Internship Embedded Security Jobs in Illinois (NOW HIRING)

Leidos, a leading defense, intelligence, and technology company, is seeking motivated and aspiring cybersecurity students for ourSummer 2027 Internship Program (Starts May 2027). As aCybersecurity Analyst Intern, you will join ourDigital Sectoron the Global Solutions Management - Operations II (GSM-O II) contract atScott AFB, IL. This is a unique opportunity to gain hands-on experience in a real-world security environment, contributing to the operations, sustainment, and active defense of the Defense Information System Network (DISN) in support of the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA).

Your Opportunity:

Are you ready to move beyond the classroom and hunt for real-world threats? As a member of our Scott AFB cybersecurity team, you will be embedded directly with seasoned Security Operations Center (SOC) analysts who protect and defend critical DoD infrastructure. You will gain exposure to enterprise-grade security tools, threat intelligence analysis, and incident response strategies, gaining hands-on cyber operations experience that truly matters.

What You'll Do (Potential Projects & Learning Opportunities):

• Learn to triage and analyze security alerts from various sources (SIEM, IDS/IPS, NetFlow) to identify potential malicious activity on customer networks.
• Assist 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.

What You'll Bring (Required):

• Citizenship & Clearance:Must be a U.S. citizen andeligible 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.
• Location:This internship is basedon-site at Scott AFB, IL.All work must be performed on site - no teleworking opportunities. We encourage applications from students attending colleges and universities in theSt. Louis, MO metro area, and candidates must have their own reliable transportation to the facility.

What We Want (Desired):

• Certifications:Obtaining aCompTIA Security+ or CySA+certification (or any certification that aligns with DoD 8570 IAT Level II) before the start date isstrongly encouraged.
• Hands-On Experience: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).
  • Computer Network Defense (CND) domains: Protect, Detect, Respond, and Sustain.

If you're looking for comfort, keep scrolling. At Leidos, we outthink, outbuild, and outpace the status quo - because the mission demands it. We're not hiring followers. We're recruiting the ones who disrupt, provoke, and refuse to fail. Step 10 is ancient history. We're already at step 30 - and moving faster than anyone else dares.

The Leidos pay range for this job level is a general guideline onlyand 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.