2026 Cohort — Applications open

Break into cybersecurity without paying for it.

A free, selective internship for young Africans who are ready to do the work. Five foundation stages, then one specialist track. Real breaches to investigate — not videos to watch. You pay nothing. Ever.

Start your application How it works

10Stages

3Tracks

1,000+Members

Nigerian youth passionate about tech and change

Young Nigerians ready to break into cybersecurity

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How it works

This is not a course. It is an internship.

You will not sit through lectures. You will investigate a simulated breach, find the flaws, write the report, and defend it. Most people who start don't finish. The ones who do have something real to show.

Young African professionals building careers

You either do the work or you're out

Every stage ends with a report. If the grader passes you, you move on. If not, you revise until the deadline. No participation trophies.

Graded by real people

Not a quiz engine. Real cybersecurity practitioners read your reports and give you the kind of feedback you'd get in a working SOC.

Proof you can show an employer

Every stage produces an artefact — a writeup, a forensic report, a pentest finding. By Stage 5 you have a portfolio, not just a certificate.

We pay for your certs

Make it to Stage 5 and we cover your Security+ or ISO 27001 voucher. Weekly data credits too, if cost is what's in your way.

Why UBI

Why this exists

Cybersecurity is one of the few fields in Africa where demand massively outstrips supply — and the paths in are mostly paywalled. TRAN is the path we wished we had.

It gets harder on purpose

The earlier stages are fair. Later stages are not gentle. If you cannot handle pressure here, you cannot handle it in a real SOC — and we would rather find that out now than have it happen on the job.

Employers want proof, not paper

Recruiters across Africa keep telling us the same thing: they receive a hundred certificates and no evidence anyone can actually do the work. What you produce here is evidence.

Nothing to pay, ever

No tuition. No exam fees if we accept you and you reach Stage 5 — we cover it. No weekly data bill if you qualify for the scholarship. The only thing you bring is effort.

You investigate breaches, not watch videos

Every stage is a scenario: logs to read, attacks to reconstruct, a report to write. The work mirrors what a junior analyst actually does in their first three months.

We introduce you to people who hire

At Stage 5 you start meeting cybersecurity teams. If your work is good, they already know who you are by the time you apply.

Alumni stay — and hire each other

The first cohort is already helping the second. That is the part we did not plan for, and the part we are most proud of.

3.5M

Unfilled cyber jobs

Free

Cost to participate

30+

Countries

The journey

10 stages. Two phases.

Stages 0–4 build your security foundation across all domains. At Stage 5, you choose a specialization and go deep.

Phase 1General Foundation

0
Onboarding
Set up your environment, meet your cohort, complete your first security challenge.
1
Security Mindset
Think like a defender and an attacker. Risk thinking, threat modeling, attack surfaces.
2
Core Infrastructure
Networks, systems, cloud — understand the environments you'll be protecting or testing.
3
Offensive & Defensive Basics
Vulnerability scanning, log analysis, basic exploitation. See both sides of the coin.
4
Real-World Simulation
A cross-domain scenario that tests everything. Defend, attack, document, report.

Phase 2Specialization

5
Choose Your Track
SOC, Ethical Hacking, or GRC — pick the domain that matches your career goals.
6
Domain Deep-Dive
Hands-on labs with industry-standard tools specific to your chosen track.
7
Advanced Operations
Complex scenarios that push your expertise — no hand-holding, just execution.
8
Team Engagement
Work cross-functionally. Build, break, or audit real systems with your team.
9
Capstone
Final project judged by industry professionals. Prove you're ready.

Specializations

Choose your track at Stage 5

After completing the general foundation, you specialize in the domain that matches your career goals.

SOC Analysis

Monitor, detect, and respond to security incidents in real-time. Master SIEM tools and incident playbooks.

SplunkELK StackYARAMITRE ATT&CK

SOC AnalystThreat HunterIncident Responder

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Ethical Hacking

Think like an attacker. Perform penetration tests, exploit vulnerabilities, and write professional reports.

Burp SuiteMetasploitNmapKali Linux

Penetration TesterRed Team OperatorSecurity Researcher

Explore this track

GRC

Governance, Risk & Compliance. Build security policies, run risk assessments, and drive compliance.

ISO 27001NIST CSFSOC 2Risk Registers

GRC AnalystCompliance OfficerRisk Manager

Explore this track

From the network

What our graduates say

SOC Analysis
UBI pushed me harder than any bootcamp I've tried. The elimination pressure forced me to level up fast. I landed a SOC analyst role before the program even ended.
Aisha O.
SOC Analyst

Ethical Hacking
The ethical hacking track is the real deal. The pentest labs were indistinguishable from actual client environments. This program prepared me for day-one impact.
Chidi E.
Penetration Tester

GRC
As someone pivoting from IT to GRC, UBI gave me hands-on compliance experience that no certification could. The team projects were incredibly valuable.
Fatima A.
GRC Analyst

FAQ

Common questions

: Yes. The entire program is free. No hidden fees, no paywalls. We believe talent shouldn't be gated by finances.
: You need basic IT literacy — comfort with the command line, networking concepts, and some scripting. This isn't a from-zero program; it assumes you've done at least 6 months of self-study.
: You're eliminated from the program. Each stage has tasks with strict deadlines. If you miss the deadline or don't meet the quality bar, you're out. It's competitive by design.
: At Stage 5. Stages 0–4 are general — everyone does the same work. At Stage 5, you choose between SOC Analysis, Ethical Hacking, or GRC based on your interests and strengths.
: Approximately 10 weeks — roughly one week per stage. Later stages may take slightly longer due to increased complexity and team projects.
: Yes. UBI is 100% remote. Interns participate from 30+ countries. Team meetings happen via Zoom or Google Meet.
: Our hiring network includes companies actively recruiting for cybersecurity roles. Finalists get direct access to this network. We can't guarantee an offer, but the odds are strongly in your favor.