Security Researcher

Red Balloon Security is a leading security provider and research firm committed to defending embedded devices across a range of critical industries and shaping the future of the embedded security industry. Our expert team has pioneered foundational technologies, such as Symbiote and OFRAK, that help secure millions of embedded devices currently in service.

Today, we continue to research, develop, and commercialize new capabilities to protect embedded systems manufactured globally. Additionally, our R&D team consists of world-class researchers and developers who publish seminal research papers in the fields of embedded security and intrusion detection. Red Balloon has led research activities funded by the U.S. Government including DARPA, Department of Homeland Security, Air Force, and Navy.

Red Balloon Security raised a Series A in 2018 led by Bain Capital Ventures and also received funding from Greycroft, American Family Ventures and Abstract Ventures. The company’s total financing to date is $23.5 million.

We are seeking an experienced Security Researcher to join our team to help lead the defensive and offensive research and reverse engineering on embedded hardware and software. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to pioneer revolutionary cybersecurity technology to prevent malware and other cyber attacks on any embedded device.

About the Role

• Be at the forefront of embedded security research
• Conduct defensive and offensive research and reverse engineering on embedded hardware and software
• Implement and integrate automated host-based defenses in black-box embedded devices
• Contribute to in-house reverse engineering framework OFRAK (Open Firmware Reverse Analysis Konsole)
• Develop software for automating vulnerability identification in embedded software
• Design and develop automated hardware and software testing infrastructure

• BA/BS in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related major
• Proven experience in software and/or hardware reverse engineering
• Proficiency in C/C++, and at least 1 scripting language
• Working knowledge of fundamental computer science concepts and modern software design principles
• Good understanding of at least 1 assembly language
• Knowledge of low-level software design and implementation

• 1-3 years of experience in a similar position
• MA/MS in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field
• Specialization in a relevant research area (reverse engineering, fuzzing, static/dynamic analysis, embedded software emulation, embedded software development)
• Proficiency with ARM / MIPS / PPC assembly languages
• Strong understanding of software vulnerabilities and practical exploitation techniques

• You are curious and have a high degree of self-initiative and self-motivation
• You enjoy collaborating with, learning from, and teaching other engineers
• You are passionate about building the future of embedded security and advancing the state of security for critical devices by leveraging novel technologies
• Engineering before science; science before art; art before profit