Security represents the most critical priorities for our customers in a world awash in digital threats, regulatory scrutiny, and estate complexity. Microsoft Security aspires to make the world a safer place for all. We want to reshape security and empower every user, customer, and developer with a security cloud that protects them with end to end, simplified solutions. The Microsoft Security 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.
Microsoft Security Research is at the front line of defending Microsoft customers and the broader ecosystem against the world's most sophisticated threat actors. Our Applied Threat Intelligence team tracks the threat landscape and the threat actors that target our customers; where they have been, where they are today, and predict where they will be tomorrow. We partner deeply across Microsoft Threat Intelligence, product engineering, and research to ensure our customers stay ahead of threats.
Responsibilities
Lead with AI to understand the threat landscape and the latest attacker tradecraft.
Track threat actors, including financially motivated threat actors; their infrastructure, their targets, and their shifting techniques, tactics, and procedures.
Translate complex technical findings into clear, prescriptive guidance for security operations teams, executives, and the broader defender community.
Partner with product, research, marketing, and communications teams to ensure high-quality intelligence experiences through Microsoft's customer-facing surfaces and managed services (Agentic Security, Defender XDR, Defender Experts, Sentinel, blogs, briefings).
Build and refine the pipelines, tooling, and workflows that allow Microsoft to stream insightful cyber threat intelligence to customers machine speed.
Represent Microsoft Threat Intelligence in customer briefings, industry conferences, and cross-industry working groups.
Qualifications
Minimum Qualifications:
- 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.
Other Requirements:
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.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Doctorate in Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Computer Security, or related field AND 5+ 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 8+ 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 12+ years experience in software development lifecycle, large-scale computing, threat analysis or modeling, cybersecurity, vulnerability research, and/or anomaly detection.
- OR equivalent experience.
- 3+ years of experience in cyber threat intelligence, threat hunting, incident response, or a closely related security discipline.
- Attribution experience creating threat groups, assessing connections between established threat groups, and communicating attribution assessments to internal stakeholders and customers in a timely manner.
- Demonstrated experience producing finished threat intelligence reporting for technical and/or executive audiences.
- Working experience with Microsoft Sentinel and Microsoft Defender XDR (or directly comparable SIEM/XDR platforms).
- Understanding of adversary tradecraft, the cyber kill chain, and frameworks such as MITRE ATT&CK, the Diamond Model, and structured analytic techniques.
- Written and verbal communication skills, with a portfolio of public or customer-facing intelligence writing.
- Experience tracking and defending against financially motivated threat actors.
- Experience with endpoint, cloud, network, and identity-based attacks and datasets.
- Experience with AI tools and large language models, building agents and skills for information security applications and pipelines.
- Comprehensive OS security/internals knowledge.
- Understanding of network protocols and analytical experience with network infrastructure data & telemetry.
- Reverse-engineering with static and behavioral binary analysis experience.
- Functional understanding of common threat analysis models such as the Diamond Model, Cyber Kill Chain, and MITRE ATT&CK.
- Programming or scripting background (Python, PowerShell, C#, C++, etc.).
#MSSecurity
Security Research IC3 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $102,100 - $202,200 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 $133,800 - $219,200 per year.
Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here:
https://careers.microsoft.com/us/en/us-corporate-pay
Security Research IC4 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $119,800 - $234,700 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 $160,200 - $261,000 per year.
Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here:
https://careers.microsoft.com/us/en/us-corporate-pay
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.
Skills Required
- Doctorate in Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Computer Security, or related field AND 3+ years experience OR Master's AND 4+ years OR Bachelor's AND 6+ years OR equivalent experience.
- Ability to meet Microsoft, customer and/or government security screening requirements and pass Microsoft Cloud background check upon hire and every two years.
- 3+ years of experience in cyber threat intelligence, threat hunting, incident response, or closely related security discipline.
- Attribution experience creating threat groups and communicating attribution assessments to stakeholders and customers.
- Experience producing finished threat intelligence reporting for technical and/or executive audiences.
- Working experience with Microsoft Sentinel and Microsoft Defender XDR or directly comparable SIEM/XDR platforms.
- Understanding of adversary tradecraft, the cyber kill chain, and frameworks such as MITRE ATT&CK and the Diamond Model.
- Written and verbal communication skills with a portfolio of public or customer-facing intelligence writing.
- Experience tracking and defending against financially motivated threat actors and familiarity with endpoint, cloud, network, and identity-based attacks and datasets.
- Experience with AI tools and large language models, building agents and skills for information security applications and pipelines.
- Comprehensive OS security/internals knowledge, understanding of network protocols, and analytical experience with network infrastructure telemetry.
- Reverse-engineering experience with static and behavioral binary analysis; programming or scripting background (Python, PowerShell, C#, C++, etc.).
Microsoft Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Microsoft and has not been reviewed or approved by Microsoft.
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Fair & Transparent Compensation — Pay is presented as broadly competitive overall, with clear role/level/location variation and an emphasis on using posted ranges and band information for apples-to-apples comparisons.
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Retirement Support — Retirement benefits are described as a standout, highlighted by a strong 401(k) match structure and immediate vesting, plus additional plan features for tax-advantaged saving.
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Parental & Family Support — Family-oriented benefits are portrayed as a meaningful strength, with substantial paid parental leave and added supports like back-up care and adoption/surrogacy assistance.
Microsoft Insights
What We Do
At Microsoft, our mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. Our mission is grounded in both the world in which we live and the future we strive to create. Today, we live in a mobile-first, cloud-first world, and the transformation we are driving across our businesses is designed to enable Microsoft and our customers to thrive in this world.
