How to Find and Get a Cybersecurity Internship

Expand your expertise and skill set with the Top cybersecurity internship programs. Explore how and where to get cybersecurity internships to move ahead and reach your dream career:

Getting an internship role can be the first step toward a successful cybersecurity career. It isn’t easy to jump into cybersecurity roles that require established experience. Even entry-level roles require proof of prior experience in the field.

Getting a cybersecurity internship role is one way to gain real-world cybersecurity experience. An internship provides an important pivotal entry point to opportunities in cybersecurity. It provides the avenue to develop the skills, in-depth understanding, and experience you need to excel as a cybersecurity professional in this industry.

Cyber Security Internships for Tech Aspirants

There is currently a shortage in the number of cybersecurity professionals globally, and many companies are now providing the platform to train new talent and prepare them for tasks ahead. This strategy is cost-effective compared with trying to employ entry-level or experienced experts, which does not come cheap.

This internship will provide you with the fundamental skills that are sought after by cybersecurity hiring managers. This article will help you develop valuable insights on how to secure a cybersecurity internship, what cybersecurity interns do, the benefits of seeking an internship role.

Also Read => Best online Cyber Security Training Courses

What Does a Cybersecurity Intern Do

Cybersecurity intern’s roles within a company are temporary, and the functions they perform vary by company, but they are usually used for basic or foundational cybersecurity tasks. They work closely with experienced professionals who teach them practical knowledge of various cybersecurity fields.

They can move from ground-zero experience to individuals with hands-on experience in monitoring network traffic to defend against malicious attacks, help scan the network to discover vulnerabilities within the system that may lead to attacks, help with analyzing the security logs, and sometimes may go more practical with conducting penetration testing.

They also take the lead in creating security awareness among other employees on how to take security very seriously and enforcing compliance with the security rules of the organization.

Here is the video on what a cybersecurity intern does in a day. The video creator has shared his experience:

Do Cybersecurity Interns Get Paid

Some companies do pay their interns stipends, some are on a salary structure. However, it’s important to know that some companies offer unpaid internships if you’re able to consider them but can give you recommendations for future employment. Interns’ payment can be determined by industry, level of experience, company size, and geographical location, but a good company will offer reasonable pay.

For instance, the average total pay for a cybersecurity intern in the US is between $15 – $30 per hour, $2000 – $5000 per month and $30,000 – $60,000 annually. This data is filtered from Glassdoors. However, interns can have other benefits like bonuses and profit sharing as mandated by the management.

Benefits of a Cybersecurity Internship

There are many benefits you can get from a cybersecurity internship which is more than the remuneration or the educational credit you will get. The following shows other benefits you gain from a cybersecurity internship:

• Work Experience: An internship will create opportunities for you to develop the work experience needed by employers for more senior cybersecurity roles which you can add to your resume. While doing your internship, you will learn from professionals who have relevant experience that will be beneficial for your career in the long run.
• Networking Opportunities: While doing your internship, you will meet and have regular interactions with different cybersecurity professionals with different job descriptions and backgrounds. What you will learn from them can catapult you to the top of your cybersecurity career. Some of these professionals who train you can also recommend you to an organization with cybersecurity entry-level positions.
• Job Opportunities: An internship in the long run can become full-time employment only if you have excellent performance during the internship. The company may decide to give you a contract or full-time appointment. The company can also give you a letter of recommendation that will help you secure a better job, so there are plenty of job opportunities that an internship will provide.
• Career Growth: An internship may become the first step in an illustrious career in cybersecurity. During your internship, you will experience what a normal working condition is before securing permanent employment. While doing your internship, you will know where your passion lies, whether you want to become a security analyst, penetration tester, web application security analyst, forensic engineer, IT Security engineer, or security researcher. it is during this period you will know what your skills and talents might be a better fit for.

What Skills Does a Cybersecurity Intern Need

• A cybersecurity intern may have a basic understanding of concepts like network protocols, computer systems, and IT Infrastructures.
• They can have basic knowledge of programming languages like JavaScript and Python, but not mandatory.
• He must have analytical thinking and problem-solving skills.
• Since he will be joining a team, then paying attention to detail, good communication, and collaboration skills will be very vital for you becoming successful in your role.

Types of Cybersecurity Internships

• Paid Internships: We have some internship roles that will be advertised and will require getting paid hourly, weekly, or monthly. Some of these internship roles will require you to go through rigorous interviews, while some are easy to secure. They are usually temporary for a project life that can be short-term or long-term.
• Credit Towards Graduation: Many colleges and universities offer a pathway where you can earn credits toward your degree program by completing an internship. This type of internship is usually during the holidays or school breaks and might be paid or unpaid.
• Job Shadowing: Job shadowing can also be called an externship. This is the type where an intern keeps following a cybersecurity professional to the field for days or several months. The motive is to learn on the job and become an expert on it; it is usually done without payment to the intern and the training sometimes is not fully detailed but it is a route to becoming a cybersecurity professional.

How to Get Cybersecurity Internships

Many individuals who are interested in it always ask the question of how to find cybersecurity internships. How to get cybersecurity internships is one of the easiest things that can be done online but with dedication and determination.

You will need to show passion that you need this role by tidying up your resume with relevant skills added, preparing for interviews, applying very early when there are opportunities, and ensuring that you get needed references from IT professionals.

If you want to land an immediate internship role you can focus on learning how to use some cybersecurity tools so you can become robust and proficient in using these essential cybersecurity tools and you can learn programming language like Python to carry out some scripting tasks.

Where to Find Cybersecurity Internships

There are many places online you can search for cybersecurity internships. Some can be done remotely, while some are physical. We have government-assisted and non-government internship programs.

#1) Government-Sponsored Internship Programs

Part of the internship programs that the Government usually organizes is the cybersecurity internship. In the United States, they have such programs yearly that you can always get yourself abreast with details and apply.

Website: https://careers.state.gov/interns-fellows/

#2) Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Student Program

This is an internship program organized by a US government agency called CIA and you will enjoy employee benefits throughout the internship period. The cybersecurity internship is open to graduates and undergraduates. During this internship, you will have the opportunity to work with professionals in the line of duty and gain real-world experience.

Website: https://www.cia.gov/careers/student-programs/

#3) National Security Agency (NSA) Student Program

The National Security Agency is one of the security agencies set up by the US government. They offer internships for high school and college students. This is a paid opportunity where you will collect a paycheck or scholarship money.

Website: https://www.intelligencecareers.gov/nsa/students-and-internships

#4) Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) Internship

CISA offers paid internships to qualified students who are enrolled in accredited institutions from high school to the graduate level for paid internships.

Website: https://www.cisa.gov/careers/work-rolescyber-and-it-interns

#5) Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Internship

The DHS Cybersecurity Internship Program is designed to allow current high school and college students to work with cybersecurity professionals in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Qualified Interns are selected from the high school, undergraduate, and graduate programs.

Website: https://www.dhs.gov/homeland-security-careers/cybersecurity-internship-program

#6) Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Cybersecurity Intern Program

FBI Internship program is the unique and perfect opportunity for students pursuing master’s degrees, or PhD and current junior and senior students who want to set their careers in motion by working alongside FBI professionals. It is a paid internship and can be a direct connection to full-time employment.

Website: https://fbijobs.gov/students-and-graduates#honors-internship-program

#7) IBM Internship Program

IBM’s programs will offer you opportunities to work on awesome projects on your first day and to make big contributions toward the security of the organization.

Website: https://www.ibm.com/careers/internships

 #8) Meta Students and Graduate Internship

If you are a recent graduate, a PhD student, or a student seeking an internship role, Meta offers internship opportunities for students and graduates who aspire to become a cybersecurity professional. You can work with Meta professionals and contribute to real-world projects.

Website: https://www.metacareers.com/careerprograms/students

Different Cybersecurity Intern Roles to Consider

#1) SOC Analyst Intern: The intern performs the role of monitoring and analyzing an organization’s enterprise network to detect and respond to threats. They investigate any potential security threats and help implement high-tech security tools like SIEM. Sometimes an intern will need the knowledge of SIEM tools like SolarWinds or Microsoft Azure Sentinel.

#2) Penetration Testing Intern: The intern performs the role of trying to break into an organization’s system by simulating cyber-attacks on the enterprise network to discover or identify where vulnerabilities exist within a system, network, or applications.

The intern will need to learn how to use tools like Metasploit, Burp Suite, and Nmap to carry out this attack. The intern will need to document findings and recommend remediation.

#3) Incident Response Intern: The intern helps respond to and mitigate security incidents, like breaches and malware attacks. The intern can assist in drafting an incident response plan and can learn how to use forensic tools that can help conduct malware analysis and digital forensics.

#4) Threat Intelligence Intern: The intern helps the team to research and analyze any current trends in cybersecurity and emerging cyber threats. They collect and analyze data from different sources, regularly monitoring the dark web for any potential cyber threats. They help develop threat reports as feedback to the entire team and stakeholders.

#5) Network Security Intern: The intern assists the team in securing an organization’s enterprise network. They help to configure and maintain network security firewalls, web applications firewalls, VPNs, and IDS.

They regularly monitor the network for any suspicious network traffic and should learn how to use tools like Wireshark and Nessus. They help create security awareness within the organization so that all employees will be alert to security threats.

#6) Application Security Intern: They play a big part during the software development lifecycle by ensuring the security of software applications. They assist with code reviews and vulnerability assessments. Learn how to use tools like OWASP ZAP, Burp Suite, and SonarCloud to help developers implement secure coding practices.

#7) Cloud Security Intern: Interns are very valuable in a cloud-based infrastructure environment where they focus on protecting all resources on the cloud infrastructure by checking for security misconfiguration and vulnerabilities. They help monitor the cloud environment with tools like the AWS Security Hub, CloudTrail, CloudWatch, and Azure Security Center.

#8) Digital Forensics Intern: They can help with cyber crime investigations and analyzing digital evidence. They can help to recover confidential information from a compromised system. The knowledge of file systems and data recovery techniques is good for this role. The intern will document all findings for further investigation or legal purposes.

#9) Cybersecurity Research Intern: These assist security researchers in researching emerging technologies used for cybersecurity, threats, and current trends within cybersecurity environments. They need strong research and writing skills to publish some of their findings via security blogs or whitepapers.

Tips to Make the Most of Your Cybersecurity Internship

#1) Eagerness to learn

Always demonstrate the eagerness and willingness to learn everything about the company’s cybersecurity policies and procedures. Always present at training sessions and organized meetings to learn from experienced professionals how they deliver on their job descriptions and other cybersecurity tasks.

#2) Fully Engage in hands-on Practical

The internship program will provide you with the opportunity to get dirty with several hands-on tasks using cybersecurity tools. Practice with different cybersecurity tools like firewalls, intrusion detection, and prevention systems to learn about security activities that occur within the network.

#3) Develop Good and Strong Relationships

Sign up to different online cybersecurity groups and connect with cybersecurity professionals on these platforms to build cordial relationships. This type of relationship is very important in your career growth as they will always provide expert guidance on any issues you may have, learn from their work ethic and they can connect you to employers in the cybersecurity field.

#4) Stay up-to-date

Ensure you are current with the latest cybersecurity news and trends. Read blogs on cybersecurity, and attend online cybersecurity webinars and physical conferences to improve your knowledge and skills.

#5) Pay attention to Detail

As an intern, it’s always important to pay attention to details of your job description. Pay close attention to the way your experienced and senior colleagues handled their assignments, checking the work procedures and guidelines to ensure you don’t make mistakes during execution.

FAQs on Cybersecurity Internships

Conclusion

Get ready to start a cybersecurity career by enrolling as a cybersecurity intern where you will learn how to use different cybersecurity tools without experience.

An internship in cybersecurity is one way to gain hands-on experience defending an enterprise network. It’s also a pathway to becoming a cybersecurity professional who will hold a management role like a chief information security officer (CISO). It’s a pathway to build a network and accelerate your chances of securing a permanent position.

Recommended Reading => Most Affordable And Free Online Cyber Security Degree Programs

Do not relent in learning as many things as possible. Be open to your line manager and ask questions when not clear on a line of action. Aside from the training you receive on the job, make sure you always have a self-training that involves online searches and many other personal endeavors.