Research Cybersecurity Co-op - Summer​/Fall

Established nearly two centuries ago, FM is a leading mutual insurance company whose capital, scientific research capability and engineering expertise are solely dedicated to property risk management and the resilience of its policyholder-owners. These owners, who share the belief that the majority of property loss is preventable, represent many of the world’s largest organizations, including one of every four Fortune 500 companies.

They work with FM to better understand the hazards that can impact their business continuity to make cost-effective risk management decisions, combining property loss prevention with insurance protection.

We are seeking a cybersecurity-focused co-op student to assist in the design, deployment, and monitoring of a cloud-based Operational Technology (OT) honeypot. This role offers hands-on experience in threat detection, network segmentation, and cloud integration, with potential interaction between virtual and physical lab environments.

• Assist in the deployment and configuration of a cloud-based OT honeypot (e.g., using AWS, Azure, or GCP).

• Support integration between the honeypot and physical lab infrastructure.

• Configure network segmentation and firewall rules to isolate honeypot traffic.

• Monitor honeypot activity and analyze captured data for threat intelligence.

• Document architecture, configurations, and observed behaviors.

• Collaborate with team members to simulate OT protocols (e.g., Modbus, DNP3) and emulate industrial devices.

• Apply basic hardening techniques to honeypot systems to simulate realistic environments.

• Support log forwarding and integration with SIEM platforms (e.g., Splunk, ELK).

• Assist in vulnerability scanning and patching of honeypot components.

Required Skills

• Currently enrolled in a degree program in Cybersecurity, Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field.
• Strong understanding of networking fundamentals: IP addressing, VLANs, routing, TCP/UDP, DNS, DHCP, NAT.
• Familiarity with virtualization platforms (e.g., VMware, Proxmox, Hyper-V).
• Basic experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or GCP): VPCs, subnets, security groups.
• Exposure to cybersecurity tools:
  Wireshark, tcpdump, vulnerability scanners (e.g., Tenable, Qualys).
• Knowledge of Windows and Linux OS environments.
• Understanding of Active Directory and basic hardening practices.
• Comfort with CLI tools and scripting (e.g., Bash, Power Shell, Python).

Preferred Skills

• Experience with honeypot frameworks (e.g., Conpot, T-Pot, Cowrie).
• Familiarity with OT protocols and industrial control systems.
• Hands-on experience with SIEM tools and log analysis.
• Knowledge of threat detection and incident response workflows.
• Experience with secure authentication practices.
• Experience writing technical reports.

FM is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to attracting, developing, and retaining a diverse workforce.