Offensive Security Researcher, Kernel & Embedded Security

Summary

Apple's Security Engineering & Architecture organization is responsible for the security of all Apple products. Passionate about safeguarding our users, we take an offensive approach to defense — finding and fixing vulnerabilities before they can be exploited. When it comes to securing more than a billion devices running the world's most sophisticated operating systems, that means finding vulnerabilities first.

Can you make a difference on this scale? Join our extraordinary team of security researchers and help protect all Apple users.

Description

We engage in various activities, including vulnerability research, binary exploitation, security tooling development, fuzzing, machine learning, and many more. By developing and harnessing state-of-the-art technologies, we amplify our impact on Apple's product security.

In this role, your primary focus will be on the kernel and embedded layers of Apple platforms. You will conduct offensive security research across operating system kernels, boot ROMs, firmware, secure enclaves, and other low-level components that form the foundation of our security architecture. You will work in cross-functional teams alongside other researchers and engineering teams to evaluate and strengthen the most privileged layers of our products.

This job is for individuals with outstanding technical skills, grit, and a genuine passion for breaking systems — so we can build them stronger.

If this is you, we'd love to hear from you.

Preferred Qualifications

Deep knowledge of kernel internals, including virtual memory management, system call interfaces, and driver frameworks
Experience with firmware and boot ROM security analysis, including secure boot chains and hardware trust anchors
Familiarity with embedded processors and coprocessors security (e.g., Secure Enclave, DMA-capable peripherals, baseband)
Fluency with tool development, using programming languages such as C, C++, Python, Swift, or Objective-C
Experience with reverse-engineering techniques and tools like IDA or Ghidra
Knowledge of Apple operating systems like iOS or macOS is nice-to-have, but not required

Minimum Qualifications

Proven experience in vulnerability research targeting operating system kernels, firmware, or embedded components
Strong understanding of low-level vulnerability classes and exploitation techniques, such as memory corruption, race conditions, and use-after-free
Ability to apply AI techniques and tools, such as LLMs or Machine Learning, for security research
Outstanding collaboration skills