What is a Security Engineer at Anduril?

As a Security Engineer at Anduril, you are stepping into a role that directly impacts national security and the future of defense technology. Anduril does not build standard enterprise SaaS; you will be securing complex, autonomous systems, advanced hardware, and the proprietary Lattice OS that ties it all together. Your work ensures that these mission-critical systems remain resilient against highly sophisticated, real-world adversaries.

The impact of this position spans across products, users, and the business as a whole. You will act as the primary line of defense for systems deployed in contested environments, protecting sensor networks, autonomous drones, and command-and-control infrastructure. A vulnerability here is not just a data breach—it is a potential operational failure in the field. Consequently, the security engineering function at Anduril carries immense strategic influence and requires a deep understanding of both software and physical security paradigms.

Expect a highly dynamic, fast-paced environment where you are encouraged to think like an adversary. You will collaborate closely with software engineers, hardware designers, and product managers to embed security directly into the development lifecycle. If you are passionate about solving complex security challenges at scale and believe in building technology that protects those who serve, this role will be incredibly rewarding.

Getting Ready for Your Interviews

Preparing for an interview at Anduril requires more than just brushing up on standard security frameworks. You must demonstrate a proactive, mission-driven mindset.

Focus your preparation on the following key evaluation criteria:

• Technical Depth and Threat Modeling – You will be evaluated on your ability to identify vulnerabilities in complex, distributed systems. Interviewers want to see how you dissect architectures, anticipate attack vectors, and propose robust, scalable mitigations.
• Practical Problem-Solving – Anduril values hands-on capability over theoretical knowledge. You must demonstrate how you apply testing methodologies to real-world, proprietary systems, often adapting on the fly to unique hardware-software integrations.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration – Security cannot exist in a vacuum. You will be assessed on your ability to communicate risks effectively to stakeholders, particularly lead software engineers and product managers, ensuring security is an enabler rather than a blocker.
• Mission Alignment and Culture Fit – Anduril is intensely mission-driven. Interviewers will look for a deep resonance with their core values, an eagerness to tackle unconventional problems, and the resilience to thrive in an ambiguous, high-stakes environment.

Interview Process Overview

The interview process for a Security Engineer at Anduril is typically a five-step journey designed to assess your technical rigor, practical testing capabilities, and alignment with the company's mission. The process moves quickly, though scheduling on-site components may introduce slight variations in the timeline.

You will begin with a recruiter screen, followed by a high-level discussion with the hiring manager who will assess your background and general fit. From there, the technical evaluation deepens significantly. You will meet with a Product Security Lead to walk through generic testing scenarios, followed by a highly specific deep-dive with a lead software engineer or stakeholder. This stakeholder round is uniquely rigorous; you will be asked to apply your testing methodologies directly to Anduril's actual systems and use cases. Finally, you will participate in a culture fit round with a member of a separate team.

This visual timeline outlines the typical progression from initial screening through the final cross-functional and culture fit rounds. You should use this to pace your preparation, ensuring your foundational security knowledge is sharp for the early rounds, while reserving your deep architectural and systems-level thinking for the stakeholder and product security interviews. Note that while the team aims for timely communication, internal realignments can occasionally cause delays in final decisions.

Deep Dive into Evaluation Areas

To succeed, you must understand exactly how Anduril evaluates candidates across its distinct interview stages.

Product Security and Generic Testing Scenarios

This evaluation area tests your foundational knowledge of security engineering and vulnerability assessment. You will meet with a security lead who will present a standard application or network architecture and ask you to compromise it. The goal is to see your structured approach to identifying flaws.

Be ready to go over:

• Web Application Security – OWASP Top 10, authentication bypasses, and injection flaws.
• Network Security – Lateral movement, segmentation, and protocol vulnerabilities.
• Testing Methodologies – How you scope a penetration test, prioritize targets, and validate findings.
• Advanced concepts (less common) – Embedded device exploitation and side-channel attacks.

Example questions or scenarios:

• "Walk me through how you would conduct a security assessment on a newly developed internal web application."
• "If you have limited time to test a generic IoT device, what are the first three attack vectors you investigate?"
• "Explain how you would validate a reported remote code execution vulnerability in a third-party library."

System-Specific Threat Modeling (Stakeholder Round)

This is often the most intense and distinct part of the Anduril interview. You will speak with a lead software engineer who acts as a stakeholder for a specific Anduril product. They will ask you to deep-dive into how you would test their actual system.

Be ready to go over:

• Architecture Review – Deconstructing a complex, autonomous system into its component parts (sensors, edge compute, cloud backend).
• Custom Test Case Generation – Designing specific exploits or stress tests for non-standard software.
• Risk Prioritization – Balancing theoretical vulnerabilities against realistic operational threats in a defense context.
• Advanced concepts (less common) – Jamming, spoofing, and physical tampering of deployed assets.

Example questions or scenarios:

• "Here is a high-level diagram of how our autonomous drones communicate with Lattice OS. How would you design a test plan to compromise this communication?"
• "What specific test cases would you run against our edge-compute modules deployed in a disconnected environment?"
• "How do you handle a scenario where a critical vulnerability exists, but patching it would ground an active fleet?"

Culture Fit and Mission Alignment

Anduril places a massive premium on hiring individuals who believe in the defense mission. You will speak with someone outside of the security team to gauge your adaptability, communication style, and motivations. Strong performance here means showing you are collaborative, ego-free, and resilient.

Be ready to go over:

• Navigating Ambiguity – How you operate when requirements are unclear or rapidly shifting.
• Handling Pushback – How you convince engineering teams to prioritize security fixes without stalling product delivery.
• Mission Motivation – Why you specifically want to work in defense technology.

Example questions or scenarios:

• "Tell me about a time you had to persuade a reluctant engineering team to fix a security flaw."
• "Describe a situation where you had to adapt your security approach because of strict operational constraints."
• "Why Anduril, and why defense tech?"

Key Responsibilities

As a Security Engineer at Anduril, your day-to-day work bridges the gap between offensive security testing and defensive architectural design. You will be responsible for continuously assessing the security posture of Anduril's software platforms, particularly Lattice OS, and the hardware systems they control. This involves conducting regular threat modeling sessions, leading penetration tests, and writing custom scripts to automate vulnerability discovery across a highly specialized infrastructure.

Collaboration is a massive part of the role. You will work directly with lead software engineers, hardware designers, and product managers to ensure security is integrated from the design phase through deployment. Rather than just handing over a report of vulnerabilities, you will be expected to propose actionable, scalable mitigations and occasionally write the code to fix the issues yourself.

You will also drive key initiatives such as building out internal security tooling, establishing secure coding guidelines for edge-compute environments, and responding to emerging threats that target defense contractors. Your deliverables will directly influence the architectural decisions of Anduril's most critical product lines.

Role Requirements & Qualifications

To be competitive for the Security Engineer position, you must bring a blend of traditional application security expertise and an aptitude for understanding complex, distributed systems.

• Must-have skills – Deep understanding of application security, network security, and threat modeling methodologies. Proficiency in at least one scripting or programming language (Python, Go, or C++ are highly valued). Experience conducting penetration tests or structured security assessments on complex software architectures.
• Nice-to-have skills – Experience with embedded systems, IoT security, or hardware hacking. Familiarity with cloud-native security (AWS) and CI/CD pipeline integration. Previous experience in the defense sector or holding an active security clearance is a strong differentiator, though not strictly required for all roles.
• Experience level – Typically requires 3 to 5+ years in a dedicated security engineering, penetration testing, or product security role.
• Soft skills – Exceptional stakeholder management. You must be able to translate complex security risks into engineering priorities and communicate effectively with non-security engineers.

Common Interview Questions

The following questions are representative of what candidates face during the Anduril interview process. While you should not memorize answers, use these to understand the patterns and expectations of the hiring team.

Threat Modeling and Architecture

Interviewers want to see how you break down complex systems and identify logical flaws.

• How would you threat model a distributed sensor network that communicates over RF to a centralized cloud backend?
• Walk me through the security implications of deploying machine learning models to edge devices.
• If you were designing the authentication flow for a military-grade command interface, what controls would you mandate?
• How do you secure data in transit when the network connection is highly intermittent and unreliable?
• What is your approach to securing third-party dependencies in a rapidly moving CI/CD pipeline?

Vulnerability Assessment and Testing

These questions focus on your hands-on ability to find and exploit weaknesses.

• Describe a generic testing scenario: how would you approach pentesting a standard internal web portal?
• If I give you a black-box hardware device running a proprietary OS, what are your first steps to find vulnerabilities?
• How would you go about generating specific test cases for our proprietary data ingestion API?
• Tell me about the most complex vulnerability you have discovered. How did you find it, and how did you exploit it?
• How do you differentiate between a theoretical vulnerability and a practical, exploitable threat in a production environment?

Behavioral and Cross-Functional

These questions assess your ability to work within Anduril's fast-paced, mission-driven culture.

• Tell me about a time you had to work with a stakeholder who actively resisted your security recommendations.
• Why are you interested in transitioning into or continuing your career in defense technology?
• Describe a time you had to quickly learn a completely new technology stack to secure it.
• How do you balance the need for rigorous security testing with aggressive product launch deadlines?
• Tell me about a time you failed to identify a security issue before it went to production. How did you handle the aftermath?

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How technical is the stakeholder interview round? Expect it to be highly technical and applied. You will likely meet with a lead software engineer who will ask you to dive deep into how you would test their specific system. You must be comfortable applying your general security knowledge to Anduril's unique architecture.

Q: How much preparation time is typical for this process? Candidates generally spend 2 to 3 weeks preparing. You should spend equal time reviewing standard security vulnerabilities (OWASP, networking protocols) and practicing system design/threat modeling for physical and autonomous systems.

Q: What differentiates a successful candidate from an average one? Successful candidates do not just list vulnerabilities; they provide context-aware mitigations. They understand that at Anduril, a security fix cannot break the operational capability of a system in the field. Demonstrating a pragmatic, engineering-first approach to security is key.

Q: What is the onsite experience like? If invited onsite, candidates often report a very positive and engaging experience. You can expect a well-managed schedule, a tour of the facilities to see the hardware you will be protecting, and occasionally company swag to welcome you.

Q: How long does the process take from screen to final decision? The process usually spans 3 to 5 weeks. However, be aware that internal team realignments or shifting priorities can sometimes cause delays in communication after the final rounds.

Other General Tips

• Embrace the Specifics: When asked to test an Anduril system, lean into it. Do not give generic answers. Propose highly specific, creative test cases that show you understand the unique constraints of defense hardware and software.
• Communicate Like an Engineer: In your stakeholder rounds, remember you are talking to software engineers, not just security auditors. Frame your findings in terms of engineering risk and provide actionable, code-level remediation advice.
• Know the Mission: Spend time researching Anduril's products (Ghost, Anvil, Lattice). You must be able to articulate why securing these specific products matters to you and to national security.

• Structure Your Threat Models: When given an architecture to review, do not just start guessing vulnerabilities. Use a structured methodology (like STRIDE) to systematically break down the system, and state your assumptions out loud.

Summary & Next Steps

The compensation data above provides a baseline for what you can expect as a Security Engineer at Anduril. Keep in mind that total compensation in defense tech often includes a strong equity component, and offers will vary based on your specific experience level and the scope of the systems you will be securing.

Securing a role at Anduril means joining a team that is actively reshaping the landscape of modern defense technology. The interview process is rigorous and highly applied, designed to find engineers who can think critically about complex, real-world threats. By focusing your preparation on structured threat modeling, practical testing methodologies, and clear cross-functional communication, you will position yourself as a standout candidate.

Remember that interviewers are looking for a partner in security, not just an auditor. Show them your passion for the mission, your technical depth, and your ability to adapt to proprietary systems. For more detailed insights, peer experiences, and targeted practice resources, continue exploring Dataford. You have the foundational skills required; now it is time to focus your preparation and execute with confidence.