Cybersecurity Labeling Expert at Mercor

Cybersecurity Labeling Expert | $100–150/hr | Worldwide Remote

Join Mercor's AI safety initiative as a Cybersecurity Labeling Expert, where your offensive security expertise directly shapes the classifiers that determine what AI systems will and won't assist with. This is a high-impact contractor role for seasoned security professionals who thrive on nuanced judgment in ambiguous situations.

What You'll Do

Review and analyze flagged AI conversations — spanning plain text to code-heavy exchanges — and apply your security knowledge to assess intent and potential harm across four critical domains:

• Scaled data exfiltration
• Ransomware development and deployment
• Worms and self-replicating code
• Local and remote exploits

Your ground-truth labels will directly improve the AI safety systems that distinguish legitimate security research from genuine malicious intent — a distinction automated systems consistently struggle to make.

Why This Role Matters

Cyberattacks cause billions in damages annually — ransomware cripples hospitals, data breaches expose millions of individuals. The line between a security researcher and a threat actor often comes down to context, specificity, and intent. Your expert judgment helps ensure AI remains a tool for defenders, not attackers.

What We're Looking For

• Hands-on offensive security background: red team operations, malware analysis, penetration testing, or exploit research
• Ability to read between the lines and distinguish legitimate security work from genuine attack intent
• Comfort interpreting and evaluating code-heavy technical conversations
• Tier 2–3 experience level: from early-career Masters-level through Senior or Principal practitioners

You're a strong fit if you have experience in red team consulting, threat intelligence analysis, vulnerability research, or AI safety labeling where nuanced judgment under ambiguity is routine.

Logistics

• Requires access to a secure review interface
• Must be able to handle personally identifiable information (PII) responsibly
• Fully remote, flexible hourly engagement