Principal Researcher

Job Description

A global technology client of Insight Global is seeking a Principal Researcher to join their team. This company specializes in high-performance application delivery, network security, and AI-ready infrastructure solutions for enterprises, service providers, and government organizations.

This individual will be focused on analyzing IoT botnets and large-scale DDoS threats. This role combines malware analysis, network security research, and detection engineering to improve defensive capabilities against modern botnet-driven attacks. The researcher will investigate malware behavior, identify attack patterns, develop detection methodologies, and collaborate with engineering teams to operationalize findings into security products and services.

Key Responsibilities include:

-Reverse engineer IoT botnet malware (Mirai lineage, Go-based malware, and multi-architecture binaries) to understand attack behavior, command structures, obfuscation techniques, and network-level activity -Perform static and dynamic malware analysis in sandboxed and isolated lab environments to validate behavior and identify attack mechanisms -Analyze malware-generated network traffic and develop packet-level detection signatures and mitigation strategies -Research and contribute to new detection and defense techniques based on malware behavior, network telemetry, and threat intelligence -Collaborate with engineering teams to translate research findings into production-ready detection and mitigation capabilities -Partner with AI/ML teams to enhance malware analysis workflows through automation and machine learning-assisted research

This role is permanent and will be worked hybrid on-site in San Jose, CA. We are looking to pay between $200,000-$215,000 base salary. Apply today!

Skills and Requirements

Strong experience with reverse engineering using tools such as Ghidra or IDA/IDA Pro Ability to perform static analysis across multiple CPU architectures and work with stripped binaries, compiler-generated code, assembly language, and control flow reconstruction Hands-on experience conducting dynamic malware analysis in sandbox or isolated laboratory environments Proficiency in Python and Go Strong understanding of network protocols at the implementation level, including the ability to interpret PCAPs and reconstruct protocol behavior Familiarity with DDoS botnet architectures Exposure to malware source code Experience analyzing Go binaries in depth

We are a company committed to creating diverse and inclusive environments where people can bring their full, authentic selves to work every day. We are an equal employment opportunity/affirmative action employer that believes everyone matters. Qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, marital status, national origin, ancestry, genetic factors, age, disability, protected veteran status, military or uniformed service member status, or any other status or characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations, and ordinances. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application or the recruiting process, please send a request to [email protected].