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example, posts a paid internship in which undergraduates as-
sist cybersecurity officers in the work of analyzing, auditing, and
upgrading agency defenses against outside intrusion. The US
Department of Homeland Security offers the Cyber Student Vol-
unteer Initiative, a summer internship program in which graduate
and undergraduate students are guided in work projects and are
mentored by cybersecurity experts.

Skills and Personality
DSAs need excellent problem-solving skills to contend with the
many ways in which hackers seek to enter systems. They need
the persistence to address and resolve problems, challenges, and
breaches, and they need to be detail-oriented because they watch
over large amounts of system performance data to detect any
changes that might reveal a cyberattack in progress. They also
must have the patience to serve as educators for users who may
not be familiar with security software or be aware of the risks to
their own systems.

On the Job

Employers

DSAs work for private businesses, government agencies, and
nonprofit sectors such as education. Many work for companies
that design computer operating systems. Software firms and
computer manufacturers hire full-time, permanent security ana-
lysts to protect their products from the threat of intrusion. Oth-
er analysts are employed by financial and insurance firms that
require high-level security systems—and analysts to administer
them—to prevent the loss of customer data.
DSAs working as consultants—whether independently or
as part of a consulting firm—are hired by clients in private busi-
ness, government, education, and other fields. Their assignments
might last a few weeks to several years. They ensure that data,
passwords, communications such as e-mails, and other sensitive

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