Cybersecurity Intern - Summer 2027

Location: San Jose, California, United States of America

The Company

PayPal has been revolutionizing commerce globally for more than 25 years. Creating innovative experiences that make moving money, selling, and shopping simple, personalized, and secure, PayPal empowers consumers and businesses in approximately 200 markets to join and thrive in the global economy.

We operate a global, two-sided network at scale that connects hundreds of millions of merchants and consumers. We help merchants and consumers connect, transact, and complete payments, whether they are online or in person. PayPal is more than a connection to third-party payment networks. We provide proprietary payment solutions accepted by merchants that enable the completion of payments on our platform on behalf of our customers.

We offer our customers the flexibility to use their accounts to purchase and receive payments for goods and services, as well as the ability to transfer and withdraw funds. We enable consumers to exchange funds more safely with merchants using a variety of funding sources, which may include a bank account, a PayPal or Venmo account balance, PayPal and Venmo branded credit products, a credit card, a debit card, certain cryptocurrencies, or other stored value products such as gift cards, and eligible credit card rewards.

Our PayPal, Venmo, and Xoom products also make it safer and simpler for friends and family to transfer funds to each other. We offer merchants an end-to-end payments solution that provides authorization and settlement capabilities, as well as instant access to funds and payouts. We also help merchants connect with their customers, process exchanges and returns, and manage risk. We enable consumers to engage in cross-border shopping and merchants to extend their global reach while reducing the complexity and friction involved in enabling cross-border trade.

Our beliefs are the foundation for how we conduct business every day. We live each day guided by our core values of Inclusion, Innovation, Collaboration, and Wellness. Together, our values ensure that we work together as one global team with our customers at the center of everything we do – and they push us to ensure we take care of ourselves, each other, and our communities.

Job Summary

PayPal’s Cyber & Information Security (PCIS) team is looking for self-driven, detail-oriented Cybersecurity interns who will be aligned to specific security and risk teams. With access to cutting-edge technologies and resources, you will stay at the forefront of the ever-evolving cyber threat landscape. We strive to create a culture of security by empowering teams to take responsibility for securing their own code and environments.

We do this by providing leaders and engineers with the visibility, tools, guidance, training, and support needed to create secure products and systems. We prevent, identify, and respond to critical vulnerabilities within our ecosystem, driving response to limit potential impact to the business.

As a PayPal Cybersecurity Intern, you will get the opportunity to work closely with a variety of security and risk teams, business partners, and stakeholders to drive high impact security and risk technology and services.

Your day-to-day role may include

Tech

• Implement and test Next Gen platform security products as part of SDLC to enable PayPal's product development.
• Perform quality code reviews to validate against the secure coding guidelines, ensuring that the code conforms to the design.
• Drive vulnerability analysis and remediation.
• Identify, drive, and implement security process improvements.
• Collaborate closely with engineers, developers, security architects, product managers, program managers, and other teams to deliver high-quality products.
• Stay up to date with the latest security trends, technologies, vulnerabilities, and attacks, and incorporate this knowledge into threat models.
• Determine the impact of vulnerabilities in our environment and how to communicate them to stakeholders across the company.

Risk

Understand and apply the enterprise policies, standards and framework for governance, risk & compliance and be an advocate of PayPal’s “Risk as a Lifestyle” philosophy.

Execute based on the Enterprise Risk Management standard on how to identify, assess, mitigate, monitor, test and report on risks and controls required by the PCIS organization.

Work with different stakeholders and external auditors to maintain up-to-date documentation for scoping, testing, and remediation of risks and controls across the enterprise.

Work with the central technology controls testing team to validate key controls with stakeholders to provide an early warning to management for timely correction and remediation action.

Assess audit findings / gaps, including control weaknesses in coordination with different stakeholders and assist with development of risk-based approach for management action plans.

Support development of tools and solutions to enable Technology risk management across PayPal organization and continuously identify opportunities to bring in efficiencies in risk management function.

What you need to bring

Overall

• Passion for cybersecurity and learning through asking questions and experimenting with different approaches
• Willingness to collaborate with team members and communicate effectively within a professional setting
• Ability to take initiative and seek out opportunities to expand your knowledge and skills
• Ability to operate in fast-paced environment, in a self-driven manner, taking initiative and ownership to propose improvements and solutions
• Attention to detail, excellent analytical thinking, communication and time management skills

Tech

• Basic understanding of secure coding practices and common security vulnerabilities (e.g., OWASP Top 10)
• Experience with at least one programming language (e.g., Java, Python, JavaScript, Ruby, etc.)
• Interest in learning about application security, including security tools like SAST, DAST, and SCA
• Basic understanding of version control systems like Git
• Experience in working with large data sets to determine patterns and drive to key takeaways

Risk

Interest in learning risk management methodologies, frameworks, and principles (e.g., SOX, COBIT, NIST, CSA, ITIL, PCI, GDPR, etc.) to evaluate and recommend a best approach to mitigating risk with best-in-class controls.

Innovate in the PayPal dynamic workplace by designing repeatable, sustainable processes that operationalize the risk management function

Additional Responsibilities & Preferred Qualifications

Internship Program Requirements

• This is a Summer 2027 Internship program. Spring and Fall 2027 internships are not available.
• Must be legally authorized to work in the U.S. without sponsorship.
• Currently pursuing a bachelor’s or master’s degree in computer science, software engineering, or a related technical field at an accredited college or university.
• Must be returning to school in Fall 2027.
• Applications will be accepted through Sunday December 6th, 2026.

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Additional Locations: Chicago, Illinois, United States of America, Scottsdale, Arizona, United States of America, Austin, Texas, United States of America