Principal Associate, Cyber Threat Hunter

Center 3 (19075), United States of America, McLean, Virginia

Principal Associate, Cyber Threat Hunter

The Cyber Hunt Team at Capital One is responsible for performing proactive detection of advanced threat actors within our network. Our analysts spend each day hunting for evidence of threat actor activity and working with engineering and security teams to improve our detection capabilities and security controls. 

As a Threat Hunter, you will be responsible for proactively hunting for threats, providing technical leadership within the Cyber Hunt Team and the broader security organization, and continuously growing your technical skill set. In addition to the technical skills, you will need to be a leader, someone who enjoys training and mentoring teammates, and a person who can encourage and elevate the team. 

What You’ll Do:

• Conduct threat hunting operations in Capital One’s most complex and critical environments.

• Analyze log data to detect active threats within the network using knowledge of the current threat landscape, threat actor techniques, and the internal network.

• Perform advanced threat research to proactively identify potential threat vectors and work with engineering and security teams to improve prevention and detection methods. 

• Develop expertise on the Capital One threat landscape using internal data, threat trends, and operational metrics to clearly communicate the Capital One threat landscape to senior executives, to include the Chief Information Security Officer and Chief Information Officer. 

• Proactively build and maintain relationships with partner teams, including but not limited to Cyber Intelligence, Red Team, Insider Threat, and CSOC.

• Coordinate with multidisciplinary teams across operations, intel, and engineering to iteratively improve security controls and detection capabilities.

• Conduct time-sensitive analysis during cyber investigations, including active threat hunting and malware analysis. 

• Analyze malicious code, packet capture files, and artifacts.

• Identify gaps in logging capabilities and develop and propose strategies to fill gaps.

• Identify and propose automated alerts for new and previously unknown threats. Collaborate with teams across the Cyber organization to mitigate risk by testing, deploying, and developing investigative playbooks. 

• Automate repetitive hunt processes using a wide range of tools and techniques, including, but not limited to writing custom Python scripts.

• Identify and enhance processes where automation has the potential to improve efficiencies, provide actionable data, and facilitate collaboration. 

• Mentor other analysts in project execution and tactical upskilling; conduct brown bag lunches to teach specialized skill sets. 

 

Basic Qualifications:

• High School Diploma, GED or Equivalent Certification

• At least 4 years of experience in cyber security or information technology

• At least 2 years of experience conducting Cyber Security investigations 

• At least 2 years of experience working with SIEM Security Tools 

• At least 2 years of experience with system, cloud, application or network logs 

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Information Technology, Cyber Security or Computer Science

• 5+ years of experience with incident response, security operations, malware analysis, or threat hunting

• 5+ years of experience with application of data science concepts and techniques to enable advanced threat detection

• 3+ years of experience with a scripting language

• 3+ years of experience administering or investigating Mac OS or Linux OS

• 2+ years of experience with Red Teaming or Penetration Testing tools and techniques

• One or more of the following certifications: OSCP, CEH, GIAC, GCIH, GCFA, GREM 

At this time, Capital One will not sponsor a new applicant for employment authorization for this position.

The minimum and maximum full-time annual salaries for this role are listed below, by location. Please note that this salary information is solely for candidates hired to perform work within one of these locations, and refers to the amount Capital One is willing to pay at the time of this posting. Salaries for part-time roles will be prorated based upon the agreed upon number of hours to be regularly worked.

New York City (Hybrid On-Site): $165,100 - $188,500 for Prin Assoc, Cyber Technical

San Francisco, California (Hybrid On-Site): $174,900 - $199,700 for Prin Assoc, Cyber Technical

Candidate