“DOJ EOIR Internship Reflection Paper – Final 50 Hours”

During the last 50 hours of my internship with the Department of Justice Executive Office for Immigration Review (DOJ EOIR), from March 24, 2025, to April 22, 2025, I have improved my technological abilities and developed a deeper understanding of how a government agency handles cybersecurity. During this period, I was responsible for attending several cybersecurity-related meetings, obtaining training and access to security technologies such as Tenable and Nessus, JCAM, and CrowdStrike, and working with others on real-time data analysis pertaining to user activity monitoring.

A major highlight was being able to use CrowdStrike to finish internship tasks like finding user information from the ChatGPT Traffic list after gaining access to it. This hands-on training made it easier for me to relate what I was learning in class to real-world situations. The DOJ’s EOIR Breach Response Plan for Major and Significant Cyber Incidents was also reviewed, and I provided input. The task taught me the processes involved in each scenario and how the agency classifies problems according to their sensitivity. I asked my supervisor how DOJ defines a Significant Incident and a Major Incident while reviewing the DOJ EOIR Breach Response Plan, pointing out that the document demonstrated DOJ’s proactive efforts to handle sensitive information. My supervisor explained that a Major Incident is a vulnerability in a system without any data loss, while a Significant Incident is a catastrophic event where a threat actor has compromised security and stolen data.

Asking questions and getting direct answers from my supervisor increased my understanding of breach response strategies. Another important point of my experience was attending meetings connected to the Cybersecurity Directorate JCAM collaboration and working group sessions that focused on improving internal processes such as SRPA. These opportunities allowed me to learn directly how important interdepartmental communication and collaboration are in cyber security.

In conclusion, this internship period has improved my critical thinking and technical ability. Working through authentication problems, gaining access to secure tools, and using my knowledge to recognize and assess possible risks have all helped me become stronger in my ability of cybersecurity. I am thankful for the guidance I received from my supervisors, Dondrea Minus, Christopher Barker, and my other coworkers as well. I am looking forward to continuing my cybersecurity career with these experiences and hopefully become a full-time employee with the Department of Justice EOIR.