CIB cybersecurity analyst Alan Siceloff has been awarded an internship with Allen Corporation. The firm is best known for directly supporting the security products and services of McAfee, the world’s largest security technology company. Headquartered in Fairfax, Virginia, Allen Corporation has been contributing since 2006 to the technical architecture, design and deployment of McAfee products in the United States and Canada. As one of the largest contractors to McAfee’s former parent company, Intel Security Professional Services (ISPS), Allen Corporation helps ISPS provide security solutions to Fortune 1000 companies and government agencies throughout North America.

Alan with his girlfriend, Taylor

Siceloff (pictured), a Myrtle Beach native, is majoring in Information Technology and minoring in Intelligence and National Security Studies at Coastal Carolina University. He joined the CIB in 2018, during his second-to-last semester at Coastal, and in 2019 was promoted to the post of analyst. His current analytical topic is the security of the United States power and electric infrastructure, which he researches as a member of the CIB’s Transnational Issues Section. “As soon as I realized what the CIB had to offer, I realized it was something I wanted to be involved in”, said Siceloff. He sees a direct connection between his CIB tasks and his internship with Allen Corporation. “If I hadn’t provided information in my internship application about my CIB involvement, and if they hadn’t inquired about my CIB position during the interview, I don’t think I would have received the internship offer”, he says. “I can’t begin to explain how much the CIB opportunity means to me”, he adds.

As part of his Allen Corporation internship, Siceloff undergoes periodic evaluations, which include online tests, one-on-one “solution readiness exams” with experienced McAfee consultants, and regular certification exams. To pass these evaluations, Siceloff has to review highly technical documentation in the form of product guides, which he uses to master the details of specific security products.

Of his CIB analytical topic, Siceloff says that he chose a subject that incorporates his Information Technology major and Intelligence and National Security Studies minor. “My CIB topic ties into my internship due to the nature of attacks that can endanger infrastructure in the United States”, he says. In the CIB I have been developing best practices on what the issues entail and how to remedy them. At my internship, the research and development team are developing software to log prevalent malware to improve the security products”, adds Siceloff, noting the close connection between his CIB and Allen Corporation tasks.