Cybersecurity Labeling Expert

About the role

Cyberattacks cause billions in damages annually — ransomware cripples hospitals, data exfiltration exposes millions. As a Cybersecurity Labeling Expert, you'll be on the front lines of AI safety: reviewing real-world conversations flagged as potentially malicious and determining whether they represent genuine threats. Your judgments directly train the systems that keep AI out of the hands of bad actors.

What you'll do

Analyze flagged AI conversations — ranging from plain text to code-heavy exchanges — and apply your security expertise to assess intent and harm across four domains:

• Scaled data exfiltration

• Ransomware

• Worms / self-replicating code

• Local & remote exploits

Some conversations may involve POC exploit development; your expertise will determine what crosses the line.

Why it matters

The difference between a security researcher and a threat actor often comes down to context, specificity, and intent — exactly what automated systems struggle to detect. Your ground-truth labels directly improve the classifiers that decide what AI will and won't help with.

What we're looking for

• Hands-on offensive security background: red team, malware analysis, pen testing, or exploit research

• Ability to read between the lines — distinguishing legitimate security work from genuine attack intent

• Comfort interpreting code-heavy conversations

• Tier 2–3 experience: Masters / early-career through Senior / Principal

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

Logistics

• ~2–3 week engagement, remote

• Minimum commitment: at least 20 hours per week — this is a firm floor, not a target. Candidates who cannot commit to 20+ hours per week will not be considered.

• Requires access to a secure review interface and ability to handle PII

• Compensation: $100–$150/hr depending on experience tier

We consider all qualified applicants without regard to legally protected characteristics and provide reasonable accommodations upon request.

Contract and Payment Terms

• You will be engaged as an independent contractor.
• This is a fully remote role that can be completed on your own schedule.
• Projects can be extended, shortened, or concluded early depending on needs and performance.
• Your work at Mercor will not involve access to confidential or proprietary information from any employer, client, or institution.
• Payments are weekly on Stripe or Wise based on services rendered.
• Please note: We are unable to support H1-B or STEM OPT candidates at this time.

About Mercor

Mercor partners with leading AI labs and enterprises to train frontier models using human expertise. You will work on projects that focus on training and enhancing AI systems. You will be paid competitively, collaborate with leading researchers, and help shape the next generation of AI systems in your area of expertise.