Cybersecurity Analyst Intern

About the role

Leidos, a leading defense, intelligence, and technology company, is seeking motivated and aspiring cybersecurity students for its Summer 2027 Internship Program, starting in May 2027. As a Cybersecurity Analyst Intern, you will join the Digital Sector on the Global Solutions Management – Operations II (GSM-O II) contract at Fort Meade, MD.

Responsibilities

• Learn to triage and analyze security alerts from various sources (SIEM, IDS/IPS, NetFlow) to identify potential malicious activity on customer networks.
• Aid senior analysts in performing network traffic analysis and correlating actionable security events using raw packet data and custom sensor outputs.
• Shadow incident response efforts, learning how the team coordinates resources during containment, eradication, and recovery activities.
• Gain exposure to cyber threat intelligence by reviewing open-source feeds and learning how to identify Indicators of Compromise (IOCs) to improve detection capabilities.
• Practice conducting preliminary analysis of potential security incidents, such as investigating suspicious network connections and reviewing system logs for anomalous activity.
• Help create clear, concise technical documentation and incident reports for leadership and mission partners.

Requirements

• Citizenship & Clearance: Must be a U.S. citizen and eligible to obtain a DoD Secret security clearance.
• Education: Currently pursuing a degree in a relevant field such as Cybersecurity, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or Information Technology.
• Technical Foundation: A solid understanding of TCP/IP protocols, common networking ports (e.g., 80, 443, 21, 22), the OSI model, and principles of defense-in-depth.
• Cyber Frameworks: Academic knowledge of the Cyber Kill Chain methodology and/or the MITRE ATT&CK framework, and basic malware analysis concepts (static/dynamic analysis).
• Analytical Mindset: A proactive, eager-to-learn attitude with the ability to analyze security alerts and identify potential false positives.
• Teamwork: A collaborative attitude with strong written and verbal communication skills.

Qualifications

• Location: This internship is based on-site at Fort Meade, MD. All work must be performed on site – no teleworking opportunities. Candidates must have their own reliable transportation to the facility.

Skills

• Obtaining a CompTIA Security+ or CySA+ certification (or any certification that aligns with DoD 8570 IAT Level II) before the start date is strongly encouraged.
• Prior experience from home labs (e.g., VirusTotal, basic sandboxing), Capture the Flag (CTF) competitions, or class projects involving network defense.
• Familiarity with Enterprise SIEM platforms like Splunk or Elastic, Unix/Linux command line environments and Windows system administration, basic scripting and programming (e.g., Python, Bash), and Computer Network Defense (CND) domains: Protect, Detect, Respond, and Sustain.

Benefits

Pay Range: $48,100.00 - $86,950.00. The Leidos pay range for this job level is a general guideline only and not a guarantee of compensation or salary. Additional factors considered in extending an offer include (but are not limited to) responsibilities of the job, education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity, alignment with market data, applicable bargaining agreement (if any), or other law.

Company Info

Leidos is an industry and technology leader serving government and commercial customers with smarter, more efficient digital and mission innovations. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, with 47,000 global employees, Leidos reported annual revenues of approximately $16.7 billion for the fiscal year ended January 3, 2025. For more information, visit www.Leidos.com.

Pay and Benefits

Pay and benefits are fundamental to any career decision. That's why we craft compensation packages that reflect the importance of the work we do for our customers. Employment benefits include competitive compensation, Health and Wellness programs, Income Protection, Paid Leave and Retirement. More details are available at www.leidos.com/careers/pay-benefits.

Securing Your Data

Beware of fake employment opportunities using Leidos' name. Leidos will never ask you to provide payment-related information during any part of the employment application process (i.e., ask you for money), nor will Leidos ever advance money as part of the hiring process (i.e., send you a check or money order before doing any work).

Commitment to Non-Discrimination

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, race, ethnicity, age, national origin, citizenship, religion, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, pregnancy, family structure, marital status, ancestry, domestic partner status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran or military status, or any other basis prohibited by law. Leidos will also consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories consistent with relevant laws.