Cyber Detection Engineer

Company: Leidos
Location: Ashburn
Posted on: April 2, 2026

Job Description:

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Security Operations Center (SOC) is a U . S . Government program responsible to prevent, identify, contain and eradicate cyber threats to CBP networks through monitoring, intrusion detection and protective security services to CBP information systems including local area networks/wide area networks (LAN/WAN), commercial Internet connection, public facing websites, wireless, mobile/cellular, cloud, security devices, servers and workstations. The CBP SOC is responsible for the overall security of CBP Enterprise-wide information systems, and collects, investigates, and reports any suspected and confirmed security violations. Leidos is seeking an experienced Cyber Detection Engineer to join our team. As a member of the highly technical Operations Enhancement team supporting U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), you will be responsible for in-depth technical analysis of network and endpoint logs & activity , developing signatures, alerts, rules, etc., to improve the security posture of the environment, developing processes and procedures for new tools and technologies in support of the protection of the customers’ systems, networks, and assets. Primary Responsibilities: Create, develop , and maintain new security content as the result of hunt missions , penetration tests, tuning requests and others, to include signatures, alerts, rules, workflows, and automation. Identify , track, and investigate high priority threat campaigns, malicious actors with the interest, capability and T actics, T echniques, and P rocedure s ( TTPs ). Coordinate with cross functional teams to improve threat detection, design security content , and improve overall security posture of the Enterprise . Proactively and iteratively search through systems and networks to detect advanced threats , and create content to monitor and alert on such activity/threats . Utilize the MITRE ATT&CK framework to understand TTPs of adversaries, threat actors, APTs, and threats targeting the customer agency and organize threat hunts around ATT&CK techniques and sub-techniques. Responsible for maintaining a comprehensive understanding of the cyber threat landscape, including identifying and analyzing cyber threats actors and/or activities to enhance cybersecurity posture of the organization’s IT operating environment. Will conduct cyber threat analysis, identifying mitigation and/or remediation courses of action; developing actionable intelligence used to protect organizational IT assets; and trending cyber threat metrics for leadership situational awareness . Analyze host, network, and application logs in addition to malware and code. Will be responsible for developing scripts to support cyber threat detection that outputs results in a variety of formats, such as VB scripts, Python, C++, HTML, XML or other type most appropriate for the task. Produce high quality technical and non-technical products, briefings, whitepapers, etc., with minimal supervision and emphasis on effective/ accurate reporting on product topics. Maintain the daily battle rhythm for the Detection Engineering T eam with an emphasis on adherence to deadlines, attention to detail, and clear/concise communication with the customer and stakeholders. Will be responsible for : Developing, creating, and maintaining security content for deployment on tools and technologies across the enterprise environment. Identify ing , track ing , and investigat ing high priority threat campaigns, malicious actors with the interest, capability and T actics, T echniques, and P rocedure s ( TTPs ) to create security content, and tune alerts, signatures, and rules. Utilizing the MITRE ATT&CK Framework to Author technical and non-technical reports and briefings to ensure leadership awareness of findings and observations. Create daily, weekly , and monthly reports and metrics for products and briefings. Process technical data from various sources and fuse the data with intelligence reporting to improve the security posture of the customer, as well as manage Threat Hunt tools. Basic Qualifications: Must have a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science , Engineering, Information Technology, Cybersecurity, or a related field and a minimum of 8 years of professional experience in incident detection and response, malware analysis, c yber t hreat h unting, or cyber forensics . Have 2 years recent experience with host-based and network-based security monitoring using cybersecurity capabilities. Must be experienced developing scripts to support cyber threat detection that outputs results in a variety of formats, such as VB scripts, Python, C++, HTML, XML or other. Established experience with incident response and SIEM tools, host-based logs, network-based logs, and regex. Ability to work independently with minimal direction; self-starter/self-motivated. Required certifications: The candidate should have at minimum ONE of the following certifications: CompTIA Cyber Security Analyst ( CySA ) CompTIA Linux Network Professional (CLNP) CompTIA Pentest CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst ( CySA ) GPEN – Penetration Tester GWAPT – Web Application Penetration Tester GSNA – System and Network Auditor GISF – Security Fundamentals GXPN – Exploit Researcher and Advanced Penetration Tester GWEB – Web Applicatio n Defender GNFA – Network Forensic Analyst GMON – Continuous Monitoring Certification GCTI – Cyber Threat Intelligence GOSI – Open Source Intelligence OSCP (Certified Professional) OSCE (Certified Expert) OSWP (Wireless Professional) OSEE (Exploitation Expert) CCFP – Certified Cyber Forensics Professional CISSP – Certified Information Systems Security CEH – Certified Ethical Hacker CHFI – Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator LPT – Licensed Penetration Tester CSA – EC Council Certified SOC Analyst (Previously ECSA – EC-Council Certified Security Analyst) ENSA – EC-Council Network Security Administrator ECIH – EC-Council Certified Incident Handler ECSS – EC-Council Certified Security Specialist ECES – EC-Council Certified Encryption Specialist Preferred Qualifications: A minimum of 8 years of hands-on experience with experience in the last 2 years that includes host-based and network-based security monitoring using cybersecurity capabilities. Demonstrated experience planning , executing , and participating in threat hunt missions. Previous DOD, IC or Law Enforcement Intelligence or Counterintelligence Training/Experience Understanding of complex Enterprise networks to include routing, switching, firewalls, proxies, load balancers. Working knowledge of common (HTTP, DNS, SMB, etc ) networking protocols Familiar ity with operation of both Windows and Linux based systems . Proficient with scripting languages such as Python or PowerShell Familiarity with Splunk Search Processing Language (SPL) and/or Elastic Domain Specific Language (DSL) Clearance: All Department of Homeland Security CBP SOC employees are required to favorably pass a 5-year (BI) Background Investigation The candidate must currently possess a Top Secret Clearance with the ability to obtain a Top Secret/SCI Clearance Come break things (in a good way). Then build them smarter. We're the tech company everyone calls when things get weird. We don’t wear capes (they’re a safety hazard), but we do solve high-stakes problems with code, caffeine, and a healthy disregard for “how it’s always been done.” Original Posting: December 17, 2025 For 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. Pay Range: Pay Range $107,900.00 - $195,050.00 The 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.

Keywords: Leidos, Charlottesville , Cyber Detection Engineer, IT / Software / Systems , Ashburn, Virginia