Have you just completed a degree in cyber security and are seeking an internship? Paid or unpaid, an internship is an invaluable way to gain experience in your industry of choice. It expands job opportunities, helps you network, and boosts your chances of securing an interview.
If you have been accepted into an internship program, congratulations! Here is what to expect from your first internship and tips on getting your dream role.
What Do Cyber Security Interns Do?
Shadow senior colleagues
In most cases, you will start out by observing how others do their work before getting hands-on experience. You could be watching screens to monitor a network for any suspicious activity, showing tools, or explaining key concepts.
For example, shadowing an internal investigator at a call centre. An employee at this centre is handling sensitive information like a customer's credit card details and sends the info to another employee. This violates their security policy. A computer program catches these violations and alerts the security team.
Monitor network traffic
Some interns spend time watching network activity and looking out for threats. This could involve using a tool (a dashboard with alerts) to ensure there is nothing suspicious.
If a user logs in, you will get an alert, and likewise if a user forgets their password multiple times. However, if there are multiple attempts to log in, it needs to be checked to ensure it is not a brute force cyberattack.
Helping with security incidents
When a computer is infected with malware, a cyber analyst might turn to an intern to check all websites the user visited within the last few hours. As an intern, you might run a query for analysis, such as what files are in the users' download folder.
That said, as a support person, you would not be responsible for making sure the computer does not infect other computers or removing the malware.
Data-related work
As an intern, you might carry out assignments from managers or analysts. For example, pulling data from a spreadsheet of users from day A to B and creating visuals of this data.
Graphs help you see how specific countries experienced more than one type of incident than others. This can be broken further by city.
Is a cyber security internship worth it? Yes.
- You may be exposed to different areas, such as vulnerability scans and watching how the tool worked
- You might learn about audit compliance work and how a cyber program complies with laws and regulations
- You will learn fields you are and are not interested in
- You learn communication skills with colleagues, such as talking about alerts you are unsure about
- You learn about how the corporate world works
- You gain confidence in new skills and abilities and apply knowledge to real-world scenarios
Learn more: Why Sydney is a Top City for Internships Across Industries.
How Do You Land Cyber Security Internships?
Network as much as possible. Create a strong LinkedIn profile, comment on people's posts, follow other cyber security professionals, and start asking questions. Once people see you are active on LinkedIn, recruiters may reach out to you for internships.
Review your resume. Talk about your interest in cyber security, such as participating in a bootcamp or having put projects into GitHub. And if you are a student, write about what you do in your free time in relation to cyber, tech, or IT. You build computers for fun!
Do you have experience working with people? Retail experience is relevant in terms of customer service skills, so you can speak to customers or stakeholders in a cyber environment.
Basic IT and coding skills, such as Linux or Python, to help you do your job faster.
Consider your grades. Although not every employee cares about them, some internships require you to have a GPA requirement.
Whether your mind is set on a security analyst job, cloud security risks, AI-driven security solutions or more complex security operations, Premium Graduate Placements helps you find cybersecurity training.
Find Cyber Security Internships: Talk to Us!
Just received your Bachelor's in Information Technology with a major in cybersecurity and want to break into the cybersecurity industry? Premium Graduate helps many students with cyber security internships in Australia.
We are not your ordinary placement provider, we offer
graduates:
- Access to hidden and off-market opportunities
- Have a network of over 6,200 host companies
- Customise your pre-placement preparation
- Have high employability outcomes (over 72% of placements turn into full-time positions)
Here are some types of cyber internships you can go into!
- Mobile security
- Network security
- Internet-of-thing security
- Cloud security
- Critical infrastructure security
An internship in cyber security can provide unique skills, experience, and networking opportunities. In a highly competitive job market, this type of internship can give a competitive advantage and open doors to some of Australia's largest companies.