Cyber security careers are becoming more in demand and offer high salaries. There are many different jobs within the security industry, from offensive pentesting (hacking machines and reporting on vulnerabilities) to defensive security (defending against and investigating cyberattacks).
High Pay - jobs in security have high starting salaries Exciting - work can include legally hacking systems or defending against cyber attacks Be in demand - there are over 3.5 million unfilled cyber positions
Security analysts are integral to constructing security measures across organisations to protect the company from attacks. Analysts explore and evaluate company networks to uncover actionable data and recommendations for engineers to develop preventative measures. This job role requires working with various stakeholders to gain an understanding of security requirements and the security landscape.
- Working with various stakeholders to analyse the cyber security throughout the company
- Compile ongoing reports about the safety of networks, documenting security issues and measures taken in response
- Develop security plans, incorporating research on new attack tools and trends, and measures needed across teams to maintain data security.
Design, monitor and maintain security controls, networks, and systems to help prevent cyberattacks
Security engineers develop and implement security solutions using threats and vulnerability data - often sourced from members of the security workforce. Security engineers work across circumventing a breadth of attacks, including web application attacks, network threats, and evolving trends and tactics. The ultimate goal is to retain and adopt security measures to mitigate the risk of attack and data loss.
- Testing and screening security measures across software
- Monitor networks and reports to update systems and mitigate vulnerabilities
- Identify and implement systems needed for optimal security
Identifies and mitigates attacks whilst an attackers operations are still unfolding
Incident responders respond productively and efficiently to security breaches. Responsibilities include creating plans, policies, and protocols for organisations to enact during and following incidents. This is often a highly pressurised position with assessments and responses required in real-time, as attacks are unfolding. Incident response metrics include MTTD, MTTA, and MTTR - the meantime to detect, acknowledge, and recover (from attacks.) The aim is to achieve a swift and effective response, retain financial standing and avoid negative breach implications. Ultimately, incident responders protect the company's data, reputation, and financial standing from cyber attacks.
- Developing and adopting a thorough, actionable incident response plan
- Maintaining strong security best practices and supporting incident response measures
- Post-incident reporting and preparation for future attacks, considering learnings and adaptations to take from incidents
you like to play detective, this might be the perfect job. If you are working as part of a law-enforcement department, you would be focused on collecting and analysing evidence to help solve crimes: charging the guilty and exonerating the innocent. On the other hand, if your work falls under defending a company's network, you will be using your forensic skills to analyse incidents, such as policy violations.
- Collect digital evidence while observing legal procedures
- Analyse digital evidence to find answers related to the case
- Document your findings and report on the case
Analyses all types of malware to learn more about how they work and what they do
A malware analyst's work involves analysing suspicious programs, discovering what they do and writing reports about their findings. A malware analyst is sometimes called a reverse-engineer as their core task revolves around converting compiled programs from machine language to readable code, usually in a low-level language. This work requires the malware analyst to have a strong programming background, especially in low-level languages such as assembly language and C language. The ultimate goal is to learn about all the activities that a malicious program carries out, find out how to detect it and report it.
- Carry out static analysis of malicious programs, which entails reverse-engineering
- Conduct dynamic analysis of malware samples by observing their activities in a controlled environment
- Document and report all the findings
Responsible for testing technology products for security loopholes
You may see penetration testing referred to as pentesting and ethical hacking. A penetration tester's job role is to test the security of the systems and software within a company - this is achieved through attempts to uncover flaws and vulnerabilities through systemised hacking. Penetration testers exploit these vulnerabilities to evaluate the risk in each instance. The company can then take these insights to rectify issues to prevent a real-world cyberattack.
- Conduct tests on computer systems, networks, and web-based applications
- Perform security assessments, audits, and analyse policies
- Evaluate and report on insights, recommending actions for attack prevention.
Plays the role of an adversary, attacking an organisation and providing feedback from an enemies perspective
Red teamers share similarities to penetration testers, with a more targeted job role. Penetration testers look to uncover many vulnerabilities across systems to keep cyber-defence in good standing, whilst red teamers are enacted to test the company's detection and response capabilities. This job role requires imitating cyber criminals' actions, emulating malicious attacks, retaining access, and avoiding detection. Red team assessments can run for up to a month, typically by a team external to the company. They are often best suited to organisations with mature security programs in place.
- Emulate the role of a threat actor to uncover exploitable vulnerabilities, maintain access and avoid detection
- Assess organisations' security controls, threat intelligence, and incident response procedures
- Evaluate and report on insights, with actionable data for companies to avoid real-world instances