How to Become a Cybersecurity Specialist A Career Guide

Explore programs of your interests with the high-quality standards and flexibility you need to take your career to the next level. Discover the profession’s typical tasks, nonstandard duties, and expectations. Malware analysis tools, and statistical data analysis tools to better perform the necessary duties. Other companies have Cyber Security Specialists on call during weekends, nights, or holidays to respond in case of a breach. Information provided on Forbes Advisor is for educational purposes only.

• In addition to certifications and advanced education, cybersecurity job seekers are well-advised to connect with internship opportunities and do plenty of reading, self-learning and networking.
• These measures are used to secure the network’s endpoints, like desktops and laptops, by controlling the network and data access.
• She is also a Brand Ambassador at the Isla Ida Bracelet and a partner at the Eden Reforestation Projects.
• The salary of the cybersecurity specialist is at par with the trending job positions in the market.
• There are a number of network-oriented professional cybersecurity organizations and groups that are specifically designed to alert members about job openings and professional development opportunities.
• With a strong background in coding and programming languages, software security engineers develop firewalls and intrusion detection systems for their companies.

Luckily, we’ve found all of the skills you’ll need so even if you don’t have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 16.6% of cyber security specialists listed cyber security on their resume, but soft skills such as analytical skills and detail oriented are important as well. Mouse over a state to see the number of active cyber security specialist jobs in each state.

Education & Training

The requirement for the CEH exam is two years of work experience in information security or completing the EC-Council’s official training. Software and hardware mechanisms that defend the infrastructure and network from unauthorized access, disruptions, and other attacks are all a part of network security. It also shields organizational assets from different internal and external threats when done correctly. Simply put, cybersecurity is the act of shielding networks, programs, and systems from digital attacks.

A cybersecurity specialist’s role provides exciting opportunities to handle critical cyber threats and, in turn, safeguard a company’s information systems and infrastructure. You will play a pivotal role in making strategic decisions, thereby providing tactical advice to secure business-critical operations. You will also get the chance to solve complex cybersecurity events by applying your technical and scientific expertise. Cybersecurity specialists are responsible for performing investigative analysis and diagnosis of cyber threats to identify the loopholes in a system. This requires these security professionals to have the ability to dig deep and perform a thorough analysis of any security event.

Cybersecurity Specialist Job Responsibilities

This IT expert will conduct threat and how to become a security specialist analysis and examine the business effect of new and existing systems and technologies to remove risk, performance, and capacity issues. Military and government employers may also require security industry certifications and security clearances. Prospective employers may offer tuition assistance to help their employees obtain an advanced degree. In present times data has become one of the most precious assets in the digital world. Identity theft, Bank fraud, ransomware, and the selling of customers’ critical data are some prevalent cybercrimes. Most of the cyberattacks happening today are focused on small businesses that don’t have enough budget allocated to the security side.

• Cybersecurity workers and information security specialists both protect valuable information and data.
• Those in finance and insurance earned $106,430, while their counterparts in administrative and support services earned an average of $99,860.
• According to CyberSeek’s breakdown of the cybersecurity specialist position, 63% of employers require a bachelor’s degree and 20% require a master’s degree.
• A cybersecurity specialist is often also known as an information technology or IT security specialist.

You may be protecting computer networks of retail chains, government agencies such as the Social Security Administration, and private companies such as Equifax, which was hacked in 2019. Students with this degree will be able to install security software, monitor networks for security breaches, respond to cyber-attacks and gather data and evidence to be used in prosecuting cybercrime.

Considering a new exciting career as an Cybersecurity Specialist?

Our goal is to become one of the best online resources helping students navigate through the higher education process. Splunk puts together security information and allows you to respond to cybersecurity threats you detect. Risk assessment, which lets you identify and assign priorities to every vulnerability in a company’s computer systems and their defenses. Once you’re a college graduate and working in your chosen field, you’ll be more than ready to earn certifications if you haven’t done so already.

Cybersecurity specialists identify and resolve these highly complex issues to keep information secure, allowing business to continue as normal. As mentioned, there are a lot of opportunities in the market for cybersecurity professionals. Companies from different sectors like banking, Insurance, consulting, finance, software solution providers, and consumer products manufacturers have openings for professionals having this particular skill set. To name a few, Deloitte, Nike, SAIC, Capital Group, and ManTech offer job positions in this domain. In-depth knowledge of the programming languages like Java, Python, and C++ is preferred. Operational understanding of networks and particularly different network layers is a must.