At F5, we strive to bring a better digital world to life. Our teams empower organizations across the globe to create, secure, and run applications that enhance how we experience our evolving digital world. We are passionate about cybersecurity, from protecting consumers from fraud to enabling companies to focus on innovation. Everything we do centers around people. That means we obsess over how to make the lives of our customers, and their customers, better. And it means we prioritize a diverse F5 community where each individual can thrive. Senior Cybersecurity Threat Researcher About F5 Life at F5 is never dull. We are constantly identifying industry trends and disruptions, and innovating to get ahead of future customer needs. We are passionate about securing applications for our customers, which include the Global and Fortune 100, federal and local government services, and many others worldwide. But our success isn’t driven solely by what we do. We also care deeply about how we do it. At F5, our culture is how we live, every single day. And it’s producing extraordinary results—not only for our customers, but also for our employees. We understand that your life is about more than just work, so we’re committed to a culture that supports your whole life. For this role, we are offering a fully remote work arrangement with F5’s exceptional benefits. Position Summary F5 Labs is seeking a driven, analytical, and articulate cybersecurity researcher with a strong interest in artificial intelligence and its security implications. You’ll join our small, focused threat research team to uncover attacker behavior, explore the dual use of AI in cybersecurity, and clearly communicate findings to both technical and non-technical audiences. As a Senior Cybersecurity Threat Researcher, you’ll investigate malicious traffic, analyze how attackers are adopting and targeting AI, experiment with LLM-powered applications and agents, and create tools, prototypes, or datasets to support both defensive research and the wider security community. You will help shape F5’s thought leadership on how AI transforms the threat landscape—both as a weapon for attackers and a tool for defenders. This is an ideal role for someone who enjoys autonomy, can own projects from idea to publication, and is equally comfortable writing Python as they are writing a blog post, building an LLM-based proof of concept, or presenting at an industry event. Primary Responsibilities Research and analyze malicious traffic, attacker behavior, and the emerging role of AI in offensive and defensive security Investigate and document adversarial ML/AI techniques, AI-driven automation, and misuse of generative AI in real-world attacks Build small tools, LLM-based applications, or datasets that demonstrate AI’s role in security (both protective and adversarial) Explore and prototype with modern frameworks such as Model Context Protocol (MCP) and agent-based systems Translate complex findings into articles, reports, visuals, or presentations for a wide range of audiences Collaborate with a small team of researchers, engineers, and communicators to deliver timely and relevant insights Represent F5 Labs externally via blog posts, webinars, podcasts, media interviews, and industry events Support marketing and sales enablement efforts with high-impact research and commentary Maintain a strong understanding of offensive and defensive practices, with particular focus on web, API, bot, DDoS, and AI-related threats Optionally, participate in proactive research efforts including honeypots, probing attacker infrastructure, and experimenting with AI-powered defense systems Core Skills Desired ~10 years of experience in cybersecurity or a closely related field Strong grasp of common web, cloud, and API protocols and their associated attack surfaces (e.g., HTTP/S, REST, OAuth, DNS, TLS, etc.) Experience analyzing network, application, or AI telemetry to extract meaningful security insights Strong coding and data handling skills, especially in Python and Jupyter (SQL or BigQuery a plus) Ability to prototype with LLM APIs, frameworks, or agents; familiarity with building AI-enabled applications Excellent written, visual, and verbal communication skills, with a clear ability to tell stories with data A self-starter who can independently define and deliver meaningful research projects Public speaking experience or a willingness to represent research externally Enthusiastic about educating others and promoting good security practices Bonus Points For Background in threat intelligence, red teaming, or application-layer defenses Experience building or analyzing honeypots or engaging with attacker infrastructure Practical understanding of adversarial ML, data poisoning, prompt injection, model theft, and AI supply chain risks Familiarity with MCP, LangChain, or agent orchestration frameworks Experience with bot mitigation, DDoS defense, or abuse/fraud detection Contributions to open-source AI or security projects, blogs, or research papers Qualifications BSc or equivalent experience in cybersecurity, computer science, or a related field Industry certifications such as CISSP, OSCP, or CEH are welcome but not required Experience working with AI or security datasets and publishing externally preferred A visible presence in the AI security or cybersecurity research community is a plus, but not required The Job Description is intended to be a general representation of the responsibilities and requirements of the job. However, the description may not be all-inclusive, and responsibilities and requirements are subject to change. The annual base pay for this position is: $156,800.00 - $235,200.00 F5 maintains broad salary ranges for its roles in order to account for variations in knowledge, skills, experience, geographic locations, and market conditions, as well as to reflect F5’s differing products, industries, and lines of business. The pay range referenced is as of the time of the job posting and is subject to change. You may also be offered incentive compensation, bonus, restricted stock units, and benefits. More details about F5’s benefits can be found at the following link: https://www.f5.com/company/careers/benefits. F5 reserves the right to change or terminate any benefit plan without notice. Please note that F5 only contacts candidates through F5 email address (ending with @f5.com) or auto email notification from Workday (ending with f5.com or @myworkday.com). Equal Employment Opportunity It is the policy of F5 to provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and employment applicants without regard to unlawful considerations of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, sensory, physical, or mental disability, marital status, veteran or military status, genetic information, or any other classification protected by applicable local, state, or federal laws. This policy applies to all aspects of employment, including, but not limited to, hiring, job assignment, compensation, promotion, benefits, training, discipline, and termination. F5 offers a variety of reasonable accommodations for candidates. Requesting an accommodation is completely voluntary. F5 will assess the need for accommodations in the application process separately from those that may be needed to perform the job. Request by contacting accommodations@f5.com. Hybrid: Employees within 30 commutable miles of an F5 office are required to work from the office a minimum of 30 business days per quarter. Remote: Primarily work from designated home location but can come into an F5 office to work or travel to an offsite location as needed. Together, we're building a better digital world. Founded in 1996, F5 is a global leader in application delivery and security. Our premier platform helps customers secure and deliver every app, API, and piece of infrastructure across all environments. Backed by over three decades of expertise and 553 patents, our solutions protect against threats while ensuring fast, reliable digital experiences. With over 6,400 employees, we serve more than 23,000 customers in over 170 countries. To continue this work, we need people like you—the best minds in the industry. We're committed to a unique, human-first culture that encourages authenticity, prioritizes diversity and inclusion, and fosters the growth and success of our employees.
