Job Description

What Your Job Will Be Like:

We are seeking a CA Center for Cyber Defenders (CCD) R&D Undergraduate Summer Intern

CCD's mission is to build the next generation of cyber security experts through the identification and mentoring of highly skilled student researchers in the fields of computer science and cyber security. You will apply your knowledge and understanding of information security and best practices, data structures and algorithms, operating systems, and computer networks to advance cybersecurity research, solve our customer’s problems, and contribute to our national security mission.

On any given day, you may be called on to

• Work in Livermore California
• Leverage your skills across numerous domains, including software/hardware development, data analysis and machine learning, reverse engineering, and machine and network virtualization
• Team with Sandia cybersecurity subject matter experts and fellow interns to solve real-world problems with real-world national security impact
• Become a Sandia Cyber Defender and take the first step toward an impactful career in cybersecurity research and development addressing our nation's most challenging issues!

Salary Range:

At Sandia, we value the important work done by our interns and its contribution to National Security. Because of this, our interns earn competitive pay rates. Our pay structure is based on earned credit hours, classification, and degree level. Your pay rate will be determined during the hire process and included in your offer package. You can view the Intern Pay Rate chart here (https://www.sandia.gov/app/uploads/sites/51/2024/01/Student-Rate-Sheet\_2024.pdf) .

Qualifications We Require:

You bring the confidence and skills to be eligible for the job by meeting these minimum requirements:

• Currently attending and enrolled full time in the spring term immediately preceding the internship (or scheduled to graduate in the spring) in an accredited undergraduate program
• Pursuing a science, engineering, or math major
• Minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0/4.0
• Ability to work up to 40 hours per week during the summer
• Ability to secure and maintatin a U.S. security clearance which requires U.S. citizenship

Note: If you have not earned a HS diploma or equivalent, please apply to a high school intern position.

Qualifications We Desire:

• Have experience in at least one of the following programming languages: Python, C, C++, Java, Go, Perl, Ruby or R
• Have experience solving problems in a computer-related field, either in a formal research setting (e.g. academia, industry, or research institution) or through personal research and learning projects
• We are looking for interested candidates that desire or intend to pursue a graduate degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Cybersecurity, or related field.

With demonstrated knowledge in two or more of the following areas:

• System Administration and Security (e.g. user/group permissions, host firewalls, services, logging, basic networking)
• Digital Forensics and Incident Response (e.g. intrusion detection systems, log management, network traffic capture and analysis, disk and memory forensics, risk management frameworks)
• Binary Analysis / Reverse Engineering (e.g. source code auditing, IDA, Ghidra, YARA, assembly language, obfuscation/anti-debug bypass)
• Networking (e.g. network segmentation, network traffic analysis, DNS, routing, network firewalls)
• Hardware Security design and verification (assembly language, VHDL/Verilog, equivalence checking, hardware emulation)
• Virtualization and Cloud Technologies (e.g. minimega, VMware, Virtualbox, qemu/kvm, kvirt, AWS/Azure/GCP/OCI, cloud telemetry and logging, virtual machine introspection)
• Machine Learning and Data Science (e.g. pytorch, tensorflow, scikit-learn, Large Language Models.)
• Experience conducting research in a computer-related field, such as Computer Science, Cyber Security, or Computer Engineering

Posting Duration:

This posting will be open for application submissions for a minimum of seven (7) calendar days, including the ‘posting date’. Sandia reserves the right to extend the posting date at any time.

About Our Team:

The CCD intern program seeks outstanding undergraduate and graduate students to work on diverse, motivated teams performing research that has a real-world impact on critical national security issues.

Interns work closely with Sandia researchers and other interns on R&D assignments that focus on applying computer science, computer engineering, or cybersecurity skills to solve complex challenges.

Based on your skills and experience, your role may include anything from research to software development to malware reverse engineering.

About Sandia:

Sandia National Laboratories is the nation’s premier science and engineering lab for national security and technology innovation, with teams of specialists focused on cutting-edge work in a broad array of areas. Some of the main reasons we love our jobs:

• Challenging work with amazing impact that contributes to security, peace, and freedom worldwide
• Extraordinary co-workers
• Some of the best tools, equipment, and research facilities in the world
• Career advancement and enrichment opportunities
• Flexible work arrangements for many positions include 9/80 (work 80 hours every two weeks, with every other Friday off) and 4/10 (work 4 ten-hour days each week) compressed workweeks, part-time work, and telecommuting (a mix of onsite work and working from home)
• Generous vacations, strong medical and other benefits, competitive 401k, learning opportunities, relocation assistance and amenities aimed at creating a solid work/life balance*

World-changing technologies. Life-changing careers. Learn more about Sandia at: http://www.sandia.gov*These benefits vary by job classification.

Security Clearance:

Sandia is required by DOE to conduct a pre-employment drug test and background review that includes checks of personal references, credit, law enforcement records, and employment/education verifications. Applicants for employment need to be able to obtain and maintain a DOE L-level security clearance, which requires U.S. citizenship. If you hold more than one citizenship (i.e., of the U.S. and another country), your ability to obtain a security clearance may be impacted.

Applicants offered employment with Sandia are subject to a federal background investigation to meet the requirements for access to classified information or matter if the duties of the position require a DOE security clearance. Substance abuse or illegal drug use, falsification of information, criminal activity, serious misconduct or other indicators of untrustworthiness can cause a clearance to be denied or terminated by the DOE, resulting in the inability to perform the duties assigned and subsequent termination of employment.

EEO:

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, or veteran status and any other protected class under state or federal law.

NNSA Requirements for MedPEDs:

If you have a Medical Portable Electronic Device (MedPED), such as a pacemaker, defibrillator, drug-releasing pump, hearing aids, or diagnostic equipment and other equipment for measuring, monitoring, and recording body functions such as heartbeat and brain waves, if employed by Sandia National Laboratories you may be required to comply with NNSA security requirements for MedPEDs.

If you have a MedPED and you are selected for an on-site interview at Sandia National Laboratories, there may be additional steps necessary to ensure compliance with NNSA security requirements prior to the interview date.

Job ID: 694085

Job Family: 91

Regular/Temporary Position: T

Full/Part-Time Status: F

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.