Getting a new career in Cyber Security

One thing that is certain today is the phenomenal rise of the computer hacker. With not just cyber criminals but nation states also getting in on the act of cyber espionage – or spying as we used to call it – the stakes are always getting higher!

This means that online security is of the utmost importance. Keeping us all as safe as possible in cyberspace is the vital job of many new career professionals.

Online transactions must be kept as secure as possible and perhaps, more importantly still, up and coming new technologies such as driverless vehicle technology and robotic surgery must be safe and secure.

Whilst cyber crime increases new career opportunities in the field of Cyber Security are always being created.

Even nation states need to boost their online spying activities to keep up with the enemy! This means that cyber-espionage and cyber warfare are creating new and interesting career roles.

Cyber Security is a fast evolving field with new jobs appearing daily to match new threats as they evolve. This is what makes it an ever changing and exciting world to be looking for a new career in!

Military Cyber Warriors

Do you fancy the job of a Cyber Warrior, protecting the innocent from the forces of evil, Marvel Comics style?

That may seem a little over the top yet in the military your role could potentially see you controlling the security of a vast swarm of drones or battlefield robots. A deep skill set in Artificial Intelligence and secure encrypted communications, used for secure data transmission and gathering, could be vital. Think about the importance of such a role to your country, it’s enough to make you one very proud cyber hero!

It is clear then that the skills required for jobs in Cyber Security vary widely so lets take a look at the most useful human skill-sets that are needed for a job in Cyber Security.

Developing your career

Firstly, Cyber Security Software Developers will naturally need to be able to write programming code in C, C++, Python or other programming languages.

The work of these guys and gals will need to be seamlessly integrated into their organisations IT Security Infrastructure too. In this job role, Cyber Security will be the primary focus across the entire IT project lifecycle from initial scoping of requirements and planning through to design, build, testing and ultimately, implementation.

Assessing your vulnerability

Working as a Vulnerability Assessor will mean that you would need to be able to efficiently and systematically scan through an organisations software applications and IT systems plus their procedures and processes. You will be searching for any weaknesses (vulnerabilities) that criminal hackers could exploit to make financial or other gains. You may also increasingly need to protect your organisations informational assets from the prying probing eyes of other nation states!

White hat hackers in demand

Penetration testers, or ethical hackers as they are sometimes known, must have the ability to be able to hack into an organisations IT systems. Though often unseen and sometimes offsite, they will be looking for potential exploits across an organisations suite of IT applications, databases and networks. They will be trawling through the organisations hardware installations including servers, storage devices, cloud services and PC’s.

Ultimately, they will recommend patches, bug fixes and upgrade paths all contained together in an IT security audit report. They will need a firm grasp of the latest tricks in Social Media, Messaging and Email apps too if they want to introduce an element of human error into the cyber defence equations!

Do you require an audit?

A Cyber Security Auditor will need to audit an organisations overall IT Security. They will be auditing individual procedures and processes, software, hardware and all of the other elements that could impact on organisational IT security.

Naturally, advanced communication and reporting skills will be required, as their job will involve the creation of a detailed audit report. Staff at all levels within the organisation may need to be able to understand the report and implement any recommended changes.

A forensic examination?

Today’s IT Forensics Experts must be able to use their analytical mind on truly vast ‘big data lakes’. These vast pools of data may contain information collected from a wide set of data sources. Up to date knowledge of the most useful analytical tools, together with the ability to code for them, will also likely be necessary, depending on the organisations needs.

This job role will often likely result in the systematic collection of potential evidence for law enforcement authorities or legal practices. These authorities may include the police and courts, enabling strong cases against criminals to be created.

The big cheese!

The top guy in many employers is that of Chief Information Security Officer (CISO). The role involves the management and overall direction of all in-house cyber security related project teams within an organisation. The job may also cover other IT teams with a special focus on IT and cyber security. The work will normally result in systems and processes being implemented that are as secure from as possible from hackers.

Consultancy Roles

Todays top Cyber Consultants will have a great many different skill sets to enable their success. These skills would likely have been learned in a wide range of different job roles over many years.

They could have an employment history as a developer or coder, or perhaps as a penetration tester or vulnerability assessor. Their knowledge would be relied upon in order to first plan and then develop a robust and secure IT Security infrastructure. They would also often be on hand to advise on particular projects as required by the organisation.

For many, one of the joys of a Consultancy role is in working on a freelance basis, meeting new people and finding fresh challenges all the time as they move from job!

If this guide to cyber security jobs has you interested then check out the cyber jobs on offer at www.cybersecurityjobs.net

Here you will find useful help and advice whilst looking for that challenging cyber career role!