Cyber Network Forensic Analyst III

Nightwing; Arlington (VA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

A cybersecurity firm in Arlington is seeking a skilled cybersecurity professional for incident response. This role involves assisting in investigations of cyber-attacks against government agencies, characterizing breaches, and developing mitigation plans. Candidates must have substantial experience in network investigations, knowledge of CND policies, and an active TS/SCI clearance. The position offers a collaborative environment with talented individuals focusing on innovative cybersecurity solutions.

Qualifications

• Must have 8+ years of relevant experience in network investigations.
• In-depth knowledge of CND policies and procedures required.
• Active TS/SCI clearance mandatory.

Responsibilities

• Assist in coordinating incident response investigations.
• Analyze anomalous network activity.
• Collect and analyze network intrusion artifacts.

Skills

Network investigations

CND policies and procedures

TCP/IP protocols

Malicious network activity analysis

Network traffic characterization

Splunk or other SIEMs

Education

BS in Computer Science, Cyber Security or related field

HS Diploma with 10+ years in network investigations

Tools

Wireshark

Network analysis software

Job description

Nightwing provides technically advanced full-spectrum cyber, data operations, systems integration and intelligence mission support services to meet our customers’ most demanding challenges. Our capabilities include cyber space operations, cyber defense and resiliency, vulnerability research, ubiquitous technical surveillance, data intelligence, lifecycle mission enablement, and software modernization. Nightwing brings disruptive technologies, agility, and competitive offerings to customers in the intelligence community, defense, civil, and commercial markets.

Nightwing is supporting a U.S. Government customer to provide onsite incident response to civilian Government agencies and critical asset owners who experience cyber‑attacks, providing immediate investigation and resolution. Contract personnel perform investigations to characterize the severity of breaches, develop mitigation plans, and assist with the restoration of services.

Arlington, VA

Responsibilities

• Assists the Government lead in coordinating teams in preliminary incident response investigations
• Assists the Government lead with interfacing with the customer while on site
• Determines appropriate courses of actions in response to identified and analyzes anomalous network activity
• Assesses network topology and device configurations identifying critical security concerns and providing security best practice recommendations
• Assists with the writing and publishing of Computer Network Defense guidance and reports on incident findings to appropriate constituencies
• Collects network intrusion artifacts (e.g., PCAP, domains, URI’s, certificates, etc.) and uses discovered data to enable mitigation of potential Computer Network Defense incidents
• Analyzes identified malicious network activity to determine weaknesses exploited, exploitation methods, effects on system and information
• Collects network device integrity data and analyze for signs of tampering or compromise
• Assists with real‑time CND incident handling (i.e., forensic collections, intrusion correlation and tracking, threat analysis, and advising on system remediation) tasks to support onsite engagements

Required Skills

• U.S. Citizenship
• Must have an active TS/SCI clearance
• Must be able to obtain DHS Suitability
• 8+ years of directly relevant experience in network investigations
• In depth knowledge of CND policies, procedures and regulations
• In depth knowledge of TCP/IP protocols
• In depth knowledge of standard protocols – ICMP, HTTP/S, DNS, SSH, SMTP, SMB, NFS, etc.
• In depth knowledge and experience of Wifi networking
• In depth knowledge and experience of network topologies - DMZ’s, WAN’s, etc.
• Substantial knowledge of Splunk (or other SIEM’s)
• Understanding of MITRE Adversary Tactics, Techniques and Common Knowledge (ATT&CK)
• Knowledge of Computer Network Defense policies, procedures, and regulations
• Knowledge of defense‑in‑depth principles and general attack stages with respect to network security architecture
• Ability to characterize and analyze network traffic to identify anomalous activity and potential threats to network resources
• Ability to identify and analyze anomalies in network traffic using metadata
• Experience with reconstructing a malicious attack or activity based on network trafficExperience examining network topologies to understand data flows through the network
• Must be able to work collaboratively across physical locations

Desired Skills

• Substantial knowledge of network device integrity concepts and methodologies
• Proficiency with network analysis software (e.g. Wireshark)
• Proficiency with carving and extracting information from PCAP data
• Proficiency with non‑traditional network traffic (e.g. Command and Control)
• Proficiency with preserving evidence integrity according to standard operating procedures or national standards
• Proficiency with designing cyber security systems and environments in a Linux and/or Windows environment
• Proficiency with virtualized environments

BS Computer Science, Cyber Security, Computer Engineering, or related degree; or HS Diploma & 10+ years of network investigations experience.

Desired Certifications

• DoD 8140.01 IAT Level II, IASAE II, CSSP Analyst
• DoD 8140.01 GCIA, GCIH, CSSP Analyst/CSSP Incident Responder
• DoD 8140.01 CEH, CSSP Analyst
• SANS GIAC GNFA preferred

At Nightwing, we value collaboration and teamwork. You’ll have the opportunity to work alongside talented individuals who are passionate about what they do. Together, we’ll leverage our collective expertise to drive innovation, solve complex problems, and deliver exceptional results for our clients.

Thank you for considering joining us as we embark on this new journey and shape the future of cybersecurity and intelligence together as part of the Nightwing team.

Nightwing is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or veteran status, age or any other federally protected class.