Principal Security Researcher

The Cloud & AI organization accelerates Microsoft’s mission and bold ambitions to ensure that our company and industry is securing digital technology platforms, devices, and clouds in our customers’ heterogeneous environments, as well as ensuring the security of our own internal estate. Our culture is centered on embracing a growth mindset, a theme of inspiring excellence, and encouraging teams and leaders to bring their best each day. In doing so, we create life-changing innovations that impact billions of lives around the world. Microsoft is one of the largest enterprise service companies in the world.

We are looking for a Principal Security Researcher to join our team. The mission of the MSTIC team is to make Microsoft threat intelligence the first place for authoritative, high-quality knowledge on threats. The MSTIC team provides context on the threats that impact customers and owns the single voice of threat intelligence for Microsoft through a central content source. The MSTIC team supports customer-facing services with threat intelligence fusion and customer-ready content. The team also supports the Microsoft Defender for Threat intelligence library content and public-facing content in the Microsoft Threat Intelligence blog.

Microsoft’s mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. As employees we come together with a growth mindset, innovate to empower others, and collaborate to realize our shared goals. Each day we build on our values of respect, integrity, and accountability to create a culture of inclusion where everyone can thrive at work and beyond.

In alignment with our Microsoft values, we are committed to cultivating an inclusive work environment for all employees to positively impact our culture every day.

We are looking for passionate people with experiences analyzing and summarizing cyber security threats, contextualizing and writing customer-facing content on cyber security threats, with a focus on cybercrime threats, and adapting to changing focus as the threat landscape changes.

Responsibilities include:

• Researching, analyzing, and contextualizing cybercrime related threat actor, tool, technique and vulnerability related threat intelligence.
• Writing customer-facing profiles on the latest cybercrime threats.
• Creating briefings and briefing internal and external teams on the latest security threats.
• Adapting your writing style to create new content based on business needs and customer feedback.

• 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 4+ 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 6+ years experience in software development lifecycle, large-scale computing, threat analysis or modeling, cybersecurity, vulnerability research, and/or anomaly detection OR equivalent experience.

Citizenship & Citizenship Verification:

This position requires verification of citizenship due to citizenship-based legal restrictions. Specifically, this position supports United States federal, state, and/or local government agency customers and is subject to certain citizenship-based restrictions where required or permitted by applicable law. To meet this legal requirement, and as a condition of employment, the successful candidate’s citizenship will be verified with a valid passport.

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.

-Ability to meet Microsoft, customer and/or government security screening requirements are required for this role. These requirements include, but are not limited to the following specialized security screenings:

• Microsoft Cloud Background Check: This position will be required to pass the Microsoft background and Microsoft Cloud background check upon hire/transfer and every two years thereafter.

• 5+ years experience in software development lifecycle, large-scale computing, modeling, cybersecurity, and/or anomaly detection OR Master's Degree in Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science or related field.
• Identifies, conducts, and supports others in conducting research into critical security areas, such as cybercrime, current attacks, adversary tracking, and the broader cyber security landscape. Partners cross-functionally (e.g., across disciplines, teams, or security versus non-security) research the latest attacks.
• Advocates priorities. Solicits feedback and evaluates results to incorporate into future research. Demonstrates judgment in identifying projects and priorities.
• Understands interplay across Microsoft technologies and how they give rise to attacker opportunities.
• Works with others to synthesize research findings into recommendations for mitigation of security issues. Shares across teams. Drives change within team based on research findings. Contributes to customer-facing products and professional community through publications.
• Experience with research and analyzing cybercrime threats and actors, including phishing, commodity malware, and ransomware
• Experience writing customer-facing threat intelligence products
• Experience writing on threat actors and their activities, malicious tools, common techniques, and vulnerabilities.

Security Research IC5 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $142,800 - $274,800 per year. There is a different range applicable to specific work locations, within the San Francisco Bay area and New York City metropolitan area, and the base pay range for this role in those locations is USD $188,000 - $304,200 per year.

Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here:

This position will be open for a minimum of 5 days, with applications accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.

Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, immigration status, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran or military status, race, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance with religious accommodations and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about requesting accommodations.