Security Detection Engineer I

Description

AppFolio is more than a company. We’re a community of dreamers, big thinkers, problem solvers, active listeners, and multipliers. At every opportunity, we set the pace while delivering innovation built to carry real estate into the future. One in which every experience feels effortless, yet meaningful. Where customers are empowered to take on any opportunity. We show up as one team, connected by our values to be a force for good. Because together, we have the power to create extraordinary outcomes for our customers, our communities, and ourselves.

The Security Detection Engineer I will design, develop, and optimize detections that identify and prevent account takeover (ATO) activity across AppFolio’s platform. This role is responsible for building scalable detection logic and telemetry pipelines that surface suspicious patterns—such as credential stuffing, MFA abuse, session hijacking, or automation-based fraud. The engineer will work closely with Security Analysts, Risk, Fraud, and Engineering teams to operationalize threat intelligence, improve alert fidelity, and reduce attacker dwell time while ensuring detections evolve with emerging ATO tactics.

Your impact

• Design, implement, and maintain detection logic to identify account takeover (ATO) attempts across AppFolio platforms.
• Develop and tune behavioral analytics and rule-based detections in SIEM and security data platforms to improve signal fidelity.
• Leverage threat intelligence, internal telemetry, and adversary TTPs to proactively build detection coverage for evolving ATO techniques.
• Collaborate with security analysts, fraud investigators, and engineering teams to validate alerts, reduce false positives, and ensure timely detection.
• Perform detection gap assessments and participate in purple team or simulation exercises to evaluate coverage for ATO scenarios.
• Automate detection engineering workflows using scripting and data pipelines for scale and efficiency.
• Contribute to threat modeling efforts and define detection use cases aligned with MITRE ATT&CK and real-world ATO patterns.
• Document detection logic, assumptions, tuning rationale, and testing methodology in standardized playbooks and engineering wikis.
  
  
  

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Cybersecurity, Engineering, or equivalent work experience.
• 3–5 years of experience in detection engineering, security operations, or threat detection.
• Proficient with SIEM technologies (e.g., Splunk, Elastic), query languages (SPL, SQL, Kusto), and detection-as-code practices.
• Strong understanding of ATO threat landscape including credential stuffing, MFA abuse, session hijacking, and token replay attacks.
• Experience creating and tuning detection logic to identify anomalies across authentication, identity, and web traffic telemetry.
• Familiarity with MITRE ATT&CK, OWASP, and identity-based threat modeling frameworks.
• Hands-on experience with cloud-based environments (AWS preferred) and monitoring their security logs and event sources.
• Knowledge of version control (e.g., Git), CI/CD pipelines, and detection-as-code workflows (e.g., using Terraform, Python, Jupyter, or YAML).
• Excellent collaboration skills with a strong ability to communicate detection rationale to technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Excellent verbal and written communications skills
  
  
  

Nice to have

• Experience with identity security tools and telemetry: Okta, Duo, etc.
• Familiarity with session-based ATO detection techniques, including cookie theft, browser fingerprinting, or geolocation analysis.
• Certifications such as GIAC Certified Detection Analyst (GCDA), GIAC Certified Incident Handler Certification (GCIH), AWS Security Specialty, or OSWE.
• Prior exposure to fraud prevention, customer account protection, or abuse detection platforms.
• Experience in adversary emulation or purple teaming to test and validate detections.
  
  
  

Compensation & Benefits

The compensation that we reasonably expect to pay for this role is: $104,000-$130,000 base pay. The actual compensation for this role will be determined by a variety of factors, including but not limited to the candidate’s skills, education, experience, and internal equity.

Please note that compensation is just one aspect of a comprehensive Total Rewards package. The compensation range listed here does not include additional benefits or any discretionary bonuses you may be eligible for based on your role and/or employment type.

Regular full-time employees are eligible for benefits