Principal Vulnerability Researcher
About the role
Join the Trusted Electronics & Effects team of Two Six Technologies, a team of dedicated hackers in Arlington, Virginia, where you’ll immerse yourself in cutting-edge vulnerability research on a wide range of unique embedded systems. Working side by side with top-tier CNO developers and hardware engineers, you’ll discover vulnerabilities and create proof of concepts on embedded systems. Our fast-growing roster of government customers relies on us to deliver advanced security solutions.
Responsibilities
- Perform vulnerability research on complex embedded systems
- Take on complex technical problems for which there is often no known answer
- Develop tools and techniques to assist/automate tasks that traditionally require significant manual reverse engineering effort
- Follow-on development to productize results/PoCs or handoff to developers for productization
- Provide technical leadership and direction on novel research projects, and interface directly with clients/key stakeholders to present findings and determine program direction
- Mentor and develop junior team members through knowledge-sharing, code reviews, and hands-on guidance, fostering their growth
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical discipline. Equivalent practical experience in security research, reverse engineering, vulnerability research, or exploit development may substitute for a degree
- Extensive experience developing, debugging, and scripting in C/C++ and Python within Linux command-line environments, with a strong emphasis on low-level programming, memory management, and system interaction for reverse engineering and vulnerability research
- Experience with reverse engineering and vulnerability research, using tools such as IDA Pro, Binary Ninja, or Ghidra
- Expertise in one or more of the following:
- Firmware analysis (ARM, MIPS, PowerPC, RTOS)
- Firmware rehosting using emulation tools such as QEMU
- Fuzzing and exploit development
- Binary obfuscation and anti-analysis techniques
- Wireless protocols and radio signal analysis
- File system forensics and fault injection frameworks
- Experience leading a team of engineers and researchers
- Active Top Secret clearance with eligibility/willingness to obtain a Top Secret/SCI clearance. Preference for active TS/SCI with Poly
Nice to have
- Experience in a client-facing technical role
- Experience reverse engineering binary payloads from multiple architectures (ARM, MIPS, TI, x86, x64)
- Experience reverse engineering data payloads at rest (custom file formats) and in flight (live data captures)
- Experience with invasive and non-invasive hardware analysis, including PCB/component identification and hardware manipulation
- Hands-on experience debugging embedded systems using JTAG, UART, oscilloscopes, and logic analyzers
Benefits
- Medical, dental, and vision insurance
- Life and disability insurance
- Retirement benefits
- Paid leave
- Tuition assistance and professional development
Pay
The projected salary range for this position is $180,779 - $289,014 USD annually. Salary is one component of our total compensation package and is determined by various factors, including education, experience, knowledge, skills, geographic location, as well as contract-specific affordability and organizational requirements.