Threat Researcher II (Remote - IRE, UK or ROU)

As a global leader in cybersecurity, CrowdStrike protects the people, processes and technologies that drive modern organizations. Since 2011, our mission hasn't changed — we're here to stop breaches, and we've redefined modern security with the world's most advanced AI-native platform. We work on large scale distributed systems, processing almost 3 trillion events per day and this traffic is growing daily. Our customers span all industries, and they count on CrowdStrike to keep their businesses running, their communities safe and their lives moving forward.

About the Role

The Threat Analyst joins the Emerging Threats and Security Validation team within the CrowdStrike Malware Research Center (MRC). This team plays a critical role in understanding today's threat landscape, identifying gaps in Falcon's detection capabilities, and helping improve CrowdStrike's protection through threat research, automation, AI, and machine learning.

Working closely with Threat Research, Engineering, Data Science, and Red Team teams, you'll investigate emerging threats, validate detection coverage, and translate technical research into product improvements that better protect our customers. This is an excellent opportunity for someone who enjoys solving complex technical problems while making a direct impact on our products.

What You'll Do:

• Research and analyse emerging malware and cyber threats to understand how they impact our customers.
• Investigate malware across the full attack lifecycle (adversary kill chain) to ensure Falcon detects and stops threats at every stage.
• Distinguish genuine threats from background noise by analysing data from multiple internal and external sources.
• Validate and improve CrowdStrike's detection capabilities by identifying gaps and working with engineering teams to strengthen our protections.
• Support external security testing and certification programmes (such as AV-Test, AV-Comparatives, and SE Labs) by analysing test results and helping address any missed detections.
• Respond to newly discovered threats by performing technical investigations and recommending the best approach for detection and prevention.
• Partner with Threat Research, Engineering, Red Team, and Machine Learning teams to translate research into product improvements.
• Help design and improve automation that reduces manual effort and accelerates threat analysis.
• Communicate technical findings clearly to engineering and response teams to enable faster and more effective action.
• Contribute to the continuous evolution of Falcon by combining malware research, automation, AI, and machine learning to improve customer protection.

What You'll Need:

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science or a related field.
• 4+ years of experience in threat research with a focus on malware analysis.
• Experience reverse engineering file-based malware, exploits, and other attack techniques. Industry certifications such as GIAC Reverse Engineering Malware (GREM) are desirable.
• Strong understanding of disassembly and structured programming principles.
• Deep knowledge of at least one major operating system and its internals to support behaviour-based analysis.
• Strong understanding of the adversary kill chain and attacker behaviour, with experience applying red team methodologies to validate defensive coverage. Certifications such as Offensive Security Certified Professional (OSCP) are desirable.
• Experience collaborating with engineering teams to turn research into production capabilities.
• Ability to develop small automation or scripting projects to solve immediate technical challenges.
• Experience contributing to public security testing programmes (such as AV-Test, AV-Comparatives, or SE Labs) is a plus.
• Experience working with large datasets and tools such as Splunk, Elasticsearch, or Kibana is a plus.
• Proven experience utilizing AI technologies to enhance decision-making, streamline workflows and processes, improve efficiency and drive business outcomes.

About the Malware Research Center: The CrowdStrike Malware Research Center is the core of Falcon's malware detection and response capabilities. The team has a focus on understanding the threat landscape and sets the target for what Falcon should be identifying and preventing. Additionally, the MRC is responsible for understanding our capabilities, and mapping how well our machine learning and behavioral protection capabilities are doing against those threats. Where there is a gap, the MRC takes action to improve our detection stance, and improve our overall protection story.

Emerging Threats and Security Validation Team: Leading the charge for understanding the activity of malware today is the Emerging Threats and Security Validation team. With a focus on malware research, the primary role of the team is to understand the threats and malware that are affecting our customer's businesses. The challenge is the enormous scale of malware today and the sheer number of samples required to be addressed, which requires a more creative approach than traditional Anti-Virus research.

Benefits of Working at CrowdStrike: Market leader in compensation and equity awards, comprehensive physical and mental wellness programs, competitive vacation and holidays for recharge, paid parental and adoption leaves, professional development opportunities for all employees regardless of level or role, employee networks, geographic neighborhood groups, and volunteer opportunities to build connections, vibrant office culture with world class amenities.

CrowdStrike is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to fostering a culture of belonging where everyone is valued for who they are and empowered to succeed.