Sr. Software Engineer, Windows Vulnerability Research & Detection

About the Role:

CrowdStrike is looking for a Senior Software Engineer to join our growing Content Research & Integration Tactical team within the EndPoint Protection Content group, which focuses on vulnerability research, exploit mitigations, and security-related endpoint development on the Windows operating system.

The Endpoint Protection Content group plays a central role in fulfilling CrowdStrike’s mission to Stop Breaches. Within the Content Research & Integration Tactical team (CRI-Tactical), we research the latest common vulnerabilities and exposures (CVEs) to develop tools and techniques that expand sensor visibility and explore ways to detect advanced malicious behavior on customer endpoint devices. Our goal is to enable the sensor to autonomously identify and stop N-day tools, techniques, and procedures where possible, and to provide useful visibility and guidance to security analysts when new previously unknown adversary activity occurs.

As a senior software engineer within the CRI Tactical team, you will be focused on the analysis and development of detections for attack techniques across supported Windows OS versions. You’ll work collaboratively to implement detection logic within the Falcon sensor which includes both user-mode and kernel-mode components that together observe system activity, recognize malicious behavior, provide on-box prevention and remediation capabilities, and send relevant security related telemetry to the Falcon Cloud. You’ll help find creative and resourceful ways to detect Windows specific threats while also helping to develop cross-platform features that leverage telemetry from common OS subsystems such as file system, memory, process, and network activity. You’ll get exposure to both user-mode and kernel-mode coding practices.

As a Senior Software Engineer, you’ll function as a key resource and subject matter expert for other engineers within the team and across the company.  You’ll collaborate with a wide range of other teams as you drive your own initiatives and assist with other projects. You’ll be expected to make significant contributions from the initial concept phase through design, implementation, release, and bugtail/support. We're looking for smart people who want to be challenged and take ownership of what they build.

What You'll Do:

•  Design and build detection logic and systems leveraged across teams within CrowdStrike to detect cyber attackers and stop breaches.

•  Extend our existing codebase and test suites utilizing C, C++, Python, and other tools as appropriate.

• Brainstorm, define, and build collaboratively across multiple teams.

• Build proof of concept triggers that can exercise common vulnerabilities and exposures

• Obsess about learning, and champion the newest technologies & tricks with others, raising the technical IQ of the team.

•  Deliver and accept feedback with grace and courtesy.

•  Troubleshoot issues within the product when necessary, assisting customer support, test breaks, and release blockers.

•  Leverage your understanding of engineering best practices, including topics like secure coding, testing paradigms, effective peer code reviews, logging, and resilient architecture patterns, to ensure clean, supportable coding practices.

•  Be an energetic ‘self-starter’ who is empowered to take ownership and be accountable for deliverables, both individually and when leading a team.

What You'll Need:

•   Post-secondary education in computer science, engineering, or information security OR five (5) years of equivalent experience.

•  5+ years of experience with any of the following;

  • vulnerability research, analysis, and exploitation techniques,

  • attack surface analysis and risk management, or

  • software instrumentation, testing, and code coverage analysis

•  Low-level OS knowledge of Windows operating system internals, components, APIs, and design.

•  Proficiency in multiple programming languages including C, C++, and Python as well as familiarity with multiple processor architectures

•  Experience in network and packet capture analysis

•  Knowledge of cyber security practices, challenges, tools, and techniques

• Team player – able to lead, mentor, communicate, collaborate, and work effectively in a globally distributed team. 

 Preferred Qualifications:

  At least one of the following certifications is preferred:

•  Offensive Security Certified Professional (OSCP)

•  Offensive Security Certified Expert (OSCE)

•  Council of Registered Security Testers (CREST) Registered or Certified Professional certificate

•  SANS GIAC Penetration Tester, Web Application Penetration Tester, Exploit Researcher and Advanced Penetration Tester

•  Prior experience working with low-level code, such as OS kernel, firmware or device drivers.  

• Understanding of kernel-mode and multi-threaded concurrent systems development in any of our supported platforms, with an interest to grow skills in all of them.

•  Prior penetration testing experience.

•  Prior experience delivering software via agile processes.

•  Prior participation in cyber security challenges (e.g. CTFs).