Winternships

Who We Are

Founded in 2012 by 3 expert hackers with no investment capital, Trail of Bits is the premier place for security experts to boldly advance security and address technology’s newest and most challenging risks. It has helped secure some of the world's most targeted organizations and devices. Our combination of novel research with practical solutions reduces the security risks that our clients face from emerging technologies. Our work helps drive the security industry and the public understanding of the technology underlying our world.

Cybersecurity preparedness is a moving target. Companies like ours are the tip of the spear in the fight against attackers. Our research-based and custom-engineering approach ensures that our client’s capabilities are at the forefront of what’s available. For companies and technologies that live and die by their security, a proactive, tailored approach is required to keep one step ahead of attackers.

Democratizing security information is essential. As part of our business, we provide ongoing informational support through blogs, whitepapers, newsletters, meetups, and open-source tools. The more the community understands security, the more they’ll understand why a company like ours is so unique and valuable.

Overview

Join Trail of Bits for a unique 2024 "Winternship" (Winter Internship) opportunity. This short-term remote program aligns with your University's winter break, letting you work on exciting projects while enjoying festive moments with family and friends. Starting in December and concluding in 3 to 6 weeks, the Winternship is tailored for impactful engagement. Transform your skills into tangible, real-world projects and seamlessly integrate them into high-impact solutions—Winterns will be paid $2,500 following program completion.

How to Apply 

Option 1: Propose a Project

Projects should be short-term, achievable within the Wintership duration, and focused on cybersecurity. After the project concludes, project materials must be open-source code under a permissive license (e.g., Apache2) hosted on Trail of Bits' Github organization. Explore past internship programs on our our blog or podcast for inspiration!

Option 2: Work with One of Our Teams on a Project

• VAST: MLIR-based C/C++ compiler: You will focus on how the toolchain performs on larger projects, such as gzip or SQLite, and identify, report, and address any issues encountered.
• Optimize Pwndbg Performance: Pwndbg is an open-source GDB plug-in for reverse engineering and exploit development. You will work on optimizing the Python code of the plugin to increase its performance and reduce startup time.
• Build a Reporting Chrome extension: Your task will be to develop a custom Chrome extension that replicates our internal reporting tool capabilities, which will greatly improve report writing efforts at Trail of Bits.
• Public JetBrains weAudit extension: We have a working JetBrains weAudit extension, but it is missing core features compared to the VScode version. Your goal is to make this extension feature complete and then publish it.
• Automatically generating Semgrep & CodeQL rules: Add weAudit features to generate "skeleton" Semgrep and CodeQL queries based on a code snippet that we want to find, or a text description of a vulnerability we are looking for.
• Write CodeQL for Cosmos-SDK: cosmos-sdk is a Go library for creating new blockchain apps. You will develop a set of CodeQL rules to detect common vulnerabilities in Cosmos applications written with the SDK.
• New Section for ZKDocs:  You will focus on adding more content.
• Schannel MVP implementation for PEP 748: You will be helping improve an important Python TLS codebase.
• Implement Advanced Access Structures for Secret Sharing: You will work on implementing secret sharing schemes that support more advanced reconstruction policies than the standard threshold policies—enabling, for example, a policy where a layer or the CEO is always needed to reconstruct a secret.

What You’ll Learn During the Winternship

Collaborate with experts, gain insights, and contribute with the latest technology to be impactful. We streamline organization through Slack, Google Meet, and GitHub and follow a structured workflow, experiencing project inception, scheduling, and debriefing mirroring real-world practices.

Enhance communication skills through close collaboration with a dedicated copywriter, crafting an engaging end-of-wintership blog post that solidifies your learnings. Experience hands-on project work, technology integration, and collaborative mentorship, ensuring your Trail of Bits Winternship equips you with essential skills for future success.

• Currently or recently enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate degree program.
• Available for at least three weeks between December 16, 2024, and January 31, 2025.
• Legally eligible to work in the United States either currently or upon graduation.