Cyber Threat Hunter

Booz Allen Hamilton•McLean, VA

5d•$69,400 - $158,000

About The Position

The Threat Hunter develops and executes hypothesis-driven and exploratory hunts to identify sophisticated adversary activity that may evade existing security controls and automated detections. The role combines threat intelligence, knowledge of adversary tradecraft and the MITRE ATT&CK framework, and analysis of endpoint, identity, network, cloud, and security telemetry. The Threat Hunter works across security platforms and large telemetry datasets to formulate and test hypotheses, recognize patterns of adversary behavior, and adapt investigations as evidence emerges. The role works closely with incident responders, forensic investigators, threat intelligence analysts, and other security specialists. It applies digital forensics and incident response expertise to assess suspicious activity, reconstruct attacker activity using evidence from multiple sources, and escalate validated findings into incident response when compromise is indicated. The position also develops reusable hunt methodologies, queries, playbooks, and analytical techniques, and translates investigation lessons into new hunt hypotheses and detection opportunities.

Requirements

At least 3 years of experience in threat hunting, incident response, digital forensics, detection engineering, or advanced security analysis, including threat-hunting responsibilities.
Experience conducting proactive threat hunts rather than relying primarily on alerts or automated detections.
Experience querying and analyzing large volumes of security telemetry across multiple EDR/XDR and SIEM platforms.
Experience with one or more major EDR/XDR technologies, such as SentinelOne, CrowdStrike Falcon, Palo Alto Cortex XDR, or Microsoft Defender for Endpoint.
Knowledge of MITRE ATT&CK, including translating adversary techniques into hunt hypotheses and identifying the telemetry needed to investigate them.
Knowledge of endpoint telemetry, including processes, command-line execution, parent-child relationships, persistence mechanisms, services, scheduled tasks, registry activity, file activity, and operating system artifacts.
Knowledge of network telemetry, including DNS, HTTP/S, proxy, firewall, connection, and network data.
Ability to correlate activity across endpoint, network, identity, cloud, and data sources to reconstruct adversary behavior.
Ability to pursue incomplete or ambiguous evidence.
Ability to clearly document hypotheses, methodology, findings, evidence, and conclusions.
High school diploma or GED.

Nice To Haves

Experience conducting digital forensic or incident response investigations involving ransomware, hands-on-keyboard intrusions, credential theft, lateral movement, persistence, command-and-control activity, data staging, or exfiltration.
Experience working with cyber threat intelligence and translating intelligence reporting into actionable threat hunts.
Experience developing behavior-based detections from successful threat hunts.
Strong understanding of identity and authentication telemetry, including authentication patterns, privilege changes, credential abuse, and identity-based attack techniques.
Experience with Microsoft Sentinel or comparable enterprise SIEM platforms.
Experience with multiple query languages used by EDR/XDR and SIEM technologies, such as KQL and vendor-specific query languages.
Experience scripting or automating security analysis using Python, PowerShell, or similar technologies.
Knowledge of cloud telemetry and common attacker techniques affecting cloud environments.
Strong analytical, verbal, and written communication skills.
Cybersecurity certifications such as GCFA, GNFA, GCIH, GCIA, GCTI, GDAT, or comparable certifications.

Responsibilities

Develop and execute proactive hypothesis-driven and exploratory threat hunts based on adversary behavior, emerging threats, threat intelligence, previous incidents, and visibility or detection gaps.
Translate cyber threat intelligence, adversary tradecraft, malware behaviors, and known attacker techniques into actionable hunt hypotheses.
Hunt for behaviors, techniques, patterns, and relationships that may indicate sophisticated or previously unidentified adversary activity, beyond indicators of compromise.
Use the MITRE ATT&CK framework to map tactics, techniques, and sub-techniques to hunt hypotheses, telemetry sources, findings, and coverage gaps.
Identify patterns across systems, users, identities, networks, cloud environments, and time periods.
Develop and maintain reusable hunt methodologies, queries, playbooks, and analytical techniques.
Query, correlate, and pivot across large-scale security telemetry, including across EDR, XDR, SIEM, and security analytics platforms.
Analyze and correlate telemetry from multiple sources, pivoting between endpoint, network, identity, cloud, and other datasets to reconstruct attacker behavior and uncover relationships.
Establish baselines and analyze large datasets for deviations, rare behaviors, unusual relationships, and patterns consistent with adversary tradecraft.
Recognize telemetry limitations and determine what additional data is needed to validate or refute a hunt hypothesis.
Apply digital forensic and incident response lifecycle knowledge when evaluating suspicious activity discovered through hunting.
Use forensic artifacts and telemetry to investigate attacker entry, execution, persistence, privilege escalation, credential access, lateral movement, command and control, collection, exfiltration, and impact.
Develop timelines and reconstruct attacker activity using evidence from multiple telemetry sources.
Escalate validated findings into the incident response process when evidence indicates active or historical compromise.
Translate investigation lessons into new hunt hypotheses and improved detection opportunities.
Clearly document hunt hypotheses, methodology, findings, evidence, and conclusions.