How to Become a Product Security Engineer

Summary

“Product security engineering is an emerging job role in the security world, and for a CISO, product security is a crucial role to fill for the organization. If you’re looking to understand the difference from application security to product security, and if being a product security engineer would work for you, including the product security engineer job description and product security engineer salary – this article is a great start. ”

For a CISO, product security is an important area to keep your eyes on and to hire for. If you’re interested in becoming a product security engineer, here’s a quick overview of what you might expect from the position, including what might be included in a product security engineer’s job description, and the salary expectations for entry-level and more senior positions in the field.  

What is a Product Security Engineer? 

A product security engineer ensures the security of a company’s software, hardware, or digital products throughout their lifecycle. They identify and mitigate potential security vulnerabilities, conduct threat modeling, and perform security assessments. Their role includes implementing best practices for secure coding, conducting penetration testing, and managing vulnerabilities. 

Additionally, product security engineers collaborate with development and incident response teams to address security incidents and provide training to foster a security-conscious culture. Their work helps ensure that products are resilient against cyber threats and meet industry security standards, protecting both the product and its users.

Product Security Engineer Job Description

So, what exactly does a product security engineer do all day long? Tasks that you might expect to have responsibility over include: 

• Conducting Security Assessments and Threat Modeling: One of the core responsibilities of a product security engineer is to conduct security assessments and threat modeling for new and existing products. This involves identifying potential risks and vulnerabilities that could be exploited by malicious actors. At the earliest stages of development and design, threat modeling helps to visualize potential attack vectors and prioritize which vulnerabilities need attention, and, helps the development team to design secure products that are inherently resilient ahead of time. This task requires a deep understanding of the product’s architecture, possible threats, and effective countermeasures. 
• Developing and Implementing Security Best Practices: A product security engineer may be responsible for creating and enforcing security best practices and standards for product development teams. This may include creating secure coding guidelines, setting up static and dynamic analysis tools, and automating security tests as part of the CI/CD pipeline. By integrating security measures into the development process, the engineer helps ensure that the product is built with a security-first mindset. This work can also extend to conducting code reviews and collaborating with engineers to ensure that security practices are properly followed throughout the development lifecycle.
• Vulnerability Management and Testing: Identifying, documenting, and managing vulnerabilities is another crucial aspect of the role. Product Security Engineers conduct penetration testing and other forms of testing for vulnerabilities in software, firmware, or hardware products to uncover security weaknesses. They then work closely with development teams to prioritize and remediate these vulnerabilities. Additionally, they may use tools like static code analyzers or dynamic scanners to identify security flaws. The goal is to ensure that vulnerabilities are managed proactively, preventing potential exploits before products reach the market or are deployed in production environments.
• Collaborating with Incident Response Teams: Unlike in application security, in the event of a security incident, product security engineers often work closely with incident response teams to analyze and address the situation. They help determine the root cause of the incident, evaluate the impact, and develop a plan for containment and remediation. This collaboration is essential for minimizing damage and preventing future attacks. In some teams, product security engineers might also contribute to post-incident reviews to improve processes and prevent similar vulnerabilities from being introduced in future versions of the product.
• Security Training and Awareness: Part of the role of a product security engineer involves educating and training developers, engineers, and other stakeholders on secure development practices. This could be done via conducting workshops, creating training materials, or providing one-on-one guidance to improve the overall security awareness of the team. This helps to create a culture where security is a shared responsibility and ensures that every team member understands how to build and maintain secure products. By fostering a security-conscious environment, they can significantly reduce the chances of human error leading to security breaches.

Product Security Engineer Salary Expectations

Before making the move to start working in product security engineering, it can be helpful to understand what kind of salary you might expect working in the field. While of course different companies will offer varied remuneration and packages, data from Talent.com suggests that a product security engineer in the United States makes an average of $161.582 per year, equivalent to $77.68 per hour. While entry-level product security engineers may expect to start in the region of $132,000 per year, the most experienced staff could demand more than $200,000. 

One element to consider is where your role is based, because salaries do vary dramatically depending on location. Michigan, Rhode Island, and Oregon are the top three States in terms of salary, while Iowa, Connecticut, and Florida come in at the bottom. As many roles are now often remote or heavily hybrid — choosing wisely to where you apply could make all the difference. 

Moving From Application Security to Product Security

If you’re used to thinking about security in an application-centric way, mainly considering the security of the code, and you’re looking to expand to be more product-focused, you need to start zooming out and thinking about the product security lifecycle from end-to-end. 

While application security mainly focuses on the software application layer, in product security engineers may be tasked with protecting physical hardware and machinery components, or considering the wider supply chain in greater detail, as well as additional elements of security such as networking and communications. 

For application security pros to get a role in product security, they should think about gaining experience with hardware security, and developing skills in threat modeling and risk assessment. Familiarizing themselves with areas like secure hardware design, embedded systems, and the broader architecture of products can also make candidates more versatile and therefore a more in-demand hire. 

Interested in an application security platform that secures applications from code to cloud? Schedule a demo with one of our experts.