Defensive Security Intern

sunlife; Waterford; On-site; EUR 12,000 - 17,000; Full time

Job summary

Sun Life is inviting enthusiastic third-year students to join our Defensive Security Student Internship. You will work on hardening systems, analyzing alerts, and learning how security controls like EDR, SIEM and IDS operate in a financial services environment.

You'll gain hands-on experience, mentorship from seasoned professionals, and exposure to regulatory considerations while contributing to our security posture and incident response readiness. This is an on-site internship in Ireland.

Qualifications

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

Responsibilities

• Responding to alerts generated by security controls (EDR, SIEM, IDS).
• Upholding quality across tickets in the ticketing process.
• Reporting and remediation: documenting findings and updating documentation across tools.
• Security awareness: learning about attack vectors and contributing to awareness initiatives.

Skills

Networking fundamentals

Security concepts

Problem solving

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor's or Master's degree in Cybersecurity

Bachelor's or Master's in Computer Science

Bachelor's or Master's in Information Technology

Tools

EDR

SIEM

IDS

Security tools

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

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