How do you start your cyber security career?
Before we begin, we must first understand what cyber security is. To explain it in simple layman’s terms, cyber security is the protection used to defend internet-connected devices and services from malicious attacks by hackers, spammers, and cybercriminals.
Now that that’s out of the way, let’s talk more about cybersecurity.
Did you know that knowledge is power?
You heard that right. Staff awareness of cyber threats is an important piece of the cyber security puzzle. It is essential to provide business staff with training in the fundamentals of computer security in order to increase awareness of organizational procedures and policies.
By 2025, cybercrime will cost the world $10.5 trillion annually, according to Cybercrime Magazine. Furthermore, over the next four years, global cybercrime costs are expected to rise by nearly 15% per year.
Here are some of the common cyber threats:
- Cyberterrorism.
- Malware.
- Trojans.
- Botnets.
- Adware.
- SQL injection.
- Phishing.
- Man In The Middle Attack.
- Denial of Service Attack.
Companies are increasingly relying on cybersecurity experts to identify potential threats and protect valuable data as data breaches, hacking, and cybercrime reach new heights.
So, in order to become a cybersecurity engineer, you will need to first understand what is involved in the profession. The purpose of cyber engineers is to understand cyberspace by combining electrical engineering and computer science.
Did you know that a cyber security engineer creates and deploys secure network solutions to protect against hackers, cyberattacks, and other persistent threats?
They too test and monitor these systems on a regular basis to ensure that all of the systems’ defenses are up-to-date and functioning properly. A cybersecurity engineer’s position is sometimes referred to as a data security engineer, an IT security engineer, or a Web security engineer. Furthermore, the role of a cyber security engineer is sometimes rolled into another IT position, particularly in smaller businesses that cannot afford a cyber security specialist.
So, you might ask, what exactly are their responsibilities?
Well, let’s look into some of the basic responsibilities one by one.
- They are always evaluating the organization’s security needs and establishing best practices and standards accordingly.
- They are always creating, implementing, maintaining, supervising, and upgrading all security measures required to protect an organization’s data, systems, and networks.
- Routine Penetration tests.
- Assisting in any security breach investigations. Etc.
Well, the good news is, anyone can become a cybersecurity engineer as long as they have the following qualifications:
- Degree in Computer Science, IT, Systems Engineering, or a similar field.
- Two years of work experience in cybersecurity-related duties such as incident detection and response, and forensics.
- Experience with the functionality, operation, and maintenance of firewalls and various forms of endpoint security.
- Proficiency in languages/tools such as C++, Java, Node, Python, Ruby, Go, or Powershell.
- The ability to work in a fast-paced environment, often under pressure.
- Possess the right eye for detail and outstanding problem-solving skills.
- Up-to-date knowledge of the latest cybersecurity trends and hacker tactics.
Now, I understand that some of the qualifications are irrelevant, as different organizations may have more or fewer qualifications or greater importance to any of the given criteria.
Did you know that an average salary is around $101,000 a year according to Glassdoor? If you are experienced, then a senior-level engineer can earn up to $145k annually, and beginners up to $71K a year.
A couple of years back, a Forbes article quoted “the fast-growing job with a huge skill gap.”. ISACA report predicted a world shortage of two million cybersecurity professionals by 2019, and here we are in 2023. Some of the companies that are looking for cybersecurity engineers are BAE Systems, Symantec, Cisco, IBM, Microsoft, Amazon, Lockheed Martin, etc.
So, want to become a Cybersecurity Engineer? It’s easy. You can start by taking courses like CEH(v10) - Certified Ethical Hacking Course. This course will train you on the advanced step-by-step methodologies that hackers use. This ethical hacking course will teach you advanced network packet analysis and advanced system penetration testing techniques to help you build your network security skill set and outwit hackers.
Even if you aren’t interested in becoming a cybersecurity engineer, this is an excellent resource for upskilling in your current position and increasing your value and prestige at your workplace or organization. Join the fight for a more secure Internet by taking the course!
Happy hunting!
