Security Researcher II
Microsoft · Posted Oct 26
Software, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and hardware services
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About the role
Microsoft Security's Defender Experts (DEX) team combines deep security expertise with Microsoft security products, telemetry, threat intelligence, and partnerships to help customers detect, investigate, and respond to advanced threats. Within DEX Operations, Threat Researchers work across threat hunting, customer defense, incident investigation, and detection innovation using telemetry across the Microsoft Defender ecosystem and other security platforms. This role investigates suspicious activity in customer environments, hunts sophisticated adversaries, performs root-cause analysis, and builds hunting approaches, detections, and automation alongside security operations, threat intelligence, research, engineering, and data science experts.
What you will do
- Conduct proactive threat hunts across endpoint, identity, email, cloud, and other relevant security telemetry to identify indicators of compromise and previously unseen attacker behavior.
- Investigate security alerts and suspicious activity, perform root-cause analysis, and develop a clear understanding of attack scope, sequence, impact, and recommended response.
- Analyze and correlate large, complex datasets to produce timely, context-rich findings and actionable insights for customers and internal partners.
- Apply knowledge of attacker tradecraft, identity systems, authentication and authorization protocols, operating systems, and cloud environments to strengthen investigations and customer defenses.
- Develop and improve high-fidelity hunting queries, detection logic, custom alerts, investigation methods, and response guidance.
- Partner with security researchers, threat intelligence analysts, data scientists, and engineers to convert frontline findings into durable detection and product improvements.
- Document technical findings and communicate complex investigations clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
Skills used in this role
What the employer is looking for
- Bachelor's or master's degree in computer science, cybersecurity, engineering, or a related technical field, or equivalent practical experience.
- 4+ years of cybersecurity experience in one or more areas such as security operations, threat hunting, incident response, digital forensics, malware analysis, threat intelligence, penetration testing, or red teaming.
- Hands-on experience investigating security incidents and hunting across large security datasets using SIEM, EDR/XDR, or comparable security platforms.
- Coding or scripting experience with one or more of Python, KQL, SQL, regular expressions, PowerShell, or similar languages.
- Working knowledge of threat analysis models and frameworks such as the Cyber Kill Chain and MITRE ATT&CK.
- Understanding of common enterprise attack surfaces, including endpoints, identity, email, cloud services, networks, and authentication systems.
- Ability to analyze complex technical evidence, form and test hypotheses, and translate findings into clear actions.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills in English, with the ability to brief investigations and collaborate across teams.
- Global mission: Help defend enterprise customers around the world against sophisticated and fast-moving threats. Cutting-edge work: Investigate emerging adversary behavior and solve security problems that do not yet have established playbooks. Latest technology: Work with rich Microsoft security telemetry, modern security analytics, threat intelligence, cloud-scale data, automation, and evolving AI-assisted capabilities. End-to-end impact: Connect live customer investigations to better hunting, stronger detections, improved operational workflows, and product feedback. Expert community: Collaborate with specialists across Microsoft Security and learn from diverse perspectives in research, operations, engineering, data science, and incident response. Continuous challenge: Expand your skills across platforms, attack surfaces, and adversary techniques while making decisions in ambiguous, high-impact situations.
Benefits and support
- Compensation and benefits are detailed in the job posting
About Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is a multinational technology company that develops, licenses, and supports a wide range of software products, services, and hardware devices. Best known for its Windows operating systems, Microsoft 365 productivity suite, and Xbox gaming consoles, the company has expanded heavily into enterprise cloud computing via Azure and advanced artificial intelligence solutions. As one of the world's most valuable public enterprises, it empowers individuals and businesses globally through innovative digital transformation.
- Industry
- Software
- Company size
- 228,000+ employees
- Founded
- April 4, 1975
- Location
- Redmond, Washington, USA
- Funding stage
- Public Company
Leadership
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Chief Financial Officer
Vice Chair and President
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