Security Research Engineer

Location preference for candidates in or around Fulton MD, Ann Arbor MI, Atlanta GA, Austin TX, Boston MA, Cary NC, or San Jose CA. Must be a U.S. Person (U.S. citizen, national, lawful permanent resident, asylee, or refugee) to perform work on U.S. Government classified environments.

About the Team

As a member of Talos, you will support cutting-edge detection and mitigation technologies. You will stay abreast of the latest industry threat creation and defense techniques, develop proof-of-concept solutions, provide domain expertise, and guide implementation to enhance Cisco’s security posture.

Responsibilities

• Conduct security research, including malware analysis and threat detection mitigation.
• Research root cause and input conditions related to vulnerabilities.
• Write detailed technical reports, summaries, and testing methodologies.
• Research emerging technologies, protocols, and testing methodologies.
• Write detection content to identify and/or block threat actor activity.
• Analyze vulnerabilities and emerging security threats and technologies.
• Provide critical security-focused expertise to engineering organizations.

Requirements

• BS Degree.
• Experience in Threat Research and/or Malware Research and Analysis.
• Experience with scripting languages (e.g., Python).

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with Cisco networking infrastructure equipment configuration.
• Experience with Windows, Linux, and macOS system telemetry and events.

Why Cisco?

At Cisco, we’re revolutionizing how data and infrastructure connect and protect organizations in the AI era. We innovate fearlessly to create solutions that power collaboration across physical and digital worlds, providing unparalleled security, visibility, and insights. Our global team collaborates with empathy to drive meaningful impact at scale.

Pay

The starting salary range for this position is $138,100.00 to $198,200.00 for new hires in U.S. and/or Canada locations, not including incentive compensation, equity, or benefits. Individual pay is determined by hiring location, market conditions, job-related skillset, experience, qualifications, education, certifications, and training.

Full salary ranges by location:

• New York City Metro Area: $155,000.00 - $256,000.00
• Non-Metro New York State & Washington State: $138,100.00 - $227,900.00

For quota-based sales roles, the ranges include base pay and sales target incentive compensation combined.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance.
• 401(k) plan with Cisco matching contribution.
• Paid parental leave.
• Short- and long-term disability coverage.
• Basic life insurance.
• Grants of Cisco restricted stock units (vesting based on continued employment).li>
• Paid time off:
  • 10 paid holidays per full calendar year, plus 1 floating holiday for non-exempt employees.
  • 1 paid day off for employee’s birthday.
  • Paid year-end holiday shutdown.
  • 4 paid days off for personal wellness.
  • Non-exempt employees: 16 days of paid vacation per full calendar year (accrued at 4.92 hours per pay period).
  • Exempt employees: Flexible vacation time off with no defined limit (subject to business availability).
  • 80 hours of sick time off provided on hire date and each January 1st thereafter, with up to 80 hours carried forward annually.
  • Additional paid time off for critical or emergency family issues.
  • Optional 10 paid days per full calendar year for volunteering.
• Annual bonuses for non-sales roles (subject to Cisco’s policies).
• For sales roles: Performance-based incentive pay (quota and non-quota components) on top of base salary.