Requirements
Minimum Requirements (Must Haves):Education: Currently enrolled in their final year of a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Cybersecurity, Information Technology, or a closely related field, with graduation planned within or immediately following the 6-month co-op.Foundational Security Knowledge: Basic understanding of cybersecurity concepts, including common attack vectors, the Windows/Linux operating system internals, and network protocols.Programming/Scripting Basics: Familiarity with writing simple scripts in Python or PowerShell to automate repetitive tasks or parse data.Log & System Familiarity: Basic understanding of what logs are (e.g., Windows Event Logs, Syslog) and an interest in how they are collected and analyzed.Duration: Availability to commit to a full-time (or near full-time, depending on university rules) 6-month continuous Co-op assignment.Preferred Qualifications (Nice to Haves / Big Plusses):Framework Familiarity: Conceptual knowledge of the MITRE ATT&CK framework and how it maps to adversary behaviors.Hands-on Exposure: Previous experience using SIEM/XDR platforms, or building a home lab (e.g., Splunk, Elastic, Wireshark).Regulatory Awareness: A general awareness of cybersecurity frameworks or local compliance standards (like NCA ECC or SAMA CSF).Soft Skills: Strong analytical mindset, a high level of curiosity to dig into threat trends, and excellent written documentation skills.
Description
As a Threat Detection COOP at COGNNA, you’ll design high-impact detection strategies, build powerful automation, and elevate SOC operations to a world-class standard. You’ll also mentor rising cyber talent and collaborate with teams across threat intel, incident response, and platform engineering.🔐 Advanced Threat Detection EngineeringBuild high-fidelity correlation rules and behavioral detections within the COGNNA security platforms.Translate adversary TTPs (MITRE ATT&CK), threat intel, and vulnerability data into actionable logic.Identify detection gaps and introduce new data sources to cover evolving threat landscapes.Automate detection testing and maintain detection quality over time.⚙️ Platform Engineering & OptimizationLead architecture and optimization of XDR, SIEM, and SOC tech stacks for scale and resilience.Streamline log ingestion pipelines — from parsing to normalization and enrichment.Build scripts and automations (Python, PowerShell) to enhance SOC efficiency.Integrate tools across the SOC stack to enable seamless workflows and response. 🕵️♂️ Threat Hunting & Incident ResponseCollaborate with intel and IR teams to enrich detection use cases and support threat hunts.Provide Tier-3+ support for incident investigations and post-mortem analysis.👥 Mentorship & SOC MaturityImprove SOC playbooks, SOPs, and detection engineering workflows.Stay updated on global and regional threats — and evolve detection accordingly.Ensure compliance alignment (e.g., NCA ECC, SAMA CSF).