How to Hack Your Way to a Career in Cyber Security

Overview

There is a lot of buzz around the term hacking, and even more around “Ethical hacking”. With the onset of technology, computers, and the internet, there has been a multitude of successful and unsuccessful attempts by cybercriminals to threaten the security of leading businesses. 

The cybercriminals that take unauthorized and illegal access to businesses’ websites, digital accounts are generally termed, hackers. They take advantage of the loopholes in the systems and abuse them for their benefit. A recent example would be the biggest supply chain hacking attempt ever, The Ransomware.  

Ethical Hackers on the other hand are the exact opposite of hackers. They are also referred to as WHite hat hackers. Due to the rising cybersecurity threats, companies hire ethical hackers on payroll to find loopholes in their systems. Loopholes once found are fixed and made foolproof against any future hacking attempts.

Over the last decade, ethical Hacking course has gained a lot of popularity, thanks to the James Bond movies and cybercrimes all around the world. Collectively, they have pushed Ethical hacking to be one of the top 10 IT professionals in the world. The real-life of ethical hackers, however, is far more exciting and rewarding. Let us learn more about ethical hacking as a job profile in the article.

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Certifications in Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity is one such field that does not have any classroom programs, for all the right reasons. There is no syllabus and pre-mentioned books that ethical hackers are required to study and ace the test to become ethical hackers. Instead, IT professionals have to undergo certification exams, which test them on their skills and understanding of new concepts and latest innovations in the fields of network security. The tests also assess professionals’ cyber quotient and logical reasoning. The leading cybersecurity certification exams that are in huge demand among employers are mentioned below.  

• CEH: Certified Ethical Hacker
• CISSP: Certified Information Systems Security Professional
• CISM: Certified Information Security Manager
• CCSP: Certified Cloud Security Professional
• CISA: Certified Information Systems Auditor
• COBIT 5 Certification Training
• CompTIA+ Security+

Entry Level Positions in Cybersecurity

Starting in Cybersecurity is not as hard as it seems. With the right skill set, certification, and proper training, one can easily bag entry-level jobs in cybersecurity fields. We have listed some of the most popular entry-level cyber security profiles, let us go through them. 

• IT Technician: The main work of an IT technician revolves around maintaining the computer systems of the organization, diagnosing problems, installing software and hardware. The IT technicians are also recommended to regularly test equipment and company gadgets for any threat attempts to them. The average salary of an IT technician is around $73,557
• Network Engineer: Network engineers are responsible for the company’s computer networks. They are entrusted with disaster recovery, and protection of data, software, and hardware against any physical and cyber threats. The average salary of a Network Engineer is $87,626
• Information Security Analyst: ISA monitors systems’ networks for security issues. They investigate breaches, design, test, and deploy security systems while setting operational standards of software. The average salary of an Information Security Analyst is $79,580
• Junior Penetration Tester: Junior Penetration Tester is one of the most popular entry-level fields in cybersecurity. Junior PTs assist senior PTs in locating vulnerabilities in clients’ networks and carry out feasible solutions. They assist in analyzing systems, creating reports, developing tools, and making modifications to hardware and software. The average salary of a Junior Penetration Tester $79,100
• Systems Administrator: As the name suggests, Systems administrators are responsible for designing, building, and maintaining the company’s networked systems. They ensure the proper functioning of all computing operations at optimum speed. The average salary of a System Administrator is $82,798

Conclusion

The industry of cybersecurity is much more complex, interconnected than it seems. People starting at an entry-level position in cybersecurity can surely reach up leadership roles till the end of their career. Some of the leadership profiles under cybersecurity are Chief Information Security Officer, Cybersecurity Consultant, Cybersecurity Architect, Security Advisor, Cybersecurity Specialists, and many more.

Similar to other fields under the IT industry, The Cybersecurity market will never saturate. As companies, enterprises, and big organizations keep growing their businesses and revenue, the cyber threats to their profits, data and online presence will always be real. Hence, the role of cybersecurity experts will always be as important as it is today. 

IT Professionals looking to make a career switch to the fields of Networking Security should start with obtaining cybersecurity certificates mentioned in the list above. The certifications will provide them opportunities in entry and moderate level cybersecurity positions across companies. They can graduate from lower post to higher with help of their hands-on experience, knowledge gained while working, and obtaining higher level certificates.