Cybersecurity IT Systems Intern

Location: Blacksburg, VA (on-site) – 15 - 20 hours a week from August 1, 2026 to December 31, 2026 (10-week period determined from start date). Pay: $20/hour.

About VPT

VPT, Inc., is a global leader in power conversion solutions for avionics, military, space, and industrial applications. We're seeking a motivated Cybersecurity & IT Systems Intern to help protect, monitor, and maintain secure IT systems in a regulated manufacturing environment. You'll gain real-world experience working with modern enterprise tools, endpoint protection, and automated security processes.

Responsibilities

• Assist with day-to-day cybersecurity and IT support tasks across Windows, Azure, and Office 365 environments.
• Help identify and respond to security-related incidents and alerts.
• Use tools like FreshService for ticketing and documentation of security or IT issues.
• Research and troubleshoot errors, potential vulnerabilities, and misconfigurations using trusted sources and documentation.
• Support Fortinet security systems while applying secure configuration practices.
• Participate in user access reviews, MFA troubleshooting, and endpoint security checks.
• Learn to detect, escalate, and resolve issues that may indicate security risks.
• Assist with security-specific patch management, document mitigating CVE's, antivirus monitoring (CrowdStrike, Rapid7), and system hardening.
• Collaborate with IT and cybersecurity teams to maintain compliance with DoD and CMMC Level 2 requirements.

Requirements

• Studying or recently graduated in IT, Cybersecurity, Information Technology, or Computer Science.
• Must be enrolled in a participating SWVA CCI institution.
• Basic understanding of security Windows environments, Office 365 hardening, network security, endpoint protection tools, and ticketing systems.
• Interest in cybersecurity operations, incident response, and threat detection.
• Experience with or curiosity about SQL, VMware, Nutanix, and Fortinet.
• Strong problem-solving and communication skills.
• Comfortable researching issues online and learning independently.

Benefits

• Real-world exposure to cybersecurity operations in a DoD-regulated environment.
• Experience using enterprise IT and IT Security tools like FreshService, VMWare, Crowdstrike, Rapid7, and Action1.
• Mentorship from IT and cybersecurity professionals.
• A strong foundation for future roles in cybersecurity analysis, IT administration, or SOC operations.