Principal macOS Security Researcher

Huntress; United States; Remote; USD 215,000 - 225,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Remote work

Stock options

Paid time off

Parental leave

Medical, dental, vision benefits

401(k) with 5% match

Home office stipend

Education development allowance

Coaching access

Job summary

Huntress is seeking a Senior macOS Security Researcher to lead research on macOS internals, telemetry, and detection capabilities. You’ll prototype new tools, analyze attacks, and collaborate with Detection Engineering to operationalize findings.

You will mentor teammates, document research thoroughly, and contribute to public speaking and writing to promote Huntress’ leadership in macOS defense.

Qualifications

• Expertise in macOS internals, security model, and notarization.
• Hands-on experience with Apple's Endpoint Security API and system extensions.
• Proficient in macOS threat research and malware analysis.
• Experience with macOS fleet management (MDM, config profiles).
• Experience red teaming and bypassing EDR on macOS.
• Proficiency in Swift; knowledge of Go, Python, or Ruby preferred.
• Familiar with MITRE ATT&CK, Sigma, YARA, and Elasticsearch/Kibana.
• Track record of building POCs and shipping capabilities.
• Experience leading data requirements and telemetry selection.
• Excellent written documentation.

Responsibilities

• Lead product research initiatives that develop and evaluate macOS security product strategies and technologies.
• Identify and prototype new telemetry from Apple's Endpoint Security API and other macOS subsystems to expand prevention, hardening, and detection capabilities.
• Reproduce and analyze macOS attacks through hands-on execution of attacker techniques, malware detonation, and vulnerability exploitation.
• Reverse engineer macOS malware and Apple's security frameworks to identify coverage gaps and inform product direction.
• Prototype and test new tools and methodologies for offensive operations against macOS endpoints, including EDR evasion and bypass research.
• Build proof-of-concept implementations demonstrating new capabilities.
• Document research findings and collaborate with Detection Engineering on detectors.
• Coordinate with Product and Engineering to integrate solutions developed by Security teams.
• Stand up fleeting research environments and attacker infrastructure using cloud, VM, and container tech.
• Track Apple platform changes across beta and release cycles and assess impact on agent capability and detection.

Skills

macOS internals

Swift

Go

Python

Ruby

Red teaming

MITRE ATT&CK

Threat research

Documentation

Tools

Apple Endpoint Security API

Binary Ninja

IDA Pro

Hopper

Ghidra

Elasticsearch

Kibana

XProtect

XProtect Remediator

Gatekeeper

TCC

Job description

Cybercrime is growing, and more businesses are getting hit by threats that used to target only the biggest organizations. That pushes defenders like us to operate at the highest level, and it deepens our need for good people who want to make a meaningful impact.

Founded in 2015 by former NSA cyber operators, Huntress is a remote-first team working to make enterprise-grade cybersecurity accessible to businesses of all sizes. We work closely with security teams and service providers protecting complex environments, often without the time or headcount to handle it all. That’s why we build our technology in-house and back it with a 24/7 human-led Security Operations Center (SOC). As a result, our platform is never disconnected from the experts who manage it, ensuring our customers' protection.

Huntress now secures more than 5M endpoints and 16M identities worldwide. Those numbers keep growing because more businesses rely on us to help carry the load and operate with more confidence. Every day, you can see that commitment in how we stand with our customers and how we show up for each other.

Reports to: Manager, Product ResearchLocation: Remote US

Compensation Range: $215,000.00 to $225,000.00 base plus bonus and equity

What You’ll Do:

• Lead product research initiatives that develop and evaluate macOS security product strategies and technologies
• Identify and prototype new telemetry from Apple's Endpoint Security API and other macOS subsystems to expand prevention, hardening, and detection capabilities
• Reproduce and analyze macOS attacks through hands‑on execution of attacker techniques, malware detonation, and vulnerability exploitation
• Reverse engineer macOS malware and Apple's own security frameworks (XProtect, XProtect Remediator, Gatekeeper, TCC) to identify coverage gaps and inform product direction
• Prototype and test new tools and methodologies for offensive operations against macOS endpoints, including EDR evasion and bypass research
• Build proof‑of‑concept implementations that demonstrate the feasibility of new capabilities
• Document research findings and collaborate with Detection Engineering on writing and tuning detectors
• Coordinate with Product and Engineering teams to integrate and operationalize solutions developed by Security teams
• Stand up fleeting research environments and attacker infrastructure using cloud, VM, and container technologies
• Track Apple platform changes across beta and release cycles, and assess their impact on agent capability, telemetry, and detection coverage
• Identify and address gaps in macOS product coverage, including false positive and false negative investigations
• Develop internal and external technical documentation to educate customers and adjacent teams on macOS security risks and opportunities
• Mentor and teach across the team on macOS internals, malware analysis, and research methodology
• Promote Huntress' reputation through public speaking, CFPs, blogs, and media interaction

What You Bring To The Team:

• Deep expertise in macOS system internals, including the security model, code signing and notarization, TCC, SIP, persistence, and the Mach‑O file format
• Hands‑on experience with Apple's Endpoint Security API and system extension development
• Authority on macOS security threats, attack techniques, and the current macOS malware landscape
• Familiarity with macOS fleet management (MDM, configuration profiles, mobileconfig deployment)
• Experience red teaming and performing attack emulation to bypass EDR on macOS
• Proficiency with Swift. Additional understanding of Go, Python, and/or Ruby is preferred.
• Experience with the MITRE ATT&CK matrix, Sigma, YARA, and Elasticsearch/Kibana
• Track record of building POCs and carrying research from concept through to a shipped product capability
• Experience leading data requirements work and tying it to cost/benefit analysis on collecting and storing only high‑value telemetry
• Commitment to clear written documentation of research findings
• Comfortable reading Apple developer documentation, framework headers, and API references to answer undocumented questions
• An understanding of how SMBs utilize IT automation tools such as PSAs and RMMs is strongly preferred
• Bonus: Comfortable reverse engineering Mach‑O binaries and scripted payloads using debuggers and a disassembler suite (Binary Ninja, IDA Pro, Hopper, or Ghidra)

What We Offer:

• 100% remote work environment - since our founding in 2015
• Generous paid time off policy, including vacation, sick time, and paid holidays
• 12 weeks of paid parental leave
• Highly competitive and comprehensive medical, dental, and vision benefits plans
• 401(k) with a 5% contribution regardless of employee contribution
• Life and Disability insurance plans
• Stock options for all full‑time employees
• One‑time $500 reimbursement for building/upgrading home office
• Annual allowance for education and professional development assistance
• Access to the BetterUp platform for coaching, personal, and professional growth

Huntress is committed to creating a culture of inclusivity where every single member of our team is valued, has a voice, and is empowered to come to work every day just as they are.

We do not discriminate based on race, ethnicity, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, veteran status, genetic information, marital status, or any other legally protected status.

We do discriminate against hackers who try to exploit businesses of all sizes.

Accommodations:

If you require reasonable accommodation to complete this application, interview, or pre‑employment testing or participate in the employee selection process, please direct your inquiries to [e-mail]. Please note that non‑accommodation requests to this inbox will not receive a response.

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