Cyber Security Internship Program

Internship Program for Post-Secondary Students in Cybersecurity

Tennessee Department of Finance and Administration, Strategic Technology Solutions Division

This program is for students attending Tennessee Universities/ Technical schools pursuing a degree in a field related to cybersecurity and covering one or more of the following areas: Governance, Policy, Compliance, Risk Management, Data Privacy, Security Architecture and Engineering, Asset Security, Network Security, Identity and Access Management, Security Assessment and Testing, Security Operations, Applications Software and Web Security, Contingency Planning, and Supply Chain Risk Management.

As a cybersecurity Intern, you will work closely with a team of experienced information security professionals to gain hands-on experience in a dynamic and fast-paced environment. You will have the opportunity to learn about various aspects of cybersecurity including processes, procedures, operations, and contribute to the development and implementation of security measures to protect the organization's systems and data.

To be considered for a State of Tennessee internship please supply the following documents:

  • Current resume
  • School transcripts
  • Letter of interest
  • 2 letters of recommendation -- it is encouraged to find individuals who can illustrate your qualifications, character, and commitment to public service.

Key Aspects of the Internship Program:

  • The Internship Program is for current students. Students hired into this program will be known as "Interns."
  • Position should be related to the Intern's academic career goals or field of study.
  • Provides college students valuable experience in the State workforce.
  • Paid position

Prerequisites:

  • A U.S. citizen or national.
  • Enrolled in or pursuing a degree on at least a half-time basis: current students in an accredited college (including 4-year colleges/universities, community colleges, and junior colleges); professional, technical, vocational, and trade school; advanced degree programs; or other qualifying educational institution pursuing a qualifying degree or certificate.
  • Applicants must possess a grade point average (GPA) of a 2.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0.
  • Must be at least 18 years of age at the outset of the internship
  • Must complete required Human Resources training by the end of the internship
  • Must be able to successfully complete a background check

Key Responsibilities:

This is an excellent opportunity for a highly motivated individual to gain practical experience in cybersecurity. The following is a list of cybersecurity related areas that you might be introduce to during the internship program:

1.       Cybersecurity Policy

  • Reviewing, and implementing changes to policies, standards, and procedures
  • Updating and monitoring the Policy SharePoint site.
  • Monitoring compliance with security policies across the State of TN

2.       Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery (BCDR):

  • Assist in the maintenance and improvement of BCDR security policies, procedures, and guidelines
  • Support the implementation and monitoring of BCDR security controls and technologies
  • Contribute to the development and implementation of business continuity and disaster recovery plans

3.       Data Privacy

In an increasing digital world, Tennessee state government handles vast amounts of sensitive data. Building a robust data privacy program is crucial to protect this information and maintain public trust.

  • Will be part of the building process, working on the data privacy website by keeping it populated with knowledgeable information to help state employees protect citizen data.
  • Will be part of daily meetings with agencies and legal teams as we discuss how state data needs to be handled if they are dealing with outside vendors who will store our data.
  • Work closely with security to ensure that data classified as sensitive is being secured with proper data protection controls.
  • Review any industry trends regarding types of data breaches we are seeing in the government space that we may need to be concerned about.
  • Help to rebuild the data privacy SharePoint with data privacy audits. 

4.       Vulnerability Management and Application Security

  • Scan enterprise systems for vulnerabilities and compliance settings, research impact of new vulnerabilities, ensure awareness of vulnerabilities to agency partners 
  • Perform application assessments and penetration testing 
  • Provide general security guidance and consulting to agency partners 

5.       Security Incident Response

  • Threat intelligence and threat hunting, using security tools and resources for investigating security incidents, and assisting the team with Security related projects.
  • Assisting the team with analyzing log events for Security offenses, events, and incidents generated by either Security tools and/or reported by State of Tennessee Customers.

6.       Compliance and Audit

  • Will work with internal and external personnel to facilitate roll out of compliance processes and train end users to interact with the system and educate them on the processes.
  • Process administrative tasks using Microsoft Word and Excel at the direction of the Compliance Officer.

7.       Cybersecurity Program Management

The intern will support the team on a number of process improvement initiatives including:

  • Cybersecurity content repositories and websites improvement
  • Coordination with internal and external stakeholders
  • Reviewing of service requests and assist in prioritization
  • Coordinate process improvement related project activities