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Job #6054 - Malware Analyst

SUMMARY

The CERT® Program is part of the SEI, a federally funded research and development center at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The CERT® Program engages in cutting-edge research and development and develops and transitions disciplined approaches to improve the survivability and resiliency of the DoD, federal civilian agencies, private sector organizations and their networked information systems.

The CERT Malicious Code group's analysis team aims to improve malware analysis capability. The successful candidate will support high-impact customers by producing analytical reports, developing new analysis methods and tools, engaging in community relationships to collect malicious code, and gathering and reporting cyber security intelligence information.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

  1. Perform malicious code analysis; document results in reports, presentations, and technical exchanges
  2. Design, prototype, document, and transition malware analysis methods and tools appropriate for operational use
  3. Develop and maintain resources and relationships to support malicious code collection
  4. Collect and report cyber security intelligence and trending information
  5. Participate in the broader security community through collaboration, papers, and presentations

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

Education/Training: Bachelor of Science in Computer Science or scientific/technical field with 3 years experience, or equivalent; Master Degree in Computer Science or scientific/technical field with 1 year of experience, or equivalent.

Experience: Professional experience should be in most of the following areas:

  • Malicious code analysis
  • Cyber security intelligence and trending collection / reporting
  • Systems administration with Windows and Linux platforms
  • Software development / scripting in C, C++, Python, and PERL

Skills/Abilities:

Must have most of the following abilities and skills

  • Familiarity with and ability to use common malware analysis tools for surface analysis, run-time analysis, and reverse engineering
  • Ability to identify and articulate cyber intelligence information obtained from third party sources
  • Understanding of and basic experience developing tools in multiple program languages, to include assembly, C, C++, and common scripting languages such as Python, Perl, and Javascript
  • Administrator-level knowledge of multiple modern operating systems (Windows 2000+, Linux, Solaris, BSD, OSX)
  • Understanding and practical experience with core Internet protocols (e.g., TCP/IP, IP, UDP, ICMP, DNS, SMTP, HTTP, etc)
  • Basic familiarity with cryptography and encryption tools
  • Basic familiarity with practices for secure code development
  • Understanding of the theoretical underpinnings of computer security
  • Understanding of common software/systems vulnerabilities and cyber attack methods
  • Ability to develop, explain, and effectively document technical approaches to complex problems
  • Experience delivering concrete, high quality results while working on multiple projects
  • Planning and organizational skills
  • Ability to work independently and with teams
  • Ability to interact effectively with technical and non-technical audiences both written and verbally
  • Ability to recognize and appropriately handle confidential and sensitive information
  • Ability to teach and learn from others
  • Fluency in a second language

OTHER

Physical/Mobility: Primarily sedentary in an office setting with some mobility. Flexibility to travel to various locations within the SEI and CMU community, sponsor sites, conferences, and offsite meetings on occassion.

Environmental Conditions: Normal office conditions; close contact with computer display for extended periods of time

Mental: The ability to:

  • work meticulously with careful attention to detail
  • meet deadlines while working on multiple tasks – sometimes under pressure and with shifting priorities
  • deal collaboratively, diplomatically, and successfully with customers, co-workers and other professional colleagues, managers, and staff
  • ability to grasp the big picture, direction, and goals of an effort
  • develop and communicate innovative ideas
  • take leadership role in technical projects
  • quickly learn new procedures, techniques, and approaches

Candidates must be able to pass a background investigation, obtain a DoD TS/SCI security clearance, and be a US citizen


Resumes from recruiting firms will not be accepted.

To apply please go to
Careers@CarnegieMellon

Carnegie Mellon is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.

The Software Engineering Institute (SEI) is a federally funded research and development center sponsored by the U.S. Department of Defense and operated by Carnegie Mellon University.

CERT® and CERT Coordination Center® are registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

This page was last updated July 31, 2009