Application Security Engineer – CVE & Vulnerability Research

What You’ll Work On

You’ll review technical security tasks involving:

* CVE vulnerability reproduction

* Exploit proof-of-concepts

* Vulnerability remediation and secure coding

* Application security testing

* Docker-based vulnerability labs

* Exploit verification scripts

* Security regression testing

* CVSS, CWE, and vulnerability classification

* Environment and configuration analysis

* Edge cases and alternative attack paths

A key part of the role is determining whether a vulnerability environment accurately recreates the original attack conditions and whether a proposed fix genuinely eliminates the vulnerability without breaking legitimate functionality.

What We’re Looking For

* 3+ years of hands-on experience in application security, penetration testing, or vulnerability research

* Strong understanding of CVE, CVSS, CWE, and common vulnerability classes

* Experience identifying and remediating vulnerabilities such as:

* SQL injection

* Command injection

* SSRF

* Deserialization vulnerabilities

* Buffer overflows

* Privilege escalation

* Access control issues

* Security misconfigurations

* Strong understanding of secure coding and vulnerability remediation

* Experience reviewing or developing exploit proof-of-concepts

* Experience validating whether security fixes address the root cause rather than only the immediate exploit

* Proficiency with Docker and Docker Compose

* Ability to provide clear, technically rigorous written feedback

What You’ll Be Responsible For

* Reviewing CVE reproduction environments for technical accuracy

* Determining whether vulnerabilities faithfully reproduce the original attack vector and impact

* Evaluating proposed security fixes and remediation strategies

* Reviewing test suites that verify both:

* Normal application functionality remains intact

* The original exploit no longer succeeds

* Identifying incomplete fixes and alternative exploitation paths

* Reviewing Docker environments for correct software versions, services, networking, and configuration

* Detecting potential regressions or new vulnerabilities introduced by a fix

* Providing recommendations for improving vulnerability reproductions, fixes, and verification logic

Nice to Have

* OSCP, GPEN, GWAPT, or equivalent security certification

* Experience with responsible vulnerability disclosure or CVE reporting

* Experience maintaining exploit proof-of-concept code

* Experience writing automated security tests using tools such as:

* Python

* requests

* curl

* pwntools

* Custom exploit harnesses

* DevSecOps experience

* Familiarity with SAST, DAST, and CI/CD security tooling

* Experience developing or reviewing cybersecurity assessments or technical security challenges

* Experience with AI evaluation, RLHF, or technical data projects

Engagement

Work Type: Remote
Engagement: Part-time, project-based consulting
Focus: Application security, vulnerability research, CVE reproduction, and remediation

This role is ideal for security engineers who enjoy understanding how vulnerabilities actually work, reproducing exploits in controlled environments, evaluating security fixes, and identifying subtle gaps that traditional testing may miss.