The cyber security profession is multipurpose and open to anyone, whether they have a technical or non-technical background.
When you first hear about the job of an information technology expert, you immediately interpret it raw and think if you have to be professional in terms of computer science.
Although this statement is not wrong, this kind of thinking is not entirely true.
Career Description
Cyber security, also known as cyber security, protects computers, mobile devices, servers, electronic systems, and data from the risk of malicious attacks. Even though the cyber security profession is not yet prevalent, the fact is that this job is quite promising to try.
The existence of cyber security is very crucial for companies that exist in the digital era like today. Because during the dynamic development of information technology, electronic devices can be connected via the internet.
Cyber security is one of the efforts agencies or individuals can make to protect their information from cyber attacks.
In this case, this includes interfering with data confidentiality, integrity, or availability. It may also be intended to physically disrupt or disrupt the logical flow of an information system.
Cyber Crimes Overview
Specifically, several types of cyber crimes resonate in the digital era. Call it a denial of service (DoS), malware and viruses, scareware, and botnets and zombies. It can be concluded cyberattacks can cause fatal disruption and damage even to the most resilient companies.
Typically, companies affected by these attacks will lose their assets, reputation, and the business they run and face fines and remediation fees. For this reason, cyber security emerged as a solution.
Other benefits that will be obtained by digital-based companies that use cyber security are:
- ensuring the security of a business
- protecting personal information
- anticipating websites
- increasing employee productivity.
Job Options
Given the enormous benefits of using cyber security for a business, the prospects for this profession are still extensive. Moreover, this work has yet to be widely understood by ordinary people.
Several job opportunities in cyber security include cyber security consultant, chief information security officer, security engineer, security architect, incident responder, computer forensic specialist, penetration tester, security analyst, security software developer, and security auditor.
Each of these professions has its duties and authorities, from developing security systems.
Duties and Responsibilities
1. Identify Security Measures and Reponses
One of the primary duties and responsibilities of a Security Engineer is to identify security measures and respond quickly to security incidents that occur in a company.
A Security Engineer is expected to respond to incidents and immediately coordinate with the entire IT team or related teams.
2. Do The Evaluation and Auditing
The Security Engineer is also in charge and responsible for assessing, evaluating, and auditing a company’s data or information security level.
As the primary technician in information security, the Security Engineer is expected to be able to play a significant role in finding irregularities or deficiencies in all information security systems in a particular company.
3. Develop technical solutions and research vulnerabilities
A Security Engineer is expected to be able to develop technical solutions related to information security and examine potential vulnerabilities or potential attacks/threats against the security system.
The security system can be projected to last a long time and be ready with specific solutions if it gets certain attacks at any time. The main thing that is expected from a Security Engineer is automating security enhancements.
Technical Skills Requirement
A general security engineer’s technical capabilities include knowledge of security libraries, security controls, and the use of Ruby and Rails applications.
In addition, Security Engineers are also required to be able to evaluate and correct SQLi, XSS, CSRF, SSRF, and other weaknesses such as authentication and security authorization.
Furthermore, the Security Engineer must also know how to look for web-based security vulnerabilities such as the OWASP Top 10 and others. Other knowledge expected of a Security Engineer is:
- OAuth
- SAML
- CAS
- OTP/TOP
- CSP
- HSTS
- X
- Arachni
- Brakeman
- BurpSuite
Coding
Becoming a Security Engineer means having coding or coding skills for information data security systems.
Security Engineers must be active in identifying and mitigating security risks by discovering vulnerable or expired codes.
In addition, a Security Engineer must also have a good understanding and performance in writing code.
Code in a security system is expected to be secure and scale to a large number of users of the system as a whole.
But, It Can Be More Than Just Coding
Having a cyber security specialist career does not mean that all activities carried out are related to coding.
A cyber security person needs to understand other things such as data structure, network penetration testing, cyber forensics, cyber law, human and computer interaction, program design methods, network cryptography, artificial intelligence, and secure programming.
A Wide Open Career
The fact that this profession still has few workers and does not require special requirements regarding the background of prospective applicants proves that cybersecurity careers are still very wide open.
As previously mentioned, technology-based companies need a lot of employees in consulting positions, heads of information security, technology-based security engineers, and so on.
Crybersecurity Engineer Qualification
In general, a cybersecurity engineer must have the following qualifications:
- Degree in Computer Science, IT, Systems Engineering, or a similar field
- Two years of work experience in cyber security-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 Power Shell
- 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 cybe rsecurity trends and hacker tactics.
Note that different organizations may have more or fewer qualifications or attach lesser or greater importance to any of the given criteria.
Cybersecurity Engineer Salaries
According to Glassdoor, the average salary for a cybersecurity engineer is around $101,000 per year.
Senior-level engineers earn an average of $145,000 annually, while entry-level engineers can expect to earn $71,000 per year.
In India, the average salary for a cybersecurity engineer is ₹600,000 per year, while in Australia it is A$95,000 and in the UK it is £47,048 annually.
However, these numbers may vary depending on regional demand for the role. Understanding the demand for the role is important before considering becoming a cybersecurity engineer.