{"id":3316728,"url":"https://alion.io/job/leidos-commercial-drone-reverse-engineer-vulnerability-researcher","title":"Commercial Drone Reverse Engineer / Vulnerability Researcher","company":{"id":7791,"name":"Leidos","domain":"leidos.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/leidos","size_band":"5000+","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"services","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Workday","truth_index":{"grade":"B","score":78,"open_postings":278,"ghost_share":0.004,"stale_share":0.871,"repost_share":0.011,"time_to_fill_p50_days":28,"computed_at":"2026-11-02T06:13:15Z"}},"role":"Robotics","role_family":"Robotics","seniority":null,"employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Columbia, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":{"min":107900,"max":195050,"currency":"USD","period":"year","gross":null,"usd_annual":195050},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":null,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"Assembly","optional":false},{"name":"Binary Ninja","optional":false},{"name":"C++","optional":false},{"name":"Ghidra","optional":false},{"name":"IDA Pro","optional":false},{"name":"Python","optional":false},{"name":"Inertial Navigation","optional":true},{"name":"Linux","optional":true},{"name":"MATLAB","optional":true},{"name":"MAVLink","optional":true},{"name":"RTOS","optional":true},{"name":"Sensor Fusion","optional":true},{"name":"Wi-Fi","optional":true}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-10-26T00:00:00Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-10-26","last_verified_at":"2026-11-02T01:40:51Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":7,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":7},"description":"Who We Are:\nKudu Dynamics is a 100% employee-owned company, forged out of a decade of experience in computer network operations and staffed with talent who have built, overseen, and enhanced capabilities throughout the entire USG arsenal. Our team of hackers, engineers, makers, and shakers brings deep experience across research, development, deployment, and operations.\nKudu Dynamics is uniquely qualified to anticipate tomorrow’s threats and build the next generation of capabilities.\nWhen you come in for your interview, you’ll see that Kudu is an amazing place to work, where you’ll be surrounded by experts who are ready to teach and learn. Our team has flexible work hours and work-from-home options. When we do work from the offices, we enjoy home-roasted coffee and award-winning workspaces.\nWe need help on a new project researching and developing advanced capabilities through vulnerability research, reverse engineering, and exploitation of commercial unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). The Commercial Drone Reverse Engineer / Vulnerability Researcher will investigate commercial drone hardware, firmware, embedded software, communications protocols, and supporting systems to identify vulnerabilities, characterize system behavior, and develop and demonstrate proof-of-concept capabilities. The candidate will contribute to the design and construction of lab-based experimental test harnesses, perform static and dynamic analysis, and develop tools and techniques to identify, validate, and exploit security weaknesses in complex embedded systems. This role calls for the creative application of multiple skill sets in a small, agile team that is working onsite at Aberdeen Proving Ground to develop and deliver advanced capabilities directly supporting the U.S. Army. Our program is interested in making breakthroughs on a very aggressive timeline and will involve working directly with reverse engineering, hardware, and vulnerability research teammates to determine exactly what these systems do in the real world and how their security assumptions can be challenged.\nResponsibilities Include:\nConducting vulnerability research and reverse engineering of commercial drones, embedded firmware, flight controllers, and supporting software\nIdentifying, analyzing, and validating software and hardware vulnerabilities, including developing proof-of-concept exploits\nPerforming static and dynamic analysis of embedded firmware, binaries, and communications protocols\nInvestigating command and control, telemetry, navigation, and other interfaces to identify security-relevant behaviors and attack surfaces\nDiscovering interesting edge cases, undocumented functionality, and exploitable conditions (including designing experiments specifically targeted at teasing these out)\nDesigning and assembling hardware and software test harnesses for lab-based experimentation, debugging, and vulnerability validation\nDeveloping and adapting tools for firmware analysis, fuzzing, debugging, instrumentation, and automated vulnerability discovery\nResearching system security mechanisms, including authentication, encryption, secure boot, firmware updates, and hardware protections\nScripting/automating reverse engineering, testing, and experimental activities where possible\nDeveloping and demonstrating proof-of-concept capabilities in controlled laboratory environments\nCritically analyzing, interpreting, documenting, and communicating technical findings and experimental results\nMinimum Qualifications:\nActive TS/SCI security clearance\nAbility to work onsite at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland\nDegree in computer science, computer engineering, electrical engineering, or equivalent hands-on experience\nDemonstrated experience with software or firmware reverse engineering, particularly embedded systems\nExperience identifying, analyzing, and validating software vulnerabilities, including developing proof-of-concept exploits\nStrong programming and scripting experience in Python and/or C/C++\nExperience with reverse engineering and debugging tools such as Ghidra, IDA Pro, Binary Ninja, GDB, or equivalent\nFamiliarity with embedded processor architectures, assembly language, memory management, and low-level software analysis\nKnowledge of common software vulnerability classes, memory corruption, input validation weaknesses, and vulnerability research techniques\nExperience analyzing unfamiliar software or hardware systems to understand functionality, identify attack surfaces, and develop original research approaches\nAbility to independently design experiments, troubleshoot complex problems, and communicate technical findings\nNice-to-have Qualifications:\nExperience with vulnerability research or reverse engineering of commercial drones, unmanned aircraft systems, or other complex embedded platforms\nExperience with binary exploitation, exploit development, fuzzing, and vulnerability discovery automation\nFamiliarity with ARM, RISC-V, or other embedded processor architectures\nExperience with embedded Linux, real-time operating systems (RTOS), bootloaders, and firmware update mechanisms\nExperience with firmware extraction, flash memory analysis, and hardware-assisted reverse engineering\nFamiliarity with hardware debugging interfaces such as JTAG, SWD, UART, SPI, I2C, and CAN\nExperience with hardware instrumentation, including oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, spectrum analyzers, and software-defined radios\nKnowledge of wireless communications, RF analysis, digital signal processing, and proprietary communications protocols\nFamiliarity with drone communications protocols, including MAVLink, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and proprietary command and control links\nFamiliarity with GNSS, inertial navigation, sensor fusion, and flight control systems\nExperience reverse engineering mobile applications, ground control stations, or cloud-connected embedded systems\nExperience with MATLAB, GNU Radio, or similar signal processing and modeling tools\nExperience with analog and digital circuit design, physical prototyping, and lab-based experimental test harnesses\nExperience supporting U.S. Government or Department of Defense research and development programs\nSecurity Clearance: Active TS/SCI Required\nIf you're looking for comfort, keep scrolling. At Leidos, we outthink, outbuild, and outpace the status quo - because the mission demands it. We're not hiring followers. We're recruiting the ones who disrupt, provoke, and refuse to fail. Step 10 is ancient history. We're already at step 30 - and moving faster than anyone else dares.\nOriginal Posting:\nOctober 26, 2026For U.S. Positions: While subject to change based on business needs, Leidos reasonably anticipates that this job requisition will remain open for at least 3 days with an anticipated close date of no earlier than 3 days after the original posting date as listed above.\nPay Range:\nPay Range $107,900.00 - $195,050.00The Leidos pay range for this job level is a general guideline only and not a guarantee of compensation or salary. Additional factors considered in extending an offer include (but are not limited to) responsibilities of the job, education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity, alignment with market data, applicable bargaining agreement (if any), or other law.","description_format":"text","description_chars":7291,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":null,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"bachelor","optional":false},"security_clearance":true,"languages":[]},"benefits":["Equity","Flexible schedule"],"hiring_locations":[{"name":"United States","iso":"US","kind":"country"}],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Drones & UAVs","Drones","National Security","C4ISR"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-10-27T05:37:13Z"}],"visa":[{"country":"US","licensed_sponsor":true,"evidence":"H-1B filings in 12 months: 50 · green card filings: 24","filings_12m":50,"filings_prev_12m":58,"green_card_filings_12m":24,"median_offered_wage_usd":124257,"route":null,"cap_exempt":false,"checked_at":"2026-10-29T16:27:21+00:00","sources":["US Department of Labor: LCA disclosure data (H-1B, H-1B1, E-3)","US Department of Labor: PERM disclosure data (green cards)"],"filings_for_role_12m":24}],"liveness":{"score":63,"band":"ok","label":"Likely open","p_open":1,"p_active":0.627,"p_room":1,"age_days":7,"expected_fill_days":28,"reasons":["conf:4","stale_co","velocity","win:early","comp:brand"],"computed_at":"2026-11-02T06:13:15Z"},"pay":{"stated_usd_annual":195050,"is_top_pay":false},"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/leidos-commercial-drone-reverse-engineer-vulnerability-researcher","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/leidos-commercial-drone-reverse-engineer-vulnerability-researcher.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-11-02T07:13:57Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":10214,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-11-03T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":7791},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=7791"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fleidos-commercial-drone-reverse-engineer-vulnerability-researcher"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":1,"usd":0.1},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Fleidos-commercial-drone-reverse-engineer-vulnerability-researcher"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Fleidos-commercial-drone-reverse-engineer-vulnerability-researcher"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/leidos-commercial-drone-reverse-engineer-vulnerability-researcher\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fleidos-commercial-drone-reverse-engineer-vulnerability-researcher"}],"agent":{"mcp":"https://alion.io/mcp/jobs","mcp_open":"https://alion.io/mcp/open","next":[{"tool":"get_job","arguments":{"id":3316728}},{"tool":"search_jobs","arguments":{"company":"leidos.com","detail":"compact"}},{"tool":"match_people","arguments":{"job_id":3316728},"note":"people open to offers who fit this vacancy"}],"note":"The same data through MCP tools: https://alion.io/mcp/open needs no sign-in (compact searches, postings, people); https://alion.io/mcp with an Alion account has everything. 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