Cybersecurity Intern

McDonald's Corporation • Chicago, IL

3d • Onsite

About The Position

The Cybersecurity Intern will join McDonald’s Global Cyber Security (GCS), which enables innovation and growth within a clear risk tolerance. GCS works to embed cybersecurity into the company’s culture through proactive defense, innovation, and collaboration. After initial training, the intern will work with a full-time team on real-world cybersecurity challenges and learn about the business. The work may involve threat detection and mitigation, IT and third-party risk assessment, data protection, application security, and tracking the remediation and prevention of security exploits.

The internship is based at McDonald’s global headquarters in Downtown Chicago. The intern must be willing to relocate to the Chicagoland area, if applicable, for the internship’s duration; a housing stipend is offered. The program runs full time, Monday through Friday, for 10 weeks from June 7, 2027, through August 13, 2027. Interns may participate in the Summer Hours program and will take part in events such as executive speaker sessions, learning sessions, peer lunches, and employee business network sessions. The internship pays $32 per hour and is bonus eligible. The role offers health and welfare benefits, including medical, prescription drug, mental health, dental, vision, and life insurance coverage.

Requirements

• Be a junior working toward a bachelor’s degree, with an expected graduation date in Fall 2026 or Spring 2027.
• Be inquisitive and enjoy problem solving with innovative ideas and new approaches.
• Take initiative to apply learning and deliver high-quality results.
• Be able to organize and present ideas compellingly.
• Be authorized to work in the United States and not require visa sponsorship for the internship or future employment.
• Work full time, Monday through Friday, for the full 10-week internship period.
• Be willing to relocate to the Chicagoland area for the duration of the internship, if applicable.

Nice To Haves

• Pursuing a preferred major such as Cybersecurity, Information Technology, Information Security, Computer Science, or another technology-related degree.
• Completed coursework, academic projects, or other activities related to cybersecurity or a related technical area.
• Basic understanding of cybersecurity concepts such as cyber threats, zero trust, authentication and authorization, incident management, risk and compliance, and SecOps.
• Exposure to cybersecurity and software development tools such as Python, Active Directory, vulnerability scanning tools, or JIRA.
• Demonstrated leadership through internships, student groups, professional organizations, or community involvement.

Responsibilities

• Use threat intelligence, automation, and analytics to improve security operations and evaluate security measures through offensive and defensive testing.
• Assess IT risks and work with vendors and service providers to identify exposure associated with third-party services.
• Embed data security into business processes and protect against data risks.
• Evaluate, educate, guide, and streamline processes to mitigate application risks in partnership with development teams.
• Track the detection and remediation of security exploits with resource owners across Global Technology to prevent incidents.

Benefits

• Housing stipend
• Flexible work arrangements
• Summer Hours program eligibility
• Health insurance, including medical, prescription drug, mental health, dental, and vision coverage
• Life insurance
• Bonus eligibility
• Tuition assistance
• Sabbatical program

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Intern