Defensive Security Intern

Sun Life Financial; Ireland; On-site; EUR 12,000 - 18,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Mentorship

On-site Waterford

Job summary

Sun Life Financial is offering a Defensive Security Student Internship in Waterford for current third-year or master's students. The role focuses on securing systems, understanding VULs, and tuning alerts while learning from experienced red-team professionals.

The internship emphasizes hands-on experience in a financial services cybersecurity environment. You will work on real-world defensive security tasks, respond to security events, and contribute to control hardening and awareness

Qualifications

• Currently enrolled in a Bachelor's or Master's degree program in Cybersecurity, Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field.
• Must be returning to studies after the internship and able to provide confirmation from educational institution that placement is part of course requirements.

Responsibilities

• Respond to alerts from security controls (EDR, SIEM, IDS) and support remediation.
• Maintain QA standards across tickets in the internship process.
• Document findings clearly and update processes and tool documentation.
• Learn about attack vectors and contribute to security awareness initiatives.

Skills

Networking protocols

Operating systems

Cryptography basics

Authentication & authorization

Secure coding

Security tools (IDS/EDR/SIEM)

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in Cybersecurity/CS/IT

Tools

IDS

EDR

SIEM

Job description

You are as unique as your background, experience and point of view. Here, you’ll be encouraged, empowered and challenged to be your best self. You'll work with dynamic colleagues - experts in their fields - who are eager to share their knowledge with you. Your leaders will inspire and help you reach your potential and soar to new heights. Every day, you'll have new and exciting opportunities to make life brighter for our Clients - who are at the heart of everything we do. At Sun Life, we're driven by our Purpose: helping our Clients achieve lifetime financial security and live healthier lives. Our values shape how we work: caring, authentic, bold, inspiring, and impactful. When you join Sun Life, you'll work with passionate colleagues and empowering leaders who support your growth and celebrate your contributions, so you can make a meaningful difference in our Clients' lives. Discover how you can make a difference in the lives of individuals, families and communities around the world.

Job Description

Eligibility: Internship opportunities are open exclusively to current third-year degree students who are required to complete an internship or work placement as a mandatory part of their degree programme/coursework. Applicants must be returning to their studies following the internship and be able to provide confirmation from their educational institution that the placement forms part of their course requirements.

About Sun Life

Sun Life is a leading, global institution within the financial services and insurance sector, dedicated to safeguarding our clients' assets and data. In an increasingly complex digital landscape, our commitment to robust cybersecurity is paramount. We believe in fostering the next generation of cybersecurity talent and are excited to offer a unique opportunity for aspiring offensive security professionals to gain hands-on experience in a dynamic, high-impact environment.

The Opportunity: Defensive Security Student Internship

Are you a passionate and curious student with a keen interest in how systems and networks can be secured and hardened? Do you thrive on understanding vulnerabilities in systems and how to secure, harden and respond to alerts that may have triggered? Or Defensive Security internship offers an unparalleled chance to immerse yourself in the world of Defensive Security working along side seasoned experts to test and strengthen our defenses. This isn’t just about finding flaws and responding to alert; Its about understanding why alerts have generated, how we can effectively respond to the alerts and how we can harden our security controls to reduce exposure, strength our defensive security posture and tune alerts to effectively resolve issues. You’ll gain invaluable practical experience, bridging the gap between academic knowledge and real-world application.

Key Responsibilities

• Responding to alerts: Responding to alerts generated by our various security controls, including, EDR, SIEM, IDS and even various alerts generated by various other teams.
• Up-holding our accurate Quality assurance across tickets: As part of our ticketing process you will be expected to withhold the same standard across all tickets logged.
• Reporting & Remediation: Helping to document findings clearly and concisely, updating processes and documentations across all of our various tools.
• Security Awareness: Learning about the latest attack vectors and contributing to internal security awareness initiatives.

What We're Looking For

• Currently enrolled in a Bachelor's or Master's degree program in Cybersecurity, Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field.
• A strong foundational understanding of networking protocols (TCP/IP, HTTP/S), operating systems (Windows, Linux), and common web technologies.
• Basic understanding of common cybersecurity concepts such as cryptography, authentication, authorization, and secure coding principles.
• A basic understanding of various Security tools, IDS, EDR, SIEM – as these will be the tools used in our day to day a basic understanding would be beneficial.
• Eagerness to learn, a proactive attitude, and excellent problem-solving skills.
• Strong communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to articulate technical concepts clearly.

What You'll Gain Hands-on Experience

• Work directly on real-world systems in a critical industry.
• Mentorship: Learn from experienced offensive security professionals and red team operators.
• Exposure: Gain insight into the unique cybersecurity challenges and regulatory landscape of the financial services and insurance sector.
• Skill Development: Enhance your technical skills in Defensive Security Networking: Build connections within our cybersecurity team and the broader industry.
• Career Foundation: Lay a strong foundation for a successful career in offensive security.

Interns in this position will work fully on-site at our Waterford office for the duration of their internship.

Job Category: IT - Technology Services

Posting End Date: 23/10/2026

Shine together At Sun Life, you can be your most brilliant self. Our supportive, flexible, and inclusive work environment is one where you– and your career– can thrive. Whatever your aspirations, collaborative leaders and colleagues are ready to help you learn, grow, and succeed. Make life brighter We’re a global company with a passion for people. Our purpose is to help Clients achieve lifetime financial security and live healthier lives. As a team of 30,000 across 26 countries, our impact is far-reaching, and locally relevant There’s power in numbers. As part of Sun Life’s growing team, you have an impact on people in your community and around the world. Shape the future With an optimistic eye on a brighter future, we drive to innovate. Be part of leading change, push boundaries and try new ways of working. Use data to drive bold actions. Be agile and pivot as we test and learn. At Sun Life, we’re driving transformation, sustainability and innovation for our Clients, employees, partners, and communities. Join us. Together, we can make the future brighter. Join a top employer for a brighter future.