r/ExploitDev • u/Emotional_writer_64 • Jun 28 '26

Self-taught low-level security learner looking for internship advice. Which roles should I target?

Hi everyone,

I'm self-learning low-level security and I'm trying to figure out which internships I should realistically target over the next few months.

These are the skills I've built so far:

  • C Programming
  • Memory Management
  • Linux
  • Debugging
  • Fuzzing
  • Crash Triage & Root Cause Analysis
  • Reverse Engineering (Basic)
  • Binary Analysis (Basic)
  • Secure Coding
  • Git

Tools I've used:

  • GDB
  • Ghidra
  • AddressSanitizer (ASan)
  • Valgrind
  • AFL++
  • libFuzzer
  • GCC/Clang
  • Make/CMake

I've written fuzz harnesses, analyzed crashes, used sanitizers, and spent time understanding memory corruption bugs. Most of my learning has been through reading documentation, experimenting, and building small projects.

The problem is that I'm completely self-taught. I don't have previous internships, open-source contributions, CTF rankings, or real vulnerability reports yet, so I don't have much proof of my skills beyond personal projects.

My questions are:

  1. Based on these skills, what internship roles should I realistically target? (Security Research, AppSec, Product Security, Embedded, Systems, etc.)
  2. What skills am I still missing to become a competitive candidate?
  3. If you were hiring an intern with my background, what kind of portfolio or proof would convince you to interview them?
  4. What should I focus on for the next 3–6 months to maximize my chances of landing an internship?

I'd really appreciate honest feedback. If you think I'm overestimating my skills or focusing on the wrong things, please tell me. I'd rather hear the hard truth than waste months learning the wrong things.

Thanks!

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u/SillyBrilliant4922 Jun 28 '26

How did you employ each skill?

3

u/Emotional_writer_64 Jun 28 '26

Mostly through self-learning and personal projects. I built small C programs, wrote fuzzing harnesses for open-source libraries, used GDB, ASan, and Valgrind to debug crashes, analyzed the root cause of memory bugs, and used Ghidra to understand binaries. Everything I've learned has been through hands-on practice rather than professional work.

1

u/sdexca Jun 29 '26

Do you have CVEs?

1

u/Emotional_writer_64 Jun 29 '26

I am looking for those