Security Researcher

Security Researcher

Requirements

• Proven experience identifying, reporting, and mitigating security vulnerabilities in open-source projects.
• Hands-on experience with Web Application Firewalls, ideally with rule customization and framework-specific tuning.
• Ability to convey complex security concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences, including conference presentations and blog writing.
• Experience working closely with engineering, marketing, and customer success teams to drive security initiatives.
• Skilled in creating educational materials and supporting documentation for customers to optimize WAF configurations.
• Familiarity with current security trends and emerging threats, with a proactive approach to continuous learning and application.

Responsibilities

• Design WAF rule packs tailored to specific frameworks, such as Next.js, prioritizing rules that address the most relevant and framework-specific vulnerabilities.
• Continuously refine these rules using real-time threat data, research findings, and customer feedback to maintain strong protection against emerging attack patterns.
• Create clear documentation, guides, and best practices for Vercel’s WAF to help customers understand and set up security rules that match their specific needs.
• Create educational materials and host webinars or workshops that equip customers with practical knowledge on utilizing Vercel’s WAF to its full potential.
• Share research-based threat intelligence with customers to alert them about potential risks and provide specific recommendations for rule updates and configurations.
• Work with customer success teams to identify and address high-risk customer environments, ensuring WAF configurations match each customer’s unique security needs.
• Work closely with Vercel’s product team to ensure that customer-facing security features align with industry standards and emerging threats, making Vercel’s WAF adaptable to various customer applications.
• Share insights from vulnerability research and customer feedback to shape product roadmaps, focusing on features that improve WAF effectiveness and usability across different customer needs.
• Build tools or dashboards that allow customers to self-assess and monitor the effectiveness of WAF configurations, offering insights into blocked threats, rule performance, and custom rule capabilities.
• Explore opportunities for customer-driven customization of WAF rules, empowering customers to address unique vulnerabilities while maintaining a default layer of robust security.
• Partner with customer success and support teams to address WAF-related inquiries, share guidance, and resolve complex security configurations.
• Collect and synthesize customer feedback to continuously improve the WAF experience and address emerging needs in Vercel’s customer base.

Preferred Qualifications

• Built a Web Application Firewall Security product directly as an engineer
• Achieved an Offensive Security certification and or Advanced SANS certification.