Six internships: my run from security basics to LLM security

From my first year of college through this summer, I've stacked six internships across cybersecurity, AI/ML, full-stack, and DevOps. Each one added a layer — this post is the recap, with the through-line that connects them all: every internship pushed me toward building systems that detect, defend, or automate.

The lineup

• TANSAM (TIDCO × Siemens) — Cybersecurity Intern · April 2025 · ethical hacking + phishing detection
• ServiceNow × SmartBridge × AICTE — ServiceNow Platform Admin · Jun – Jul 2025 · ITSM automation
• CSRBOX × AICTE × IBM SkillsBuild — Applied AI Intern · Dec – Jan 2025 · LLMs + Gen AI
• Shentinelix Sphere — Cybersecurity Intern · Sep 2025 – Dec 2025 · AI threat detection + LLM security
• SmartBridge × AICTE — Full Stack Developer (MERN) · Dec 2025 – Jan 2026 · freelancing marketplace
• Learnix Labs — Linux & DevOps Intern · Jun – Jul 2026 · automation + CI/CD

1. TANSAM (TIDCO × Siemens) — where security got real

My first cybersecurity internship started with hands-on ethical hacking: Kali Linux, John the Ripper, steganography, and traffic analysis in simulated attack scenarios. The capstone was a Phishing Email Detection system built with Scikit-learn + NLP, integrated with the Gmail and CheckPhish APIs — my first taste of using ML to catch email threats, a thread that runs straight through to my SIH 2026 project.

Along the way I studied the frameworks that security teams actually run on: ISO 27001/27002, PCI-DSS, OWASP, SIEM, and DDoS mitigation.

2. ServiceNow × SmartBridge × AICTE — automating enterprise IT

This one moved me from offense to operations: automating ITSM workflows across Incident, Request, Change, Problem, and Knowledge modules. I designed Service Catalog items, Flow Designer workflows, and Visual Task Boards, and configured ACLs, roles, and UI policies — plus ServiceNow University credentials, and a $300 CSA exam voucher from the program, which I used to clear the ServiceNow Certified System Administrator exam.

Lesson: enterprise security is 80% workflow hygiene. Knowing how requests actually flow through a system makes you a better defender.

3. CSRBOX × AICTE × IBM SkillsBuild — first LLM app

My entry point into generative AI: LLM fundamentals, prompt engineering, and responsible AI practices. I shipped SmartResume Generator — an ATS-friendly resume builder powered by an LLM API, with temperature/top-p/max-token controls and a live Markdown preview.

Lesson: prompt controls aren't a footnote. Months later I'd be building products whose entire purpose is enforcing those controls.

4. Shentinelix Sphere — AI threat detection & LLM security

The internship that most shaped where I am now. I built AI-driven threat detection systems aligned with SOC workflows — platforms that analyze emails, URLs, QR codes, and logs with LLM API integration — plus prompt security controls: PII redaction, injection detection, RBAC, and rate limiting. Hands-on OWASP Top 10, SIEM, Snort IDS, Active Directory attacks, and HIPAA compliance rounded it out.

Both builds are open source — and each has a full writeup: AI Threat Detection & Security Operations and LLM Security & Data Privacy Compliance Middleware, plus the story of how Round 1's training labs led to Round 2: 24 labs later: from Round 1 to Round 2.

5. SmartBridge × AICTE — shipping a full product, MERN style

A complete full-stack build: a freelancing marketplace with project posting, proposals, and real-time messaging. JWT + Bcrypt auth, Socket.io live chat, and end-to-end Express API design — and the MongoDB Node.js Developer Path certification along the way.

Lesson: security isn't a backend concern or a frontend concern — it's the auth, the API design, and the real-time layer all at once.

6. Learnix Labs — automation as the finish line

Most recent: real-world Linux, automation, and DevOps work — automated workflows, managed infrastructure, and efficient DevOps practices — and a recognition I'm genuinely proud of: Featured Outstanding Intern, Summer Internship 2026 (July Cohort). The full week-by-week writeup — including the Week 1 system-monitor script and every submission video — lives here: Learnix Labs: four weeks of Linux & DevOps.

The through-line

Phishing detection at TANSAM → email/URL/QR/log analysis at Shentinelix → the SIH 2026 email forensics platform. Prompt controls at CSRBOX → prompt-security middleware at Shentinelix → MCP Guardian at RUSH HOUR 24. Every internship fed the next.

If you're a student starting out: pick internships that compound. The security basics came first, and everything since has been building on them.