Sr Threat Hunter California, United States

Palo Alto Networks, Inc.; Northern (KY); Hybrid; USD 133,000 - 216,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

FLEXWORK

Job summary

Palo Alto Networks is seeking a senior Threat Hunter to join Unit 42's Managed Services group. Threat Hunters lead hunting activities across datasets to identify malware, threat actors, and campaign activity, with a cross-disciplinary approach to cybersecurity and hands-on technical work.

The role emphasizes proactive search for malicious activity, development of new hunting techniques, and close collaboration with Incident Response, Threat Intelligence, customers, and leadership to guide

Qualifications

• 4+ years of cybersecurity research experience, focusing on either APTs or cybercrime.
• Experience in forensic analysis and incident response tools (dynamic and static): IDA Pro, OllyDbg, Wireshark.
• Understanding of APT operations, attack vectors, data exfiltration, lateral movement, persistence, etc.
• Familiarity with organizational cybersecurity measures, protective tools, and remediation techniques.
• Experience using XDR/EDR tools.

Responsibilities

• Proactively search for signs of malicious activity within an organization’s network.
• Develop new hunting techniques through research and experimentation.
• Collaborate with Incident Response, Threat Intelligence, Customers, and leadership to coordinate responses.
• Share findings and coordinate response efforts with multiple teams.

Skills

Threat hunting

Incident response

English communication

Research and analysis

Python

SQL

Documentation

Tools

IDA Pro

OllyDbg

Wireshark

XDR/EDR tools

Job description

Our Mission

At Palo Alto Networks®, we’re united by a shared mission—to protect our digital way of life. We thrive at the intersection of innovation and impact, solving real-world problems with cutting-edge technology and bold thinking. Here, everyone has a voice, and every idea counts. If you’re ready to do the most meaningful work of your career alongside people who are just as passionate as you are, you’re in the right place.

Who We Are

In order to be the cybersecurity partner of choice, we must trailblaze the path and shape the future of our industry. This is something our employees work at each day and is defined by our values: Disruption, Collaboration, Execution, Integrity, and Inclusion. We weave AI into the fabric of everything we do and use it to augment the impact every individual can have. If you are passionate about solving real-world problems and ideating beside the best and the brightest, we invite you to join us!

We believe collaboration thrives in person. That’s why most of our teams work from the office full time, with flexibility when it’s needed. This model supports real-time problem-solving, stronger relationships, and the kind of precision that drives great outcomes.

Job Summary

Threat Hunter (Unit 42)

Our Mission

At Palo Alto Networks® everything starts and ends with our mission: Being the cybersecurity partner of choice, protecting our digital way of life.

Our vision is a world where each day is safer and more secure than the one before. We are a company built on the foundation of challenging and disrupting the way things are done, and we’re looking for innovators who are as committed to shaping the future of cybersecurity as we are.

FLEXWORK is an employee-centric reimagining of how we work. We built FLEXWORK based on employee feedback – it is about flexibility, trust, and choice whenever possible. It’s been a journey of disruption that has yielded the best of our values. We offer as much flexibility as possible, and choices that enable you to be most productive, including benefits that meet your needs and learning opportunities that you feel passionate about.

Our Approach to Work

At Palo Alto Networks, we believe in the power of collaboration and value in-person interactions. This is why our employees generally work from the office three days per week, leaving two days for choice and flexibility to work where you feel most effective. This setup fosters casual conversations, problem-solving, and trusted relationships. While details may evolve, our goal is to create an environment where innovation thrives, with office-based teams coming together three days a week to collaborate and thrive, together!

Your Career

Palo Alto Networks is seeking a senior Threat Hunter to join Unit 42's Managed Services group. Threat Hunters in Unit 42 play a critical role in safeguarding organizations against cyber threats by proactively searching for threats across multiple datasets. They are responsible for leading and conducting threat hunting activities related to malware, threat actor groups, and campaign activity. This position requires a cross-disciplinary approach that involves a deep understanding of cybersecurity, incident response, threat intelligence, and hands-on technical skills.

One primary responsibility of this role is to proactively search for signs of malicious activity within an organization's network. Our Threat Hunters use advanced tools and methodologies to identify anomalies and potential threats that may go undetected by traditional security solutions. Additionally, our Threat Hunters should actively engage in research and experimentation to develop new hunting techniques and stay ahead of evolving threats.

Effective communication is crucial in this role. Threat Hunters must work closely with other teams, such as Incident Response, Threat Intelligence, Customers, and cybersecurity leadership, to share findings and coordinate response efforts

• Your Impact
• Help multinational organizations stay one step ahead of adversaries and cyber threats.
• Collaborate and guide our customers on the best ways to enhance their protection and readiness for future events.
• Improve Palo Alto Networks' solutions by identifying and analyzing new threats and tactics.
• Influence the industry by sharing knowledge and findings.
• Collaborate with multiple research and development groups.
• Contribute to making the world a safer and better place

Your Experience

• Understanding the threat landscape, including attack tools, tactics, and techniques, as well as networking and security fundamentals.
• Experience investigating targeted, sophisticated, or hidden threats in both endpoints and networks
  • 4+ years of relevant experience with a proven track record in cybersecurity research, specializing in either APTs or cybercrime, but with the ability to address the broader threat landscape.
  • Background in forensic analysis and incident response tools (both Dynamic and Static, such as IDA Pro, Ollydbg, and Wireshark) to identify threats and assess the extent and scope of compromises.
  • Understanding of APT operations, including attack vectors, propagation, data exfiltration, lateral movement, persistence mechanisms, and more.
  • Familiarity with organizational cybersecurity measures, including protective tools and remediation techniques.
  • Experience utilizing XDR/EDR tools
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English.
• Strong attention to detail.
• Knowledge of advanced threat hunting methodologies and the ability to develop novel techniques.
• Experience in an Incident Response environment is a plus.
• Proficiency in Python and SQL is beneficial.
• Familiarity with reverse engineering is advantageous.
• Ability to simplify and clarify complex ideas.
• Experience in writing technical blog posts and analysis reports.
• Ability to analyze and understand the infrastructure of malicious campaigns.
• Self-starter who can work independently and adapt to changing priorities.

The Team

Unit 42 is the global threat intelligence team at Palo Alto Networks. We believe threat intelligence should be shared and available to all within the industry. We deliver high-quality, in-depth research on adversaries, malware families, and attack campaigns. Our analysts uncover and document adversary behaviors and then share playbooks that give insight into the various tools, techniques, and procedures threat actors execute to compromise organizations.

If you’re looking for a career with access to the brightest minds in cybersecurity, you’ve found it. We have a hunger for researching, hunting out the world’s newest threats and sharing them with our industry to make the digital world a safer place.

You will be part of a growing, passionate, and dynamic team with an opportunity to work on challenging and exciting projects — centered on what we believe is one of the most significant mission statements in the world. We also strive to be the most people-centric company ever! That means we’re constantly working to make your experience amazing, and you are part of the team breaking boundaries of what the workplace can be!

We are committed to bringing our FLEXWORK philosophy. You will be part of a global team and for many roles, we offer employee choice on work location (office or mostly from home) for most of our roles.

Compensation Disclosure

The compensation offered for this position will depend on qualifications, experience, and work location. For candidates who receive an offer at the posted level, the starting base salary (for non-sales roles) or base salary + commission target (for sales/com-missioned roles) is expected to be the annual range listed below. The offered compensation may also include restricted stock units and a bonus. A description of our employee benefits may be found here.

$133,200.00 - $215,525.00/yr

Our Commitment

We’re trailblazers that dream big, take risks, and challenge cybersecurity’s status quo. It’s simple: we can’t accomplish our mission without diverse teams innovating, together.

We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations for all qualified individuals with a disability. If you require assistance or accommodation due to a disability or special need, please contact us at [e-mail].

Palo Alto Networks is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity in our workplace, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or other legally protected characteristics.

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

Is role eligible for Immigration Sponsorship? No. Please note that we will not sponsor applicants for work visas for this position.