Reverse Engineer / Cyber Capabilities Engineer

Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) seeks a Reverse Engineer / Cyber Capabilities Engineer to analyze complex software, firmware, and embedded systems in support of national security missions. You will perform binary analysis, vulnerability research, exploit and tool development, and prototype advanced cyber capabilities for offensive and defensive applications. Collaborate with multidisciplinary experts, document findings, brief sponsors, and transition research into operational solutions while following ethical, secure research practices in a highly collaborative, mission-driven environment.

Responsibilities

• Reverse engineer complex software, firmware, and embedded systems binaries.
• Conduct vulnerability research and develop proof-of-concept exploits and mitigations.
• Design and prototype novel cyber tools and capabilities for offensive and defensive missions.
• Use static and dynamic analysis tools (e.g., IDA, Ghidra) to analyze malware and unknown code.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to transition research into operational solutions.
• Document technical findings and present results to sponsors and internal stakeholders.
• Follow secure, ethical research practices and handle sensitive information appropriately.
• Support proposal writing, experimentation, and publications in technical venues.

Required Skills

• Reverse engineering
• Binary analysis
• Vulnerability research
• Exploit development
• Malware analysis
• Embedded systems analysis
• C/C++ programming
• Python scripting
• Linux and Windows internals
• Network protocols and security
• Static and dynamic analysis tools (IDA, Ghidra)