Security Researcher – Red Team

Apple, Inc.; Cupertino (CA); On-site; USD 185,000 - 325,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

RSU awards

Medical & dental coverage

Tuition reimbursement

Discounted products

Job summary

Apple is seeking a Senior Security Researcher to join its specialized Red Team in Cupertino. You will hunt vulnerabilities at the hardware-software boundary, focusing on CPU/GPU microarchitectures and low-level kernel interfaces.

The role requires deep expertise in exploitation, OS internals, and hardware security research. The team collaborates with hardware and kernel engineers to develop architectural mitigations and robust defenses, while evaluating mitigations like Pointer Authentication

Qualifications

• BS in Computer Engineering or related engineering degree.
• Experience with modern CPU architectures such as pipeline stages, caching mechanisms, MMU, or speculative execution.
• Experience in low-level software (C, C++, or Assembly).
• Experience in discovering vulnerabilities or developing exploits at the OS/Hypervisor level, or in hardware-software interfaces such as CVEs, bug bounties, conference talks, or whitepapers.

Responsibilities

• Architectural Red Teaming: Design and execute targeted adversarial campaigns against the hardware/software interface of modern SoCs, specifically focusing on CPU and GPU.
• Vulnerability Discovery: Conduct deep-dive vulnerability research into microarchitectural behaviors, side-channels, and hardware-assisted security features.
• Exploit Development: Develop proof-of-concept exploit chains that bridge hardware vulnerabilities into kernel space, demonstrating real-world impact.
• GPU & Compute Security: Analyze GPU driver interfaces, command processors, and execution units, particularly in the context of modern compute workloads and hardware acceleration.
• Mitigation Bypass & Analysis: Evaluate and attempt to bypass modern hardware mitigations (e.g., Pointer Authentication, Memory Tagging, virtualization boundaries).
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with hardware engineering and software kernel teams to translate your red team findings into robust, architectural-level mitigations.

Skills

CPU architectures

Low-level software (C/C++/Assembly)

Vulnerability research/Exploits

Reverse engineering tools

Education

BS in Computer Engineering or related engineering degree

Tools

Verilog/VHDL

IDA Pro

Ghidra

Job description

Cupertino, California, United States Hardware

Help Apple secure the world's most advanced consumer devices, which people trust to store their personal and professional data. We believe that the best defense is a good offense, and that means finding vulnerabilities before attackers do. We're looking for talented and inspired individuals to join our team and attack Apple's products with the goal of better safeguarding our users.

Description

We are looking for a Senior Security Researcher to join our specialized Red Team. In this role, you will focus on the complex boundary where hardware meets software. You will hunt for vulnerabilities in the microarchitecture, memory management, and execution pipelines of modern CPUs and GPUs, as well as in the low-level code which runs on it. If you enjoy bridging the gap between hardware primitives and kernel-level exploits, and have a passion for uncovering side-channels or architectural logic flaws, this is the team for you.

Responsibilities

• Architectural Red Teaming: Design and execute targeted adversarial campaigns against the hardware/software interface of modern SoCs, specifically focusing on CPU and GPU.
• Vulnerability Discovery: Conduct deep-dive vulnerability research into microarchitectural behaviors, side-channels, and hardware-assisted security features.
• Exploit Development: Develop proof-of-concept exploit chains that bridge hardware vulnerabilities into kernel space, demonstrating real-world impact.
• GPU & Compute Security: Analyze GPU driver interfaces, command processors, and execution units, particularly in the context of modern compute workloads and hardware acceleration.
• Mitigation Bypass & Analysis: Evaluate and attempt to bypass modern hardware mitigations (e.g., Pointer Authentication, Memory Tagging, virtualization boundaries).
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with hardware engineering and software kernel teams to translate your red team findings into robust, architectural-level mitigations.

Minimum Qualifications

• BS in Computer Engineering or related engineering degree.
• Experience with modern CPU architectures; such as pipeline stages, caching mechanisms, MMU, or speculative execution.
• Experience with low-level software; such as in C, C++, or Assembly.
• Experience in discovering vulnerabilities or developing exploits at the OS/Hypervisor level, or in hardware-software interfaces such as CVEs, bug bounties, conference talks, or whitepapers.

Preferred Qualifications

• 10+ years relevant industry experience.
• Extensive familiarity with ARM v8/v9 or x86 instruction sets.
• Proven understanding of GPU architectures (execution pipelines, memory hierarchies) and how software interfaces with them (e.g., driver vulnerability research, compute batching, memory isolation).
• Deep understanding of operating system internals, kernel architecture, and memory management.
• Experience with hardware description languages (Verilog/VHDL) or pre-silicon security validation.
• Experience with confidential computing environments.
• Familiarity with the security implications of AI/ML hardware accelerators and complex GPU workloads (e.g., memory handling in PagedAttention or Mixture of Experts).
• Familiarity with reverse engineering tools (IDA Pro, Ghidra) and dynamic analysis/debugging tools.

At Apple, base pay is one part of our total compensation package and is determined within a range. This provides the opportunity to progress as you grow and develop within a role. The base pay range for this role is between $184,700 and $324,800, and your base pay will depend on your skills, qualifications, experience, and location.

Apple employees also have the opportunity to become an Apple shareholder through participation in Apple's discretionary employee stock programs. Apple employees are eligible for discretionary restricted stock unit awards, and can purchase Apple stock at a discount if voluntarily participating in Apple's Employee Stock Purchase Plan. You'll also receive benefits including: Comprehensive medical and dental coverage, retirement benefits, a range of discounted products and free services, and for formal education related to advancing your career at Apple, reimbursement for certain educational expenses - including tuition. Additionally, this role might be eligible for discretionary bonuses or commission payments as well as relocation. Learn more about Apple Benefits

Note: Apple benefit, compensation and employee stock programs are subject to eligibility requirements and other terms of the applicable plan or program.

Apple is an equal opportunity employer that is committed to inclusion and diversity. We seek to promote equal opportunity for all applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, Veteran status, or other legally protected characteristics. Learn more about your EEO rights as an applicant

At Apple, we believe accessibility is a fundamental human right. You'll find that idea reflected in everything here - in our culture, our benefits and our digital tools. By welcoming as many perspectives as possible, we help you build a career where you feel like you belong.

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Apple accepts applications to this posting on an ongoing basis.