Threat Detection & Response Engineer Intern

Who we are

At CarGurus (NASDAQ: CARG), our mission is to give people the power to reach their destination. We started as a small team of developers determined to bring trust and transparency to car shopping. Since then, our history of innovation and go-to-market acceleration has driven industry-leading growth. In fact, we’re the largest and fastest-growing automotive marketplace, and we’ve been profitable for over 15 years.

What we do

The market is evolving, and we are too, moving the entire automotive journey online and guiding our customers through every step. That includes everything from the sale of an old car to the financing, purchase, and delivery of a new one. Today, tens of millions of consumers visit CarGurus.com each month, and ~30,000 dealerships use our products. But they're not the only ones who love CarGurus—our employees do, too. We have a people-first culture that fosters kindness, collaboration, and innovation, and empowers our Gurus with tools to fuel their career growth. Disrupting a trillion-dollar industry requires fresh and diverse perspectives. Come join us for the ride!

Role overview

CarGurus is looking for a Threat Detection and Response Intern to work with our Threat Detection and Response (TD&R) Team. This is a hands-on technical role that will build our first line of defense against cybersecurity threats in a complex and evolving landscape. You will be responsible for our detection and response lifecycle, identifying and preventing threats from impacting our employees, customers and other stakeholders. As a Threat Detection and Response Intern, you will have the opportunity to build a platform to identify and stop threats, work with data to solve complex security challenges, and serve as the first line of defense for the CarGurus ecosystem.

As a Threat Detection and Response Intern, you will join an 11-week Summer Internship Program designed to give you hands-on experience, expand your professional network, and build core industry skills. This full-time opportunity (40 hours per week) runs from June through August 2027. CarGurus operates on a hybrid working model, and candidates should expect to work out of our Boston, MA office 60% of the time (approximately three days per week).

What you'll do

• Build tools and techniques to detect threats to the company using an engineering-first approach that prioritizes reliability, maintainability and scalability
• Leverage AI and automation to streamline detection and response operations in a safe and reliable manner
• Onboard, normalize and optimize security logging data to support detection engineering, applied ML models, and efficient querying during incidents.
• Develop high-fidelity, rule-based and ML-driven detections as code, utilizing automated testing and CI/CD pipelines for deployment.
• Monitor the threat landscape to identify and track emerging threats, ensuring that appropriate detective and preventative controls are deployed
• Partner with development teams to design controls for a cloud first infrastructure (AWS, Kubernetes, etc)

What you'll bring

• Currently pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Cybersecurity, Computer Science or a related field, with eligibility to complete a full-time internship.
• Strong desire to apply the latest technology including AI and ML to defend against threats
• Desire to learn more about data pipelines and data engineering, especially centralized logging, SIEM tools, and data lakes
• Desire to measure the success of your work with quantitative tools like Precision and Recall
• Experience in at least one programming language like Python, Go or similar
• Desire to learn more about cloud infrastructure and technologies like AWS, Kubernetes, containers, IaC, etc
• Familiarity with tactics, techniques, and procedures used by threat actors
• Strong passion for continuous learning, especially relating to cybersecurity and technology
• Team player with strong oral and written communication skills

The displayed range represents the expected hourly rate for this position.

The displayed range represents the expected annual base salary / On-Target Earnings (OTE) for this position. On-Target Earnings (OTE) is inclusive of base salary and on-target commission earnings, which applies exclusively to sales roles.

Individual pay within this range is determined by work location and other factors such as job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.

This annual base salary forms part of a comprehensive Total Rewards Package. In addition to benefits, this role may qualify for discretionary bonuses/incentives and Restricted Stock Units (RSUs).

Position Pay Range

$35—$35 USD

Working at CarGurus

We reward our Gurus’ curiosity and passion with best-in-class benefits and compensation, including equity for all employees, both when they start and as they continue to grow with us. Our career development and corporate giving programs, as well as our employee resource groups (ERGs) and communities, help people build connections while making an impact in personally meaningful ways. A flexible hybrid model and robust time off policies encourage work-life balance and individual well-being. Thoughtful perks like daily free lunch, a new car discount, meditation and fitness apps, commuting cost coverage, and more help our people create space for what matters most in their personal and professional lives.

CarGurus may require in-person interviews as part of our hiring process, particularly for positions based in our Boston and Dublin offices. Candidates selected for an in-person interview will be notified in advance. Please be aware that travel expenses are the responsibility of the candidate.

We welcome all

CarGurus strives to be a place to which people can bring the ultimate expression of themselves and their potential—starting with our hiring process. We do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, marital status, ancestry, physical or mental disability, veteran status, gender identity, or sexual orientation. We foster an inclusive environment that values people for their skills, experiences, and unique perspectives. That’s why we hope you’ll apply even if you don’t check every box listed in the job description. We also encourage you to tell your recruiter if you require accommodations to participate in our hiring process due to a disability so we can provide the appropriate support. We want to know what only you can bring to CarGurus.