INTERNSHIP DETAILS

Penetration Tester: Internship Opportunities

CompanyMicrosoft
LocationRedmond
Work ModeOn Site
PostedSeptember 3, 2026
Internship Information
Core Responsibilities
The intern will participate in security design and code reviews to identify vulnerabilities in Windows and Azure products. They will also collaborate with engineering teams to develop security mitigations and perform dynamic penetration testing on software and hardware systems.
Internship Type
full time
Salary Range
$5,690 - $12,250
Company Size
232750
Visa Sponsorship
No
Language
English
Working Hours
40 hours
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About The Company
Every company has a mission. What's ours? To empower every person and every organization to achieve more. We believe technology can and should be a force for good and that meaningful innovation contributes to a brighter world in the future and today. Our culture doesn’t just encourage curiosity; it embraces it. Each day we make progress together by showing up as our authentic selves. We show up with a learn-it-all mentality. We show up cheering on others, knowing their success doesn't diminish our own. We show up every day open to learning our own biases, changing our behavior, and inviting in differences. Because impact matters. Microsoft operates in 190 countries and is made up of approximately 228,000 passionate employees worldwide.
About the Role
Overview

Come build community, explore your passions and do your best work at Microsoft with thousands of University interns from every corner of the world. This opportunity will allow you to bring your aspirations, talent, potential—and excitement for the journey ahead.  

The Microsoft Offensive Research & Security Engineering (MORSE) team is looking for a learn-it-all engineer that will help secure Microsoft products and devices. The MORSE team is responsible for securing Microsoft's operating systems, including Windows, cloud computing platforms, and virtualization technologies. These solutions support the daily needs of over one billion customers worldwide. This team performs security design reviews, code reviews, and vulnerability research on key features of Windows and Azure to make sure they meet the highest possible security standards.  

In this role, you will help engineering teams secure the operating systems built at Microsoft. The candidate should demonstrate experience with native code (C/C++), vulnerability research (code audit, writing fuzzers, finding creative ways to break assumptions), a clear understanding of OS security fundamentals, solid computer science skills, and a passion for keeping Microsoft customers safe. 

As a Penetration Testing Intern, under supervision, you will identify problems and vulnerabilities through application of engineering to dynamically penetrate software, hardware or human systems. You will work on efforts that results in security bug discovery, exploitation and suggested security controls and mitigations in response to security flaws. You will develop and implement pen testing strategies and apply your expertise to engineer solutions. You will help influence mitigations for current and future products and solutions.

At Microsoft, Interns work on real-world projects in collaboration with teams across the world, while having fun along the way. You’ll be empowered to build community, explore your passions and achieve your goals. This is your chance to bring your solutions and ideas to life while working on cutting-edge technology.

Microsoft’s mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. As employees we come together with a growth mindset, innovate to empower others, and collaborate to realize our shared goals. Each day we build on our values of respect, integrity, and accountability to create a culture of inclusion where everyone can thrive at work and beyond.

#EiP



Responsibilities

  • Participates in security reviews to identify and mitigate risk in Microsoft products, including design reviews, code reviews, and fuzzing 

  • Be the security contact for teams building new innovative products and technologies in the next version of Windows and Azure 

  • Identifies security vulnerabilities in a wide variety of key OS features such as network protocols, security features, and Microsoft devices 

  • Leverages a broad and current understanding of security to devise new protections 

  • Interacts with the external security community and security researchers 

  • Collaborates with product teams to improve security, and articulate the business value of security investments 



Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

  • Currently pursuing a Bachelor's Degree in Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science, or related field, or related field with at least one semester/term of school remaining following the completion of the internship
    • OR Currently pursuing a Master's Degree in Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science, or related field, or related field with at least one semester/term of school remaining following the completion of the internship.

Other Requirements: Ability to meet Microsoft, customer and/or government security screening requirements are required for this role. These requirements include, but are not limited to the following specialized security screenings:

  • Microsoft Cloud Background Check: This position will be required to pass the Microsoft background and Microsoft Cloud background check upon hire/transfer and every two years thereafter. 

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Currently pursuing a Master's Degree in Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science or related field

  • Participation in security competitions such as Capture the Flag (CTF) 

  • Experience exploiting bugs (e.g., buffer overflows, use-after-free) and bypassing security mitigations in operating systems 

  • Experience creating and running fuzzers (e.g., AFL, libFuzzer) 

  • Experience with reverse engineering and binary analysis using tools such as IDA Pro, Binary Ninja, or Ghidra 

  • Experience with debuggers or other dynamic analysis tools such as WinDbg, GDB, LLDB, Frida, Pin, angr, etc. 

  • Reliable experience in code auditing and performing static analysis to identify vulnerabilities



The base pay range for this internship is USD $5,690.00 - $11,210.00 per month. There is a different range applicable to specific work locations, within the San Francisco Bay area and New York City metropolitan area, and the base pay range for this role in those locations is USD $7,410.00 - $12,250.00 per month.

Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here:
https://careers.microsoft.com/us/en/us-intern-pay

Microsoft accepts applications and processes offers for these roles on an ongoing basis throughout the academic calendar
(September - April)


This position will be open for a minimum of 5 days, with applications accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.



Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, immigration status, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran or military status, race, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance with religious accommodations and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about requesting accommodations.

Key Skills
CC++Vulnerability researchCode auditFuzzingOS securityPenetration testingReverse engineeringBinary analysisStatic analysisDebuggingNetwork protocolsExploitationSecurity design reviews
Categories
TechnologySecurity & SafetySoftwareEngineering