Senior CNO Exploit Developer

X8; Columbia (MD); On-site; USD 135,000 - 165,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus potential

401(k) match 10%

Paid time off 24 PTO days + 13holidays

Medical benefits

Job summary

X8 is seeking a Senior CNO Exploit Developer in Columbia, MD to transform proof-of-concept exploits into operational capabilities for specialized military cyber operations on the PURPLEPIRANHA contract. The role emphasizes stability, reliability, and collaboration with researchers and mission stakeholders to meet exact operational requirements.

Required are an active TS/SCI with polygraph, 8+ years in related fields, and 5+ years in exploit or CNO tool development.

Qualifications

• Active TS/SCI clearance with polygraph; CI polygraph required for this requisition.
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Assurance, Information Security Systems Engineering, or a related discipline, and 8+ years of experience.
• At least 5 years of exploit development or Computer Network Operations (CNO) tool development experience.
• At least 2 years of programming experience with languages or low-level technologies such as Python, C, C++, or x86 assembly.
• Demonstrated ability to analyze proof-of-concept exploits or CVEs and engineer stable, repeatable capabilities.
• Extensive reverse-engineering experience of binaries and source code to identify vulnerabilities; CNO analytic or cloud-related software experience.

Responsibilities

• Engineer, stabilize, and productize proof-of-concept exploits and CVE-based vulnerabilities for operational use.
• Analyze exploit behavior and improve reliability, repeatability, and suitability for live infrastructure.
• Collaborate with vulnerability researchers to understand findings and constraints.
• Work with mission stakeholders to validate capabilities meet operational requirements.
• Reverse-engineer binaries and source code to support exploit development.

Skills

Exploit development

CNO tool development

Reverse engineering

Vulnerability research

Operational requirements analysis

Team collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Assurance, Information Security Systems Engineering, or related discipline

Tools

Python

C

C++

x86 assembly

Job description

Job Description
X8 is seeking a Senior CNO Exploit Developer to support specialized military cyber operations on the PURPLEPIRANHA contract. This hands-on role focuses on transforming proof-of-concept exploits and disclosed vulnerabilities into reliable, operationally ready capabilities.

CANX 1 | Columbia, MD
Job Description
X8 is seeking a Senior CNO Exploit Developer to support specialized military cyber operations on the PURPLEPIRANHA contract. This hands-on role focuses on transforming proof-of-concept exploits and disclosed vulnerabilities into reliable, operationally ready capabilities.
What You'll Be Doing

• Engineer, stabilize, and productize proof-of-concept exploits and CVE-based vulnerabilities for operational use.
• Analyze exploit behavior and improve reliability, repeatability, and suitability for live infrastructure.
• Collaborate with vulnerability researchers to understand proof-of-concept findings, constraints, and technical details.
• Work directly with mission stakeholders to validate that developed capabilities meet operational requirements.
• Reverse-engineer compiled binaries and source code to identify vulnerabilities and support exploit development.

What Required Skills You'll Bring

• Active TS/SCI clearance with polygraph; CI polygraph required for this requisition.
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Assurance, Information Security Systems Engineering, or a related discipline, and 8+ years of experience.
• At least 5 years of exploit development or Computer Network Operations (CNO) tool development experience.
• At least 2 years of programming experience with languages or low-level technologies such as Python, C, C++, or x86 assembly.
• Demonstrated ability to analyze proof-of-concept exploits or CVEs and engineer stable, repeatable capabilities.
• Extensive experience reverse-engineering compiled binaries and source code to identify vulnerabilities.
• Experience developing software for CNO analytic or cloud-related projects.

What Desired Skills You'll Bring

• Subject-matter expertise in exploit development and CVE-based vulnerability research.
• 10+ years of CNO tool development experience.

WHY JOIN X8?

• Build technically challenging capabilities supporting specialized national defense cyber missions.
• Work closely with vulnerability researchers and mission stakeholders on operationally relevant engineering.

Minimum Clearance Required

• Active TS/SCI with CI polygraph required.

Compensation

• $150,000+ (depending on experience and qualifications)
• Bonus potential
• 401(k) match - 10%
• Paid time off - 24 PTO days and 13 holidays
• Medical benefits - 100% employee, 80% dependent; $1,000 company-paid HSA contribution