Hear from Jess, summer intern in Cyber

Introduction

I am currently a student of Applied and Computational Maths in UCD, going into my final year in September 2021. Coming from a mathematical background, I had previously completed modules in programming and cryptography before coming into Cyber, and it was interesting to see how this knowledge could be applied to practical business situations. I was able to learn quickly about the industry, as I was involved in projects within just a few days of my joining the company.

About the internship

Companies are quickly realising that cybersecurity is an essential element of business. This leads to cyber being a fast-paced and exciting industry. What drew me particularly to Deloitte was that I knew I would be working with the leading minds in Cyber Risk advisory. I’ve also had the opportunity to complete certifications of cybersecurity industry standards.

An internship with Deloitte is not your average summer internship. Within a few weeks of joining the team, I was trusted with confidential forensic engagements, including an internal investigation, and a number of other projects with major clients. The fact that the managers were giving me a lot of responsibility helped to build my confidence, especially in the first few weeks. I was also expected to speak up in meetings and contribute to projects as much as possible. It was encouraging to have my ideas listened to and supported by senior staff and management. This atmosphere is mirrored across the whole company.

About the projects

Forensic Engagements: I had the opportunity to work on a forensic engagement within the automotive industry. I was trusted to image laptops, desktops, and PCs, fill out the official documentation, and store the evidence. I was also tasked with writing up a process guide for employees to follow when faced with a similar engagement in the future. This allowed me to feel confident with the knowledge that I know how to carry out a forensic engagement of this kind going forward.

Incident Response: I worked on incident response for a company that experienced a breach of its security systems after being targeted by hackers. I reviewed documents that had potentially been leaked, and flagged any sensitive information that I came across. The pressing nature and high confidentiality of this project made it dynamic and exciting, and I learned a lot about quickly and accurately responding to a cyber-attack.

Infrastructure Review: I was involved in an infrastructure review for a semi-state body. My role focused on firewall management, which consisted of testing the strength of the company’s firewalls, writing a report on any vulnerabilities that were exposed and giving recommendations on how to fix these gaps. However, as the engagement went on, I was given more and more responsibility; I became involved in other areas of testing, and was trusted with editing and writing up large sections of the final report.

Inclusion in Deloitte Cyber

Starting into a traditionally male-dominated sector of industry as an intern, I was apprehensive about being taken seriously by my colleagues. Luckily, before I even got the job, my interviewers quelled this concern by mentioning to me the Women+ in Cyber network in Deloitte. Since joining I have become involved in the W+iC group and was delighted to see that employees of all different levels, from interns like myself to top senior management, are actively working together to address issues faced by women in the industry.

Name: Jess Wyer
College: UCD
Course: Applied and Computational Maths
Internship Intake: Summer 2021
Department Worked In: Risk Advisory - Cyber Risk

Interested in joining the team this summer?

Applications are now open for our 2022 Summer Internship Programme.

The deadline for all applications is 31st January 2022.