designed to give you choice in how you are supported. This includes our FLEXBenefits wellbeing spending account with over 1,000 eligible items selected by employees, our mental and financial health resources, and our personalized learning opportunities - just to name a few!

Job Description

Your Career

Are you passionate about using cutting-edge technology to help protect the world against cyber threats? Do you live and breathe the cyber security world? Do you want to take part in an innovative and disruptive AI security group that has an impact on many customers?

You will be part of a strong security research and data science team who solve highly complex security challenges using disruptive technologies, ML algorithms and a lot of data. 

As part of that, you will take part in the design and development of new groundbreaking AI security solutions which make a direct impact on many customers.

At Palo Alto Networks we value diverse viewpoints and experiences, as we are solving complex cyber security challenges. We are committed to a safe and inclusive workspace.

Your Impact

• Transform Data into Defense: Take the lead in creating high-fidelity security incidents from a massive stream of alerts generated by our industry-leading advanced security solutions. 
• Innovate with AI: Actively participate in cutting-edge research projects focused on creating novel prevention content at scale using state-of-the-art AI and Large Language Models (LLMs).
• Drive Security Efficacy: Analyze complex threat data to identify attacker patterns, develop new prevention methodologies, and enhance automated flows to rapidly protect Cortex platform customers.
• Collaborate and Lead: Work side-by-side with top-tier data scientists, engineers, and product managers to translate research ideas into tangible, customer-facing security protections.

Qualifications

Your Experience 

• 5+ years of hands-on experience in the cybersecurity research field.
• Proven expertise in detecting threats by analyzing and correlating security data across hybrid environments, from on-premise tools (EDR, SIEM, NDR) to major cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure).
• Proven ability to investigate and contextualize disparate security alerts to construct a full attack narrative.
• Strong proficiency in a scripting language, with Python being highly preferred for data analysis and prototyping.
• Hands-on experience with query languages and databases (e.g., SQL, KQL).
• A scientific, data-driven approach to problem-solving, with experience running research projects from ideation to production.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to clearly articulate complex technical concepts and research findings to diverse audiences.

Additional Information

The Team

Our engineering and research teams are at the core of our products and connected directly to the mission of preventing cyberattacks. We are constantly innovating-challenging the way we, and the industry, think about cybersecurity.
Our teams don't shy away from building products to solve problems no one has pursued before.

We define the industry instead of waiting for directions. We need individuals who feel comfortable in ambiguity, excited by the prospect of a challenge, and empowered by the unknown risks facing our everyday lives that are only enabled by a secure digital environment.

The Cortex Data and AI team is a dynamic, forward-thinking group responsible for the intelligence that powers Palo Alto Networks' security portfolio. We are passionate about data, obsessed with security, and committed to building the autonomous security platform of the future. If you are a creative problem-solver who wants to work at the intersection of security research and artificial intelligence, we encourage you to apply.

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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  [email protected].

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.