Senior & Principal Security Researcher
Listed on Microsoft’s official careers site. Posted October 9, 2026. Check that it is still open and apply there.
Apply on Microsoft’s careers site →Job description
Performing deep analysis of attacker activity in on-premises and cloud environments Identifying potential threats, allowing for proactive defense before an actual incident Notifying customers regarding imminent attacker activity Providing recommendations to improve customers' cybersecurity posture going forward and performing threat intelligence knowledge transfer to prepare customers to defend against today's threat landscape Building proof-of-concept and prototype threat hunting tools, automations, and new capabilities Driving product and tooling improvements by conveying learnings from threat hunting and incident response at scale to engineering partner teams Identifying, prioritizing, and targeting complex security issues that cause negative impact to customers.
Creating and driving adoption of relevant mitigations and providing proactive guidance Working with others to synthesize research findings into recommendations for mitigation of security issues. Sharing across teams. Driving change within team based on research findings. Doctorate in Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Computer Security, or related field OR Master's Degree in
Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Computer Security, or related field AND 3+ years experience in software development lifecycle, large-scale computing, threat analysis or modeling, cybersecurity, vulnerability research, and/or anomaly detection OR Bachelor's Degree in Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Computer Security, or related field AND 4+ years experience in software development lifecycle, large-scale computing, threat analysis or modeling, cybersecurity, vulnerability research, and/or anomaly detection
Citizenship & Citizenship Verification: This role will require access to information that is controlled for export under export control regulations, potentially under the U.S.
International Traffic in Arms Regulations or Export Administration Regulations, the EU Dual Use Regulation, and/or other export control regulations. As a condition of employment, the successful candidate will be required to provide either proof of their country of citizenship or proof of their U.S. permanent residency or other protected status (e.g., under 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3)) for assessment of eligibility to access the export controlled information.
To meet this legal requirement, and as a condition of employment, the successful candidate's citizenship will be verified with a valid passport. Lawful permanent residents, refugees, and asylees may verify status using other documents, where applicable. Doctorate in Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Computer Security, or related field AND 3+ years experience in software development lifecycle, large-scale computing, threat analysis or modeling, cybersecurity, vulnerability research, and/or anomaly detection OR Master's
Degree in Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Computer Security, or related field AND 6+ years experience in software development lifecycle, large-scale computing, threat analysis or modeling, cybersecurity, vulnerability research, and/or anomaly detection OR Bachelor's Degree in Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Computer Security, or related field AND 8+ years experience in software development lifecycle, large-scale computing, threat analysis or modeling, cybersecurity, vulnerability research, and/or anomaly detection OR equivalent experience.
- Strong understanding of malware and the modern threat landscape, especially identity-based attacks
- Familiarity and understanding of SQL or Kusto Query Language (KQL) queries (or experience with large database/SIEM query languages such as Splunk/Humio/Kibana, etc.)
- Familiarity and understanding of Jupyter Notebooks, or building equivalent threat hunting automations with scripting languages Experience with sophisticated threat actor evidence including familiarity with typical Indicators of Compromise (IOCs), Indicators of Activity (IOAs) and Tools, Techniques and Procedures (TTPs)
- Use of forensic analysis tools such as X-Ways Forensics®, WinHex®, Encase®, FTK®, etc Experience with various forensic log artifacts found in SIEM logs, web server logs, AV logs, protection logs such as HIDS and NIDS logs
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