How To Become A Cybersecurity Analyst

In this Article I am going to discuss:

1. Job Description: What Does a Cybersecurity Analyst Do?
2. Who to Hire and Why
3. Education, Career & Salary Information
4. Conclusion

Cybersecurity is a growing issue. The greater frequency of attacks and their higher sophistication require companies to utilize the services of true subject matter experts readily available to apply best practices for securing business assets. Many are the professional figures sought nowadays to help secure networks, but lately, Cybersecurity Analysts are in high demand.

If you want to Gain In-depth Knowledge on Cyber Security, please go through this link Cyber Security Online Training

The role of Cybersecurity Analyst (CSA) is similar to other jobs in the profession, positions like Information Security Analyst, Computer Systems Analyst, Malware Analyst and Information Assurance Analyst, whose duties, in general, also comprise of studying the best ways to safeguard data in systems or files using analysis programs to identify threats, but a CSA “specializes in issues related to vulnerability discovery, exploitation techniques, and reverse-engineering attacks,” says Paul Mehta, a Senior Research Scientist in an interview for Wired magazine; the analyst can take on different roles to ensure appropriate security controls are in place for the protection of computer networks and information.

Often cybersecurity analysts are assimilated to information security analysts, and, in effect, the two positions titles are often interchangeably used. Differences are subtle but can be identified thanks to standard definitions: according to NISTIR 7298 Revision 2, in fact, cybersecurity is “the ability to protect or defend the use of cyberspace from cyber-attacks.” The cyberspace is defined as “a global domain within the information environment consisting of the interdependent network of information systems infrastructures including the Internet, telecommunications networks, computer systems, and embedded processors and controllers.” This is a more focused domain if compared to Information Security defined as “protection of information systems against unauthorized access to or modification of information, whether in storage, processing, or transit, and against the denial of service to authorized users, including those measures necessary to detect, document, and counter such threats.”

If you want to become a Certified Ethical Hacker Then go through the link Ethical Hacking Online Training

Job Description: What Does a Cybersecurity Analyst Do?

As part of your day-to-day tasks, you could be required to:

• Analyze and establish security requirements for your systems/networks
• Defend systems against unauthorized access, modification and/or destruction
• Configure and support security tools such as firewalls, anti-virus software, patch management systems, etc.
• Define access privileges, control structures and resources
• Perform vulnerability testing, risk analyses and security assessments
• Identify abnormalities and report violations
• Oversee and monitor routine security administration
• Develop and update business continuity and disaster recovery protocols
• Train fellow employees in security awareness, protocols and procedures
• Design and conduct security audits to ensure operational security
• Respond immediately to security incidents and provide post-incident analysis
• Research and recommend security upgrades
• Provide technical advice to colleagues

Who to Hire and Why

The role of the Cyber security Analyst is to produce “timely, actionable, and accurate analysis on a cyber issue,” says Angela Horneman, Network Intelligence Analyst, CERT Division. She tells how significant is the analyst’s role in adding perspective, context, and depth to a security issue to help decision-makers make better judgments and quicker choices on how to execute security measures aligned with industry best practices to shield the organization’s computer systems and networks from infiltration and cyber attacks. This explains how these professionals are more and more an essential figure in any mid or large company’s organogram.

Having the right cyber security analyst on board, then, is critical to many companies. They should have a combination of hard and soft skills that can make his or her presence more valuable within a security team: Hard skills for a cyber security analyst involves not only technical proficiency and knowledge acquired on the job or in books but also the ability to perform data analysis; whereas, soft skills focus on attributes and personality traits, like persuasion and communication.

The right professionals use technical expertise to help respond to threats and emergency security incidents promptly. They employ analytical skills to analyze the data collected through security information and event management (SIEM), system tools for monitoring, perform data/logs examinations and screen alerts generated by automated IDS tools. As well, they’ll use assessment skills to understand the strategic implications of cyber incidents and apply techniques and methodologies to get to the appropriate resolution to protect information systems against hackers and cyber attacks.

Take your career to new heights of success with an Cyber Security Training

However, interpersonal skills are also of great importance. In fact, they are asked to be able to effectively communicate security information to all stakeholders, from fellow analysts and team members to customers; therefore, strong verbal and written communication skills are essential. They use their communication and persuasion skills to make recommendations for the firm to enable expeditious remediation. Given that, they also need to be resolute in making sound decisions and to be able to help develop solutions or improvements to prevent malicious activity independently.

Education, Career & Salary Information

Like Security Analysts and Security Engineers, Security Specialists occupy a muddy middle ground in an organization’s hierarchy. Before becoming a specialist, you may get your start as a:

• Security Administrator
• Network Administrator
• System Administrator

After becoming a Security Specialist, you can aim for a senior-level security job such as a:

• Security Architect
• Security Manager
• Security Consultant
• IT Project Manager

The highest-paid and highest-ranked security jobs include:

• Security Director
• CISO

Similar Jobs

The term “Security Specialist” is also known in the business as an:

• Information Security Specialist
• IT Security Specialist
• Computer Security Specialist
• Network Security Specialist

SECURITY SPECIALIST SALARIES

Payscale has two categories for IT Security Specialists:

1. The median salary for an Information Security Specialist is $75,263 (2019 figures). Overall, you can expect to take home a total pay of $47,177 – $119,556.
2. The median salary for a Computer Security Specialist is $72,223 (2019 figures). Overall, you can expect to take home a total pay of $39,920 – $107,887.

Total pay figures include your base annual salary, bonuses, profit sharing, tips, commissions, overtime pay and other forms of cash earnings, as applicable.

SECURITY SPECIALIST JOB REQUIREMENTS

In the world of IT Security Specialist job listings, it pays to narrow your options by choosing the appropriate salary & experience level. For example, we’ve seen a specialist job with the OECA that only requires 1 year of full-time work experience and no specific degree. But we’ve also seen a Cyber Security Specialist position with a well-known defense firm that requires a 4-year degree in Computer Science or a related field, 5-8 years of experience in security & programming, CISSP certification and Government Clearance.

Because specialists have a hand in many IT security projects, you can build your experience in all kinds of ways. Internships and bootcamps are good, but so too are MOOCs, volunteer projects, and specialist certifications (e.g. CEH). Attending cyber security conferences can help you create a network of contacts. You may also want to reach out to current specialists in your preferred arena (e.g. finance) to learn more about the realities of the work. Are they doing a lot of repetitive administrative tasks? Do they have a lot of control over projects? Ask away.

Degree Requirements

It’s going to depend on the job. In entry-level positions, you may be able to get away with an associate’s degree or 4 years of experience in lieu of a degree. For higher-level positions, many employers will expect a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Ethical Hacking, Cyber Security or a related technical field. Don’t have a BS? You could consider a master’s degree with a concentration in IT security, training and/or professional certifications.

Work Experience

For entry-level positions, requirements can be as low as 1-2 years. For senior-level positions, expectations climb to 5+ years of experience with extensive work in IT security.

Hard Skills

We’re going to hedge a little, since every employer is going to have very specific needs. That being said, it’s always good to ground yourself in fundamentals such as:

• IDS/IPS, penetration and vulnerability testing
• TCP/IP, computer networking, routing and switching
• DLP, anti-virus and anti-malware
• Firewall and intrusion detection/prevention protocols
• Secure coding practices, ethical hacking and threat modeling
• Windows, UNIX and Linux operating systems
• ISO 27001/27002, ITIL and COBIT frameworks
• PCI, HIPAA, NIST, GLBA and SOX compliance assessments
• C, C++, C#, Java or PHP programming languages
• Security Information and Event Management (SIEM)

Soft Skills

In basic terms, Security Specialists play independently but work well with others. In other words, employers want to see you have strong oral and communication skills, a curious, analytical mind and the ability to solve complex technical problems.

Certifications For Security Specialists

We’ve listed some – but by no means all – of the options available. If you have time, reserve a 1/2 hour to scroll through job descriptions on LinkedIn – employers often specify precisely what certifications they favor. Security+ is always popular.

• Security+: CompTIA’s popular base-level security certification
• CCNA: Cisco Certified Network Associate – Routing and Switching
• CEH: Certified Ethical Hacker
• GSEC / GCIH / GCIA: GIAC Security Certifications
• CISSP: Certified Information Systems Security Professional
• For more Additional info at Ethical Hacking Training

Conclusion

In the cyber realm, analysts are the go-to professionals for alert triage and event analysis. So, what it takes to become a cybersecurity analyst? A suitable candidate will have formal education in IT, computer science, or cybersecurity; he or she will also have on-the-job experience and, preferably, professional certifications.