As you start your internship hunt, you may discover that many cybersecurity professionals need prior experience, even for entry-level roles. Getting a cybersecurity internship is one approach to receiving practical security experience. When pursuing an internship in a cutthroat industry like cybersecurity, nothing is more important than experience.
Cybersecurity is a dynamic, constantly-evolving field; therefore, interns must be adaptable and quick learners with cutting-edge technology. Internships may also aid your ability to build a network in the cybersecurity industry. It’s not just about what you know in such a cutthroat industry; it’s also about who you know. The contacts interns make with professionals in their fields and other program interns. With highly thought-out program components, including a keynote speaker series, multiple networking opportunities, mentors, and peer placements, interns expand their professional networks.
This blog will help you to learn what cybersecurity interns perform and what kind of internship for graduate is available. Additionally, you’ll learn more about the advantages of looking for an internship and how to make the most of your internship experience.
What Does An Intern In Cybersecurity Do?
Depending on the company, an internship position in cybersecurity may differ. Cybersecurity internships can encompass essential administrative duties related to technology and data security. This includes reading and replying to emails, organising documents or other digital resources, looking into and evaluating the company’s IT policies, and examining new security tools and techniques. Projects with a stronger emphasis on cybersecurity are also open to interns.
This work includes doing system audits, maintaining the network, participating in or helping to lead security awareness training, and assisting in developing new digital systems or platforms. Both administrative work and cybersecurity initiatives may benefit students participating in internship programs. While collaborating with specialists in the industry on operational information systems, interns can hone their business communication abilities.
Types Of Internships Available
When considering internships, remember that not all are created equal and that some are more structured than others. Students seeking internships ought to conduct their homework and select the one that is the best fit for them. Moreover, internships for students in universities or other institutions might get assistance with this decision from career counsellors and internship placement programs.
Paid Internships:
Even while paid internships seem to be the most alluring to job seekers, they may be harder to find and secure than unpaid ones. The majority of the time, full-time job offers come after paid internships. Large organisations and private enterprises are more likely to offer paid internships. When hired for a paid internship, interns are frequently paid hourly. However, they may alternatively get a salary or a lump sum. Paid internships are far less lucrative than total- or part-time employment in the same field. Still, they are, nonetheless, extremely significant because they frequently result in full-time positions.
Unpaid Internships:
The only goal is to give participants on-the-job training and prepare them for the field. Paid internships are less common than unpaid internships, typically for a short duration. Summer internships are the most common type of unpaid internships. These internships are outstanding, and the knowledge and experience they provide are priceless for the future.
Internships For Credits:
Internship for credit There are many ways to compensate students for their internship, including financial rewards. Colleges and universities typically accept internships as a means for students to earn college credits. For internship credits, many schools will have different criteria and specifications.
Benefits Of An Internship In Cybersecurity
Building Skill-Set
Using your cybersecurity knowledge in a real-world business environment might be a great approach to build your skills more quickly. You might get the opportunity to work with various security software during an internship, including firewalls, antivirus programs, packet sniffers, vulnerability scanners, and network security monitoring tools. Depending on the role, you might also practice your programming skills by creating scripts and automating processes. Working as a team, whether in person or virtually, also offers the chance to hone crucial soft skills. Spend this time improving your communication, problem-solving, and critical thinking skills.
Networking And Mentorship
As an intern, you’ll probably have the opportunity to interact with cybersecurity professionals from various backgrounds and professions. Additionally, you might collaborate cross-functionally with different company teams. These connections can occasionally result in future job chances. You can potentially be placed with a manager or more experienced cybersecurity team member as an intern. This individual might act as your mentor during your internship and, in certain situations, for the rest of your career.
Tips For Cybersecurity Internships:
Here are some suggestions on discovering a cybersecurity internship that meets your needs and how to make the most of the chance if you consider getting one.
Fill out many internship applications. Giving oneself options is a good idea because some programs can be competitive.
Be eager to learn, but keep in mind that you have a job to do as well. Ask numerous inquiries.
Create connections with the people you meet. Inquire about having lunch together to discuss a project that someone at the company is working on if it interests you.
Create a work history. To include in your CV, keep note of the projects you work on and the security software you use. If at all possible, consider finding measurements to gauge your impact.
Start building job-ready cybersecurity skills with the ECA Internships. Enrol in the best internship programs to move one step closer to realising your dream of working in the field.
Demand in the field of data analytics, cyber security, cloud native architecture, blockchain and IT has been on a rise since the last few years. While the demand has been robust most universities have not upgraded their curriculum to equip their IT and software engineering students with skills essential to fill up these positions.
More often than not we see self-driven students taking up certification courses to upskill and improve their chances of recruitment. However, for most companies, finding the right talent with the desired skill set still remains a challenge. Hence, at ECA Internships we suggest our partners to hire multiple student interns for these positions before making a decision on a full-time recruit. Here is a list of university programs that are doing a job of teaching relevant skills to students and preparing them to be job ready.
The University of Melbourne
They are ranked No. 1 in Australia for Computer Science and Statistics – they have a master’s program in data science. The master’s program has both a 2 year full-time and a 4 year part time option. Another feature of this course is that students complete and present a detailed capstone project – where they get to apply data science tools to a real-world project to showcase their skills.
University of Melobourne
Monash University
MS in Data Science is a two-year full-time program at Monash. The core coursework covers data science objectives, data analysis, data pre-processing and visualisation. Students then have the option to choose electives to sharpen their skills in machine learning, learning from semi-structured data like text, and big data handling. The course also focuses on Python and R (two of the most popular open-source programming languages for data analysis), Hadoop and Spark (for distributed processing). Recruiting interns from the program can help you access the student before you hire full-time.
The master’s of Data Science program at La Trobe has a few unique features. Besides focusing on core data science subjects, the students here can choose advanced subjects such as big data high-performance programming, computational intelligence for analytics, cloud systems development, analysis of repeated measures data, meta-analysis, and bioinformatics technologies. As a recruiter you can cherry pick students for an internship based on the electives they are pursuing.
La Trobe University
RMIT
Master of Blockchain Enabled Business is offered as a full-time and part-time program at RMIT. The unique program equips students with skills to manage blockchain in public and private enterprises, through a multi-disciplinary curriculum that brings together in-depth theoretical and practical learning. Students learn about blockchain and the economy, cryptofinance and fintech, building and using smart contracts, blockchain for trade, and the legal, ethical, accounting and regulatory aspects of new technologies while pursuing the course. Students enrolled in this course can be great interns or hires for companies exploring blockchain and its implications in their industry.
RMIT
Deakin University
Deakin has several options for students to choose from in the field of cybersecurity. From undergraduate programs to specialised masters. Completing an internship is mandatory for students pursuing these programs. If your cybersecurity team is growing – a structured internship program can assist them in hiring the right talent.
A Specialist Major in Cybersecurity and System Administration is available for students pursuing a degree in IT & Computer Science from the university. The major provides an opportunity for the students to gain specialist technical knowledge and practical skills in understanding the security threats and challenges associated with digital transformation and IT enabled solutions. It will allow proficiency in identifying, diagnosing, analysing and handling the challenges associated with computer crime, sound understanding of concepts associated with digital forensics, and expert skills in evaluating software for security vulnerabilities, performing risk assessments, designing and securing operating systems, networks, websites and databases, and responding to cyber security incidents. Recruiting interns who have opted for this major can be a great way to access them and see if they are a good fit.
IT Masters is an industry-based education company partnered with Charles Sturt University to develop a unique series of online IT postgraduate degrees ranging from cyber security to IT management to digital marketing. The Graduate Certificate in Computing (Career Transition) is designed to retrain and upskill working professionals who are looking for significant career growth in the IT industry. The course is designed to develop specialised technical, communication and critical thinking skills alongside certified industry mentors. The courses are a 50/50 partnership between CSU’s excellent academic lecturers and IT Masters’ high-profile industry experts. Many of the subjects prepare students to sit the world’s most in-demand cyber security industry certifications (e.g. CISSP, CEH, Security+), giving you an intern well on their way to becoming an expert in their field.
IT Masters and Charles Sturt University
ECA Internships have assisted 500+ companies hire over 7500 interns over the last few years. Over 65% of our interns get recruited full-time in the industry they interned in. If your HR department needs help in recruiting the right student intern fill out the form below for a free one-on-one consultation session with our student recruitment expert. Host Company Form
Internships are often thought as one of the first steps when collecting “real-world” experience, encounters, and environments. An internship can be a great portfolio enhancer, provide learning lessons for students, and allow for the “application” process of academic studies to be utilized. At ECA Internships, our goal is to assist students looking to transition from academic studies to corporate settings.
“Cybersecurity” internships are not the most common types of positions offered in the corporate industry due to its requirement of skill specialties, a risk of breaching company confidentiality, and the specific requirements needed when being a security intern.
In addition to the scarcity of internships offered overall, the competition is intense with individuals competing against talented, skilled, and advanced students all around the nation/world.
Types of Cybersecurity Internships
There are five main types of cybersecurity internships offered to students. These five types of internships can be broken down into multiple sub-internship positions. Keep this idea in mind when applying for a security intern position and building your resume.
Cybersecurity Analyst: As an analyst you will support a team of people to identify and assess the capabilities, activities, and logs of an adversary. You will be expected to collect, analyze, process, and disseminate cyber alerts or threats while assessing the network for any potential alerts. In addition to monitoring the network, an analyst intern is responsible for incorporating security policies, implementing security awareness, and establishing a plan to combat potential threats.
Security Assurance: Perform gap analysis of existing controls/regulations. As an intern you will compile and record controls for compliance while working with additional business units to catch and quickly mitigate potential security risks. An intern could also assist in publishing risk reports, conducting a risk assessment, creating/collecting required documentation, and configure reports/user account management.
Application Security: Assist and perform in activities such as penetration testing to review internal applications of an enterprise. Highlight any vulnerabilities to remediate efforts or develop new automations to harden system applications. Gain an understanding and participate in the secure software development lifecycle. Provide viable feedback and input for an organization to improve the overall security of a system. Follow and demonstrate an understanding of the penetration testing methodologies laid out through specific standards. Probe and scan for vulnerabilities in client and standard applications.
Security Management: Assist in the creation and review of policy documentation, develop additional security awareness training materials while supporting any additional problems with the training. Help the security management team in activities associated with security awareness and risk compliance. Create news articles, communication emails, and deployment of security products. Develop and procure business continuity and recovery procedures. Research and recommend overall security upgrades to an enterprise’s network.
Network Management: Participate in the development/deployment of computer networks with a overall “security” in mind. Integrate and administer a network regarding switches, routers, firewalls, and network security appliance management. Respond and remediate security alerts regarding the network. Identify, implement, review, create, and define requirements for information security. Notify and alert other teams when system alerts have appeared. Reduce and remediate the efforts in false positives.
Building your resume
The ideal cybersecurity candidate has a mixture of technical and soft skills.
On the technical side, most employers want proof that you are:
Grounded in IT fundamentals: e.g. networking, systems administration, database management, web applications, etc.
Versed in day-to-day operations: e.g. physical security, networks, server equipment, enterprise storage, users, applications, etc.
For soft skills, they’re looking for candidates who:
Know how to communicate with non-IT colleagues and work in a team
Understand business procedures & processes
Love to solve complex puzzles and unpick problems
How to Gain Practical Cybersecurity Experience
Self-Directed Learning
Teach yourself to code. (Experts recommend this again and again.)
Build your own computer and security lab using old PCs, your own wireless router with firewall, network switch, etc. Practice securing the computer and network, then try hacking it.
Create an open-source project.
Participate in cybersecurity contests and training games. e.g. Wargames, Capture the Flag competitions (CTFs), etc.
Look for vulnerabilities on open-source projects and sites with bug bounties. Document your work and findings.
Guided Training
Pair your cybersecurity certification exams with side projects that utilize the same skills.
Offer to help your professor or employer with security-related tasks.
Take free online cybersecurity Programs and Pre-assessment tests.
Invest in training courses over and above your degree.
Networking and Volunteering
Join LinkedIn groups, professional networks and security organizations.
Attend local security group meetings and events.
Collaborate with a team (at work or in school) on a cybersecurity project.
Volunteer at IT and cybersecurity conferences.
Volunteer to do IT security work for a non-profit or charity.
Further Steps
Read IT and security magazines/news sites and blogs.
Bookmark useful cybersecurity websites.
Keep tabs on cybersecurity message boards like Information Security Stack Exchange.
Run a background check on yourself to see if there are any existing red flags, then determine what you can do to address them. Security is a sensitive field and employers are looking for ethical candidates.