Facebook Cyber Security Engineer Interview Process

Cyber Security Engineers, through a combination of knowledge of systems and network security and a range of engineering skills, design, build, and maintain safe and reliable systems. Security engineers are responsible for discovering vulnerabilities in systems, threat modeling, conducting assessments, forensics, and incident response.

Cyber Security jobs at Facebook are crucial for maintaining security in front-end and back-end services.

If you’re preparing for a Cyber Security Engineer interview, check out our technical interview checklist, interview questions page, and salary negotiation ebook to get interview-ready! Also, read How to Get Software Engineering Jobs at Facebook and Facebook Process Interview Guide for specific insights and guidance on Facebook tech interviews.

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Landing an offer at Facebook can get quite competitive. This article will help you understand the Facebook Cyber Security Interview process and help you with your prep:

• Hiring Criteria for Cyber Security Engineers at Facebook
• Facebook Cyber Security Engineer Interview Process
• How to Prepare for the Facebook Cyber Security Engineer Interview
• Facebook Cyber Security Engineer Interview Questions
• Prepare for Your Next Facebook Interview with Interview Kickstart
• Facebook Cyber Security Engineer Interview FAQs

Hiring Criteria for Cyber Security Engineers at Facebook

To qualify for the position of Cyber Security Engineer at Facebook, you will have to meet these minimum requirements:

• B.S. in Computer Science or a related field; or equivalent experience.
• Experience communicating and working successfully in cross-functional environments.
• Experience building large-scale distributed systems.
• 4+ years of software development experience.

Additionally, Facebook prefers to hire candidates with one or more of these qualifications:

• M.S. or PhD. in Computer Science or a related field; or equivalent experience.
• Technical depth in at least one of the following areas: Authentication, Public Key Infrastructure, Authorization, Key Management Systems, Applied Cryptography.
• Proficiency in modern C++
• Experience leading large-scale projects across teams.
• Experience designing and implementing back-end security-enhancing features.

The responsibilities of a Cyber Security Engineer at Facebook include:

• Designing and implementing systems that prevent and minimize security risks for Facebook’s infrastructure and data.
• Coding, primarily using C++, Python, PHP/Hack, Golang, and Java.
• Conducting design and code reviews.
• Analyzing and improving scalability, efficiency, and stability for the assigned product area or systems.
• Identifying and driving changes required for the assigned product area, codebase, or systems.
• Interfacing with other teams; incorporation of innovations.

Facebook Cyber Security Engineer Interview Process

Facebook’s Cyber Security Engineer Interview process is similar to Facebook’s Software Engineer interview process.

The Cyber Security interview process comprises three main stages:

1. Initial Technical Screen/Phone Screen Interview

2. Onsite Interview
3. Behavioral Interview

The interview process at Facebook lasts for 6-8 weeks, on average.

Initial Technical Screen/Phone Screen Interview

First, a phone interview will be conducted by a Facebook Engineer, during which you’ll be introduced to Facebook, the organization, and its interview process.

Next, your experience and career aspirations will be analyzed. This lasts for around 10-15 minutes. Finally, you’ll be given a coding assignment to be solved using an online remote editor. You will be given 30 minutes to complete the assignment.

Recommended Reading: How to Prepare for and Crack Phone Screen Interviews at FAANG

Onsite Interviews

The onsite interview will comprise up to 5 rounds of interviews, all conducted on a single day. Each interview will last for about 45-60 minutes.

• Coding Interview

This interview will feature algorithms and data structures questions similar to those asked in a Facebook SDE interview. However, questions asked in the Facebook Security Engineer interview are comparatively easier.

• System Design Interview

You may have to appear for up to two system design interviews. In each interview, you’ll have to design a high-level modern technology system, like a social media platform or a Facebook feature, focusing on security, scalability, and reliability aspects. You’ll be required to explain and justify your design and choices to the interviewer.

• Cyber Security System Design Interview

At this interview, you’ll be required to develop a suitable approach to solve a given cyber security problem.

Behavioral Interview

Your work experiences and motivations for joining Facebook will be assessed in this round. Interviewers will also assess your level of self-awareness and approach to real-life, situational issues.

Quick Tip: Substantiate your answers with anecdotes and examples from your professional career. 

Here are some of the most commonly asked behavioral questions asked at tech interviews. This can help you better prepare for your behavioral interview.

Check out this complete Facebook interview guide for detailed information on the interview process at Facebook.

Facebook Cyber Security Engineer Hiring Decision Process 

If you successfully clear the various rounds of interviews, a candidate review meeting will be held to assess your overall interview performance and whether an offer should be extended to you.

If there is no consensus on your interview performance, you may be asked to appear for a follow-up interview. At the end of this process, a ‘hire’ or ‘no-hire’ recommendation is made.

If you’re hired, the hiring committee will decide on a suitable compensation package based on your skills and experience and make you an offer.

Hesitant about negotiating a salary offer? Read The Ultimate Guide to Salary Negotiation at FAANG for Software Engineers to hone your negotiation skills and get an offer that matches your value.

How to Prepare for the Facebook Cyber Security Engineer Interview

The first step of your tech interview prep should be to make a plan of action. If you’re confused about where to start, you can avail the guidance of FAANG hiring managers at Interview Kickstart.

Important Topics to Prepare for Facebook’s Cyber Security Interview

Outlined below are some important topics to focus on during your prep for your Facebook Cyber Security Engineer Interview:

Coding Topics

• Programming Languages
• Data Structures: Arrays, Trees, Stacks, Recursion
• Algorithms: Binary Search, Insertion Sort, Bubble Sort, Selection Sort, Breadth-First Search
• Object-Oriented Design
• Databases
• Distributed Computing
• Operating Systems
• Internet Topics

System Design

• Designing complex architecture systems and platforms focusing on security
• Product Features

Behavioral

• Leadership
• Why Facebook?

Cyber Security

• Basic Security Concepts
• Application Security/Source Code Analysis
• XSS Types
• Web Vulnerabilities
• OS Internals
• Malware/Exploits
• SQL Injections

Facebook Cyber Security Engineer Interview Questions

Following are some sample interview questions:

• Given an array of integers, find any non-empty subarray whose elements sum up to zero. (Solution)
• Given a binary tree, check if it is a binary search tree. A valid BST does not have to be complete or balanced. (Solution)
• Given the root node of a binary tree T, modify that tree in place, and transform it into the mirror image of the initial tree T. (Solution)
• Find all palindromic decompositions of a given string ‘s.’ (Solution)
• Given a set of key-value pairs, for each unique key, find 1) the number of values and 2) the greatest value, lexicographically. (Solution)
• You’re given an array of n non-negative integers. Find the maximum difference between 2 consecutive numbers in the sorted array of the given integers. (Solution)
• Design a scheduler in Python.
• How would you respond to a security incident that takes place with X and Y characteristics?
• Assess the security risk of a given app, service, or network with X and Y characteristics and make recommendations.
• Find the vulnerability in this (given) code snippet.
• Reverse engineer this (given) code.
• Given an attacker technique ‘X,’ how would you detect it?
• How will you test for SQL injections?
• How would you test for XSS?
• How would you respond to an email informing you of a bug in an application?
• How would you design security for Facebook’s Messenger Application from scratch?

Check out our complete list of system design questions and solved technical questions for more practice. 

Prepare for Your Next Facebook Interview with Interview Kickstart

If you’re confused about how to apply or prepare for the interview, let our experts show you the way. Interview Kickstart offers interview preparation courses taught by instructors from FAANG and other Tier-1 companies, experienced hiring managers, and tech leads at coveted companies. Interview Kickstart is a powerhouse of expertise and knowledge on how to crack FAANG interviews.

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Facebook Cyber Security Engineer FAQs

• How long does the Facebook Cyber Security Interview process last?

The Facebook Cyber Security Interview process is conducted over 6-8 weeks, from the time your application is shortlisted.

• How much does a Cyber Security Engineer at Facebook make?

The average total compensation of a Facebook Cyber Security Engineer in the U.S. is $105,767 per year.

• How many times can I apply for a job at Facebook?

You can submit up to three job applications every 90 days. Make sure you apply for roles that match your skills and work experience for a better chance of being selected.