Senior Software Reverse Engineer

Peraton

$112K — $179K *
Aerospace & Defense
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor’s degree (or higher) with relevant experience totaling 4-8 years depending on degree level
  • Active TS/SCI clearance with the ability to obtain a polygraph
  • 3+ years of software reverse engineering experience, ideally in material exploitation or malware analysis
  • Proficiency with virtualization platforms for dynamic analysis like VMware and KVM/QEMU
  • Experience with forensic analysis tools for disk image examination
  • Familiarity with SWRE toolchain tools like Ghidra, GDB, NMAP, and Wireshark
  • Basic knowledge of low-level programming and scripting languages, such as C, C++, Assembly, and Python

Responsibilities

  • Conduct comprehensive analysis of software, firmware, and hardware systems
  • Utilize virtualization environments to analyze software behavior in real-time
  • Perform live debugging and correlate it with static analysis results
  • Use advanced reverse engineering tools to identify hidden or malicious logic
  • Integrate operational documents with analysis to inform exploitation efforts
  • Research and identify vulnerabilities and undocumented features in systems
  • Mentor junior engineers in specialized methodologies and tools

Benefits

  • Collaborative work environment with opportunities for mentorship
  • Involvement in cutting-edge technology and advanced reverse engineering techniques
  • Potential for diverse projects across various systems and technologies
  • Career growth and development within a highly specialized team
  • Access to comprehensive resources and industry-leading tools for analysis and exploitation
Full Job Description
Responsibilities

Overview:We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced Senior Software Reverse Engineer to join our SCAR Team. In this role, you will perform indepth analysis of software, firmware, and hardware systems to uncover their true functionality, identify vulnerabilities, and understand theiroperational context. This position requires a holistic approach, combining dynamic system analysis, static binary reverse engineering, anddocument exploitation to reveal not just what a system does, but why and how it supports its mission objectives.

Key Responsibilities:

  • System Analysis:  Conduct comprehensive analysis of compiled software and binaries. Employ forensic techniques to extract criticalartifacts, understand system architecture, and identify key software components.
  • Dynamic System & Environment Analysis:  Utilize virtualization and sandboxing environments (VMware, KVM/QEMU) to run andobserve software in its native operating environment. Perform system call tracing, network monitoring, and file system analysis toreveal real-time behaviors and interactions.
  • Live Debugging and Analysis:  Perform live, on-system debugging using tools like the GNU Debugger (GDB) to step through codeexecution in real-time. Correlate dynamic findings directly with static analysis from Ghidra to validate assumptions, understandcomplex logic, and uncover obfuscated functionality.
  • Static Reverse Engineering:  Use advanced reverse engineering tools, with a focus on Ghidra, to decompile and disassemblesoftware. Analyze code paths, extract indicators, and uncover hidden or malicious logic that is not apparent through dynamicanalysis alone.
  • CONOPS and Document Exploitation (DOCEX):  Collaborate with analysts to integrate findings from system and operationaldocuments. Use this context to understand the system's Concept of Operations (CONOPS), providing significance and priority toexploitation efforts.
  • Vulnerability and Capability Research:  Investigate and identify vulnerabilities, undocumented features, and novel capabilities withinthe target system. Develop proof-of-concept exploits and assess their potential impact on operational dependencies. Model andSimulate specific features and functions to understand how the software was developed, compiled, and deployed.
  • Tool Chain Mastery:  Employ a specialized toolchain for analysis, including disk imagers, virtual machine managers, networkscanners, and debuggers to perform end-to-end exploitation.
  • Mentorship:  Mentor junior engineers in specific SWRE methodologies, tools, and techniques.
Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

  • Bachelor’s degree with 8+ years of relevant experience; OR Masters’s degree with 6+ years of relevant experience; OR PhD with 4+ years of relevant experience; an additional 4 years of relevant experience considered in lieu of a degree
  • TS/SCI with ability to obtain a poly
  • 3+ years of relevant experience in software reverse engineering, with a preference for experience in material exploitation, malware analysis, or vulnerability research.
  • Experience with virtualization platforms (VMware Workstation, KVM/QEMU) for dynamic analysis, sandboxing, and systememulation.
  • Experience with forensic disk image analysis using tools like Autopsy or guestfish to mount, modify, and extract artifactsfrom raw disk images.
  • Experience in the SWRE toolchain, including Ghidra, GDB, Wireshark, MobaXterm, NMAP, or the Linux binutils suite (e.g., readelf,strace, ltrace, ldd).
  • Experience with network analysis (Wireshark, nmap) to baseline system behavior and identify communication protocols.
  • Experience in Linux/Unix environments, including system administration, network configuration, SSH key management (sshkeygen, virt-customize), or advanced command-line tools.
  • Demonstrated ability to perform live debugging of complex applications using GDB, including setting breakpoints, inspecting memory, and analyzing program state to support reverse engineering efforts.
  • Knowledge of low-level programming (C, C++, Assembly) and experience with scripting languages like Python.
  • Understanding of operating system internals, x86/x64 assembly, and CPU architecture.
  • A solid understanding of common security practices and the ability to identify security flaws in software architecture.
Target Salary Range$112,000 - $179,000. This represents the typical salary range for this position. Salary is determined by various factors, including but not limited to, the scope and responsibilities of the position, the individual’s experience, education, knowledge, skills, and competencies, as well as geographic location and business and contract considerations. Depending on the position, employees may be eligible for overtime, shift differential, and a discretionary bonus in addition to base pay.

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