Keeping one's data secure in today's digital world is crucial. Organizations that offer digital platforms for interaction must be thorough with their security policies to keep the user's identity and other personal data safe. Hackers all around the world try to attack cyberspaces and corrupt vital data. Cyber Security Engineers are required to achieve a high level of security in these systems and networks. Check out the Cyber Security classes for potential candidates who wish to pursue and excel in this field.
Who is a Cyber Security Engineer?
A Cyber Security Engineer is a learned professional who manages and constructs hardware, software, and security blueprints for the safety and well-functioning of the systems, data, and networks. They are masters of electrical engineering and computer science and are experts at blending these fields to generate the best results. Their main aim is to ensure the system runs without any intervention by external or internal hackers, possible threats, and any cyber-space inconveniences. They are also known as 'IT Security Engineers,' 'Information Engineers', etc. They evaluate an organization's security status, monitor and analyze it, troubleshoot any concerning problems, and ensure that all the organization's data is safe and secure.
Cyber Security Engineer Job Description
The first and foremost priority of a Cyber Security Engineer job description includes the maintenance of security of all the systems and data of the organization. They must be skilled enough to analyze the existing problems with the networks, create a solution, execute it with the desired outcome, and back it up with a firm security policy for others to follow. It is also important for these professionals to have open communication with the organization's leaders. In order to implement these security policies, the organization's superiors must be educated about their importance.
They are in charge of creating and monitoring the hardware and software of the system. Therefore, they must ensure that the system firewalls are well protected, and the data is safely encrypted. Cyber Security Engineers must also be good at investigating. Sometimes, the magnitude of the cyber-attack is huge, therefore, these engineers should know how to handle such damage and intrusion, and in the worst-case scenario, they might also be working with law enforcers to solve the case. To learn more about hacking, check out the best Ethical Hacking course and its excellent services.
Roles and Responsibilities of a Cyber Security Engineer
One of the Cyber Security Engineer roles and responsibilities includes the privacy and protection of the company's data. Others include:
- Planning, creating and ensuring that the data and other security policies are implemented.
- To ensure that every security policy and measure is up-to-date and potentially upgraded.
- Testing these safety measures' execution frequently ensures that the system runs safely and sound.
- If there is any problem that arises, it should be solved soon. Troubleshooting should be done with efficiency.
- Other administrative tasks need to be looked after along with these essential duties.
Additionally, cybersecurity engineers may collaborate with other departments to maintain network security. In this way, rising threats can be addressed more quickly. A few of their other duties may include the following:
- Penetration testing: Cybersecurity engineers examine org computer networks, applications, and data systems for vulnerabilities.
- IT system security: Defining protocols, and installing and configuring security devices are often the duties of engineers
- Network maintenance: Engineers may also install, test, and configure networks.
Skills Required for Cyber Security Engineers
1. Basic Skills
One of the basic Cyber Security Engineer skills includes programming. You should know most of the programming languages very well, such as Java, Python, C++, Node, etc. Learning at least a few of these helps the engineer to counter-attack the hacker's intervention.
2. Hard Skills
- Learning as much as possible about networking. Security techniques, firewalls, VPN, DNS, and other security systems must also be learned.
- Learning everything about information, figures, and statistics will allow suitable structures and space.
- Security evaluation and policies.
- Cloud Security.
- Security Audit.
- Ethical hacking and penetration testing.
- Binary analysis and cryptography.
- Browser security and website running.
- Identification for authenticity.
3. Soft Skills
- Self-evaluation should be there. Finding different solutions to one problem gives verification of the right solution.
- Communication among team members. And by this, it doesn't mean desk partners for projects only. Keep in good touch with most of the staff so they can be helpful and well-prepared regarding security policies.
- Be passionate and always keep upskilling. Don't settle for the knowledge you already have but always learn new things about your work.
- Be dedicated to your work. Once faced with a problem, you must know how to solve it.
Job Outlook for Cyber Security Engineers with Salary Details
1. Job Outlook
Since 2021, after covid-19's recovery in the economic sphere, the demand for Cyber Security Engineers has increased by up to 35%. To open more career opportunities in this field, try out KnowledgeHut’s Cyber Security classes. More than 19,000 job vacancies have been found for these engineers, allowing them good career opportunities. Less than half of America's median salary is less than theirs. Since it's an intricate job that requires a lot of precision and good knowledge about every aspect of the system, the demand for this job is too high.
2. Salary Details
Forbes has accumulated the average salary range for each level of Cyber Security Engineer. It includes:
A) Fresher/Entry Level Salary
The average entry-level Cyber Security Engineer salary can range between $88,230 - $100,000. Job positions include Cyber Security Specialist, Cyber Security Analyst, Intrusion Analyst, etc.
B) Intermediate Salary
An intermediate Cyber Security Engineer's salary can range between $92,500 - $107,500. Job positions include Cyber Security consultant, Penetration tester, etc.
C) Senior Level Salary
The average senior Cyber Security Engineer salary ranges between $130,000-$159,750. Job positions include Cyber Security Manager, Cyber Security architect, etc.
Largest Recruiters in Different Countries
- Companies like Apple, Intel, Boeing, Capital One, Netflix, Spotify, etc., offer great opportunities for cybersecurity engineers in the USA.
- PwC, Barclay Simpson, Acumin, and Bestman Solutions offer significant opportunities in the United Kingdom.
- Microsoft, Honeywell, Accenture, Amazon, Hilton, etc., offer appreciable opportunities in China.
- Vancouver Airport Authority, Cortex, Honda, CrowdStrike, Citi, National Bank of Canada, etc., offer great opportunities in Canada.
- The Emirates Group, Group 42, Halian, Buna, Green Gulf Careers, Fortinet, etc., offer great opportunities in the United Arab Emirates.
- Levallois-Perret, Hilti Group, Cloudflare, Marcopolo, Nokia, Airbus, Mars, Thales, etc., provide excellent career opportunities for a Cyber Security Engineer in France.
Who Can Become a Cyber Security Engineer?
As intimidating as it sounds, no profession is easy or difficult to master. Many people who wish to pursue this career and be a Cyber Security Engineer need to follow the proper guidelines and add in tons of hard work and perseverance. That's the key to starting a new profession.
1. Academic eligibility
A person must have a bachelor's degree in fields like cyber technology, computer science, IT engineering, or software engineering. These courses will help you familiarize yourself with the necessary foundations in this field.
After qualifying for the Bachelor's degree, a master's degree in computer science is also mandatory. It is crucial to get hands-on training. A minimum of 4-5 years of on-field experience as an information engineer, software engineer, or system administrator makes it easier to grasp the knowledge and the necessary skills required to have the best Cyber Security Engineer qualifications.
2. Certifications required
It is advisable to fulfill these Cyber Security Engineer requirements after getting some on-field experience in this field. However, a person can pursue them right after their Bachelor's degree. The certifications include the following:
- Council Certified Incident Handler (ECIH)
- Council Security Analyst (ECSA)
- Cyber threat incidents (CTIA)
- Council Certified Chief Information Security Officer (CCISO)
- Certified Ethical Hacker Certification (CEH)
Top Cyber Security Engineer Certifications for Upskilling
In order to learn more skills and have the upper hand on the knowledge of this profession, it is advisable to take these certifications. It gives an individual much more practical ability, increases the Cyber Security Engineer qualifications, and provides a better understanding of the problem-solving techniques used in Cyber Security Engineering. It includes:
1. Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator (CHFI)
This is a high-level skill used by the Cyber Security Forensics department. The engineer can recover lost, deleted, hacked, or encrypted data. Engineers work as legal officials and help the organization in finding the prosecutor.
2. Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH)
CEH: In today's time, where hackers try to infiltrate cyberspace and destroy the organization's crucial data, Cyber Security Engineers need to know how their mindset works. Learning their ins and outs, they can figure out different ways to counter-attack and retrieve lost data.
3. CompTIA Security+
CompTIA Security+ is an introductory level certification that the US Department mainly demands of Defense. IT professionals with a few years of experience in this field are taught more about network strategies, how to attack and counter-attack hackers, encryption data and products, and host-based security policies.
4. Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA)
CISA is one of the most challenging certifications and is very valuable. To enroll in this certification, a person should have a minimum of five years of experience in the Cyber Security space. In order to expand their Cyber Security Engineer career path, they should complete this certification. It helps in learning about audit systems, IT management and governance, data assets, etc.
5. Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP)
In order to enroll in CCSP, the individual must have five years of experience. Areas like cloud security, cloud architecture, various designing concepts, cloud operations, etc., are mastered.
6. GIAC Security Essentials Certification (GSEC)
GSEC certification is for entry-level Cyber Security Engineers. They will learn about networking, system information, cloud security, cryptography, etc. This certification will be perfect for any individual with a background in IT and wish to move to the cloud security department.
7. Systems Security Certified Practitioner (SSCP)
This certification is for intermediate-level engineers. After passing this test, they will have expertise in security administration, system analysis, risk identification, incident response, application security, and more.
8. GIAC Certified Incident Handler (GCIH)
Once you take this certification, you will be regarded as someone with high-level offensive operations skills. Someone who can detect cyber threats and can take defensive measures. You will learn about hacking tools, computer crime investigations, hacker exploits, etc.
Conclusion
Hacking is a serious threat in today's time, where thousands of pieces of data are encrypted, erased, and much more. Cyber Security Engineers keep the systems and networks secure and retrieve these lost files from the hackers' end. They counter-attack these problems with excellent penetration skills. They keep a check on the organization's data optimization, the hardware and software functions, and all the IT management procedures.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Is Cyber Security Engineer hard?
No profession comes with a label of easy or hard. You'll find it exciting and approachable if you are passionate about IT management, cloud security, data protection, etc.
2. Do cyber security engineers need a degree?
Yes, Cyber Security Engineers need at least a Bachelor's degree in fields like computer science, IT technology, Cyber technology, etc.
3. How much does a cyber security engineer make?
An average minimum salary as a fresher Cyber Security Engineer starts from $88,000.
4. What should I study for cyber security?
After completing your Bachelor's degree in computer science, you should go for a Master's in the same, followed by further learning in certifications programs.
5. What qualifications do I need for cyber security?
As an aspiring Cyber Security Engineer, you should be well-educated in IT engineering. It would be best if you were well accustomed to programming languages like Java, Python, C++, etc., and should know other IT management skills for a good Cyber Security Engineer Resume.
