Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), CompTIA State of the Tech Workforce 2023 and Lightcast. Cybersecurity specialists handle a broad set of technical responsibilities related to safeguarding sensitive digital information and data. Depending on the size of their employer, these cybersecurity experts may work in niche, specialized areas of the field or oversee more general security tasks. They provide ongoing oversight for organizations’ cybersecurity efforts through several methods.
However, cybersecurity focuses exclusively on protecting digital assets, while information security covers digital and physical information across all mediums. The key areas where this is happening include industry certifications and advanced degree programs. At a cross-section between law enforcement and cybersecurity lies the title of an information security crime investigator or a computer forensics expert. These professionals work on investigating cyberattacks, determining what (or who) caused them, and how exactly the network or computer system was infiltrated. If you’re aiming to become a CISO, you need to have excellent organizational skills.
Certifications for Security Specialists
Access a network of world-class academics, industry experts, and peers to connect and develop ideas, and put theory into practice. All of our students are provided with private Virtual Machines and Hacking Labs for a practical & personalized learning experience with over 30 international academics and experts from 10 countries. Earning CompTIA Network+ in combination with two years of experience in IT administration with a security focus ensures candidates are prepared to earn CompTIA Security+. Workers in this specialty area may spearhead organizational efforts to create stronger passwords or limit web browsing to trusted sites.
Our ranking methodologies use data from the National Center for Education Statistics, education providers, and reputable educational and professional organizations. An advisory board of educators and other subject matter experts reviews and verifies our content to bring you trustworthy, up-to-date information. You will need to possess a wide range of technical, analytical, communication, and computer skills. As with all other IT security job roles, you also need to keep up with all the latest technology news and security recommendations as a consultant.
Why You Can Trust Forbes Advisor Education
Consider some of the following professional organizations for cybersecurity workers. In addition to creating structures to protect interconnected devices, professionals in this sector safeguard sensitive assets for applications and data. At the app level, infrastructure security professionals develop and deploy effective databases to prevent access by bad actors. For data, this field protects information by building structures for backups and encryption. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics is a trusted source of information about countless job categories and includes listings packed with data about the future job outlook for a wide variety of occupations. At the present time, one of the few cybersecurity positions it tracks is also one of the most common — information security analyst.
This leadership position is less about coding and more about project management, vulnerabilities management, and overall security management. Security+ is a CompTIA certification that is considered a basic cert among cybersecurity professionals. There are many pathways that people take to become a cybersecurity specialist program, but they all involve some combination of education, specialized training, and experience. According to ZipRecruiter, the cyber security specialist annual base salary is $111,052 in the US, and Glassdoor lists the annual salary as $103,746 per year. We offer the most intensive and up-to-date preparation training course for the “Cyber Security Specialist with Federal Diploma” Federal Examination.
Cybersecurity Specialist Career Paths
Good communication, problem-solving, and analytical skills are also important for a cybersecurity specialist. Becoming a cybersecurity specialist could be a short, long or somewhere-in-the-middle journey. It all depends on what you currently bring to the table in terms of cybersecurity education, skills, work experience and certifications. It’s never too late to get a degree that will support you in your pursuit of a cybersecurity specialist career. Majors that would benefit a cybersecurity specialist include computer science, information technology, cybersecurity, database management and network administration. Cybersecurity specialists perform similar work to information security specialists but may focus more on hardware.
Cybersecurity specialists create and implement security audits across computer hardware and software systems. They make sure that the systems perform the way they are supposed to, and that they are safe from attack. Knowledge of English is required for the study of technical literature as the first part of the federal examination is set exclusively in English. Regardless if you are living in the German, French, or Italian part of Switzerland, you can enroll in our course.
Job Outlook
More experience is required for advanced roles and less is needed for early-career roles. Having industry credentials and higher-level degrees could shorten the experience requirements some potential employers have. Many IT professionals have an IT degree of some sort and experience working at the help desk. Getting their foot in the door to an entry-level cybersecurity specialist job role can be as easy as earning CompTIA Security+.
Getting their start in cybersecurity may seem overwhelming to a career changer but it is achievable. A cybersecurity specialist is trained in spotting suspicious patterns in computer systems. They monitor all aspects of the computer infrastructure for threatening activities. These cybersecurity professionals also construct, install and operate firewalls and set and implement security standards. To become a cybersecurity specialist, you should complete a formal education—like a degree or a cybersecurity bootcamp—in information security or a related subject.
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The certification covers topics such as architecture, engineering, and management. PenTest+ is for intermediate level cybersecurity professionals who are tasked with penetration testing to manage vulnerabilities on a network. A Cyber Security Specialist’s responsibilities include using their skills to detect insecure features and malicious activities within our networks and infrastructure. They will implement customized application security assessments for client-based asset risk, corporate policy compliance as well as conduct vulnerability assessment. They should have an advanced understanding of TCP/IP, common networking ports and protocols, traffic flow, system administration, OSI model, defense-in-depth and common security elements. The Cyber Security Specialist must have a bachelor’s degree in computer science, information technology, telecommunications, computer engineering, or any related field.
- The CCNA Cyber Ops certification program provides practical, relevant, and job-ready curricula that aligns closely with the specific tasks expected of cybersecurity professionals.
- According to Cyberseek, the average advertised salary for a cybersecurity specialist is $106,265.
- Traditionally, network operations and IT technology supplemented the core business.
- Cybersecurity specialists need to be able to communicate well and be comfortable in team roles.
Typically, Cyber Security Specialists work with other specialists from within the ICT Security Operations Centre (SOC) of a given organisation. The management’s security strategy, the resulting requirements, and the organization’s Information Security Policy serve as the frame of reference for the work carried out by the Cyber Security Specialists. Whether you want to be a network engineer, security analyst or CISO, CompTIA can help you get there.
Other companies may stipulate that they seek cybersecurity specialists with a specific amount of professional experience. Candidates can accrue experience in other cybersecurity roles or through internships while still pursuing their degrees to meet this requirement. Among the many cybersecurity jobs that companies are hiring for across all industries is the position of cybersecurity specialist. Instead of (or in addition to) a degree, cybersecurity certifications help qualify an IT professional for a cybersecurity specialist role. So does membership in professional organizations for cybersecurity professionals.
