Cybersecurity professionals should be well-versed in computer systems and networks and should have the ability to solve problems and communicate solutions despite the wide variance in job responsibilities across different cybersecurity roles in different industries, studies have shown that specific skills are universally essential for cybersecurity professionals. A recent study from labor market analytics firm Burning Glass showed that application development security and cloud security skills were the most in-demand for cybersecurity professionals, with five-year projected growth rates of 164 and 115 percent respectively. Those skills were also lucrative, each with a $12,000-15,000 average salary premium. With a 60 percent expected growth rate and a $13,000 cybersecurity analyst salary premium, risk management skills were next.
Cybersecurity Technical Skills
Networking
Understanding how computers connect and interact with each other is a key skill to succeed in cybersecurity. In a survey by The SANS Institute of more than 500 cybersecurity professionals, 85 percent of respondents ranked networking as a critical skill. Understanding elements like network architecture, routing and switching, network protocols, firewalls, and virtual private networks is key to planning security policies.
Operating systems and database management
Cybersecurity professionals need to understand information technology fundamentals for a range of systems, including Linux, Windows, and macOS. They should be knowledgeable on how operating systems and databases work and how to keep them secure.
Threat detection
The threat landscape in cybersecurity is constantly evolving. Threats and vulnerabilities, big or small, can come at any time and remain undetected if not carefully analyzed. Cybersecurity professionals need to know how to use the right tools and strategies to ensure that threats are identified and swiftly managed.
Risk management
In their role, cybersecurity professionals identify and mitigate any incoming security risk. Should a data breach occur, they need to be able to recover quickly so that damage is minimized.
Cybersecurity Analyst
A Cybersecurity Analyst enacts cybersecurity measures designed to protect and secure IT infrastructure including networks, hardware, and software from threats, attacks, and malicious actors.
1) Phishing, often takes the form of fraudulent emails, calls, and other communications that aim to steal information including bank accounts, login information, and credit card numbers.
2) Malware or other malicious computer software can take forms including viruses, Trojans, or spyware.
3) Denial-of-service attacks where criminals try to overwhelm servers and a network with bogus traffic that locks out legitimate users.
4) SQL injections into an application’s database that give criminal actors access to sensitive data.
Cybersecurity Important
Cybersecurity is important because so much of our sensitive information – including personal and health data, intellectual property, and governmental information systems – is vulnerable to attack, and it needs to be properly protected. The purpose of cybersecurity is to protect systems and data from cyber-attacks. Individuals and organizations use cybersecurity to ensure that their data is safe from unauthorized access. Cyber attacks can happen at any level, big or small. There have been incidences of governmental organizations being breached and citizens losing access to essential services. On an individual level, cybercrime victims have faced identity theft, blackmail, and extortion.
Cyber attacks are one of the world’s fastest-growing crimes, and cybersecurity is a crucial practice as the rate of cybercrime skyrockets. Risk Based Security found that, in 2019, over 15.1 billion records were exposed and 7,098 breaches were reported. By 2021, it is projected that damage from cybercrime will exceed $6 trillion, making cybersecurity more important now than ever. Cybercriminals are also becoming more innovative in their tactics, making cybersecurity critically important. Any business that relies on internet-connected systems (which is nearly every modern business) needs to put cybersecurity measures in place. A robust cybersecurity strategy involves implementing multiple layers of protection on devices, programs, and networks. Tools, such as firewalls and antivirus software, should be used alongside cybersecurity best practices to ensure that data is protected.
Network security monitoring tools
These tools are used to analyze network data and detect network-based threats. Examples of tools include Argus, Nagios, Pof, Splunk, and OSSEC.
Encryption tools
Encryption protects data by scrambling text so that it is unreadable to unauthorized users. Examples of tools include Tor, KeePass, VeraCrypt, NordLocker, AxCrypt, and TrueCrypt.
Web vulnerability scanning tools
These software programs scan web applications to identify security vulnerabilities including cross-site scripting, SQL injection, and path traversal. Examples of tools include Burp Suite, Nikto, Paros Proxy, and SQLMap.
Penetration testing
Penetration testing, also known as the “pen test”, simulates an attack on a computer system in order to evaluate the security of that system. Examples of penetration testing tools include Metasploit, Kali Linux, Netsparker, and Wireshark.
Antivirus software
This software is designed to find viruses and other harmful malware, including ransomware, worms, spyware, adware, and Trojans. Examples of tools include Norton 360, Bitdefender Antivirus, Norton AntiVirus, Kaspersky Anti-Virus, and McAfee Total Protection.
Network intrusion detection
An Intrusion Detection System (IDS) monitors network and system traffic for unusual or suspicious activity and notifies the administrator if a potential threat is detected. Examples of tools include Snort, Security Onion, SolarWinds Security Event Manager, Kismet, and Zeek.
Packet sniffers
A packet sniffer, also called a packet analyzer, protocol analyzer or network analyzer, is used to intercept, log, and analyze network traffic and data. Examples of tools include Wireshark, Tcpdump, and Windump.
Firewall tools
Top firewall security management suites include Tufin, AlgoSec, FireMon, and RedSeal.
Managed detection services
Managed detection services to analyze and proactively detect and eventually eliminate cyber threats. Alerts are investigated to determine if any action is required.
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