Palo Alto Networks - Associate Consultant - Digital Forensics and Incident Response, application via RippleMatch

About the position This role is with Palo Alto Networks. Palo Alto Networks uses RippleMatch to find top talent Associate Consultant - Digital Forensics and Incident Response, Unit 42 (August 2026) Santa Clara, CA Our Mission At Palo Alto Networks® everything starts and ends with our mission: Being the cybersecurity partner of choice, protecting our digital way of life. Our vision is a world where each day is safer and more secure than the one before. We are a company built on the foundation of challenging and disrupting the way things are done, and we’re looking for innovators who are as committed to shaping the future of cybersecurity as we are. FLEXWORK is an employee-centric reimagining of how we work. We built FLEXWORK based on employee feedback – it is about flexibility, trust, and choice whenever possible. It’s been a journey of disruption that has yielded the best of our values. We offer as much flexibility as possible, and choices that enable you to be most productive, including benefits that meet your needs and learning opportunities that you feel passionate about. Our Approach to Work At Palo Alto Networks, we believe in the power of collaboration and value in-person interactions. This is why our employees generally work from the office three days per week, leaving two days for choice and flexibility to work where you feel most effective. This setup fosters casual conversations, problem-solving, and trusted relationships. While details may evolve, our goal is to create an environment where innovation thrives, with office-based teams coming together three days a week to collaborate and thrive, together! Your Career We expect office-based employees to be in the office three days per week, with two days working from where they choose. We believe being together facilitates casual conversations and those magic moments where we can work on issues and ideas informally. These moments build capability and deepen trusted relationships and allow our people to feel safe in taking risks and being disruptive. Like so many companies, we are working through the details and things could change …. but in general if a role is deemed office-based we want our teams to be together three days per week. The Associate Consultant role is a full-time employment opportunity for recent graduates of BS or MS programs, typically in areas of study related to digital forensics, incident response, cybersecurity, information security, etc., as well as new veterans with applicable skills, seeking to enter the world of consulting. At the start of the program, you will benefit from in-house training covering different types of Unit 42 DFIR investigations focusing on understanding digital investigative techniques and methodologies, and Unit 42’s workflows.. This is followed by opportunities to shadow client engagements and receive mentorship to further develop your technical and consulting skills, from experienced incident response consultants. Thereafter, you will support investigations by performing tasks at levels of increasing complexity on your path toward earning a promotion to Consultant. Responsibilities • Conduct digital forensic and incident response investigations related to matters such as network intrusions, ransomware, business email compromise, and APT investigations. • Perform host-based forensic analysis on Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X systems to identify unauthorized access in victim environments. • Hunt for threats across an enterprise via an endpoint detection and response platform to identify compromised hosts. • Examine logs from firewalls, servers, and relevant sources to identify evidence of unauthorized access and related indicators of compromise. • Leverage custom Unit 42 security tools and third-party forensic suites to conduct digital investigations. • Support senior team members on engagements involving forensic investigations, security incidents, and implementing remediation recommendations. • Draft written summaries and reports of investigative findings to share with the internal Unit 42 case team, external stakeholders, and clients. • Travel to Unit 42 offices and client sites as needed to meet business requirements (estimated up to 20%). • Coach and mentor Intern and new associates focusing on bringing them up to speed with host based analysis. Requirements • Bachelors or Master's degree earned recently or anticipated to be earned within the next 12 months, in a related field such as information security, computer science, digital forensics, incident response, or cybersecurity; OR relevant military experience • Passion and enthusiasm for cyber security, technology, and digital investigations • Training in or experience with the fundamentals of digital forensic and incident response investigations • Exposure to or experience using common commercial and open-source forensic suites, endpoint detection and response tools and applications (e.g., EnCase, X-Ways, AXIOM, FTK, Volatility, Wireshark, Log Parser, etc., Cortex XDR) • Ability to understand technical concepts and to articulate these topics clearly to all levels of technical aptitude • Ability to adapt quickly to and operate within a fast-paced environment, managing multiple priorities • Please note that we will not sponsor applicants for work visas for this position. 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