Associate Principal Malware Analyst

About the Role:

The Dragos Malware Analysis team provides critical defense against the most sophisticated threats targeting critical infrastructure by analyzing adversary tools, building detections, and delivering intelligence that shapes how the industry understands ICS security. As an Associate Principal Malware Analyst, you'll lead deep-dive analysis of ICS-related malware and firmware, develop novel detection methods, and produce Yara signatures and technical reports that translate findings into action. You'll partner closely with detection engineers, hunters, and intelligence analysts to turn your research into deployable defenses while helping refine the malware analysis pipeline itself. This is a role where your expertise directly impacts how Dragos and the wider industry detect and defend against the most consequential threats in the space.

Responsibilities:

• Identify and assess highly sophisticated threats targeting ICS and critical infrastructure, evaluating their operational impact and severity.
• Develop innovative analysis methods and conduct advanced reverse engineering and deobfuscation of ICS-specific malware, software, and firmware.
• Create Yara signatures and partner closely with detection engineers to develop novel, ICS-specific threat detections informed by deep malware analysis findings.
• Write persuasive customer-facing technical reports and internal documentation that translates complex malware findings into clear operational impact for diverse audiences.
• Refine and evolve the malware analysis pipeline with new methods and procedures to address emerging techniques and tooling as they surface in the threat landscape.
• Collaborate across teams—with hunters, intelligence analysts, and detection engineers—to drive malware-related threat research and solve complex technical problems.
• Exercise independent judgment in selecting analytical methods and serve as a trusted technical advisor on complex malware analysis and detection questions across the organization.

Qualifications:

• 5-8 years of experience in malware analysis, reverse engineering, or a related ICS/OT cybersecurity discipline.
• Advanced proficiency in static and dynamic malware reverse engineering using tools such as disassemblers, debuggers, and decompilers (e.g., IDA Pro, Ghidra, x64dbg).
• Demonstrated experience analyzing ICS-specific software, firmware, and embedded systems.
• Strong Yara signature development skills, with experience building detection analytics for novel malware and attack techniques.
• Proven ability to write clear, persuasive, customer-facing technical reports on complex malware findings.
• Experience contributing to or improving a malware analysis pipeline, tooling, or workflow.
• Comfortable collaborating with detection engineers, hunters, and intelligence analysts on cross-team technical problems.
• Familiarity with ICS/OT protocols, threat groups, and the broader critical infrastructure threat landscape is a major plus.

Compensation:

• Salary: $182,000
• Competitive Equity Package
• Comprehensive Benefits Plan

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