Essential cyber security technical skills assessment

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Essential cyber security skills

  • Working in cyber security involves many technical and people skills. You need the right set of cyber security skills could be critical to get hired.
  • Many employers are looking for qualified candidates that have both technical and workplace skills.

Which nine technical skills comprise a typical cyber security analyst skillset?

Cyber security analysts use a combination of technical and workplace skills to assess vulnerabilities and respond to security incidents.

  1. Controls and frameworks cybersecurity skills. A cybersecurity framework provides a collection of best practices, policies, tools, and security protocols designed to help secure an organization’s data and business operations. A control is a measure your company uses to protect itself from vulnerabilities and attacks. The framework you use will vary depending on your organization and industry.

cloud cybersecurity skills

As more and more businesses move to cloud environments, professionals with cloud expertise are in demand. According to data from GIAC Certifications, having cloud security skills can come with a salary premium of more than $15,000. The need for cloud security skills is expected to grow by 115 percent over the next four years, making it the most lucrative skill in the industry.

Scripting cybersecurity skills

  • This is a type of coding in which you make a program do something. The difference is that coding is static, whereas scripts can make images and text move around. Knowing how to build tools and automate repetitive tasks.

Network security control skills

Many cybersecurity attacks take place across a network of connected devices. The same technologies that allow companies to collaborate can also lead to security vulnerabilities. To keep an organization secure, you’ll need an understanding of wired and wireless networks, and how to secure them.

Intrusion detection cybersecurity skills.

  • As a cybersecurity analyst, a big part of your job will involve monitoring network activity for possible intrusions. Knowing how to use intrusion detection software—security information and event management (SIEM) products, intrusion detection systems (IDS), and intrusion prevention systems (IPS)—enables you to quickly identify suspicious activity or security violations.
  • Threat knowledge. “Know thy enemy.” General Sun Tzu could have been talking about cybersecurity. You can be a more effective cybersecurity analyst by keeping up-to-date on the threat landscape. IIncident response cybersecurity skills. While prevention is the goal of cybersecurity, quickly responding when security incidents do occur is critical to minimize damage and loss. Effective incident handling requires familiarity with your organization’s incident response plan, as well as skills in digital forensics and malware analysis.
  • DevOps Cybersecurity skills. Security risks often exist within applications themselves. More and more companies are adding a security focus to their software development and operations (DevOps) phase to help ensure that applications are secure from the start.

Operating systems cybersecurity skills. 

  • Security threats exist across all operating systems, both on computers and mobile devices. Set yourself up for success as a security analyst by building a deep familiarity with MacOS, Windows, Linux, as well as their command-line interfaces.
  • You might also find it helpful to study the threats and vulnerabilities associated with mobile operating systems, like iOS and Android.

  • Cybersecurity has to protect an organization from attack, theft, and loss, as well as comply with industry regulations.

  • If you’re working for a company that does business around the globe, familiarity with General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) could be beneficial.

  • Cybersecurity analysts in the health care industry will need to understand how to comply with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA)—a US federal law that helps protect the privacy of medical records. Some states within the US have their own privacy laws as well.

Common cybersecurity frameworks

Make sure to familiarize yourself with some of the most common cybersecurity frameworks, including:

  • National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
  • International Organization for Standardization (ISO)
  • Center for Information Security (CIS)
  • System and Organization Controls 2 (SOC 2)

Applied Knowledge of Cyber Security Practices

With terms like “skills required for cyber security,” you may expect to be responsible for debugging, maintaining, and upgrading systems, establishing continuous network surveillance, and delivering real-time security solutions, among other duties. SOC analyst skills professionals must be digitally aware of carrying out their day-to-day duties.

Cybersecurity Expertise on a Range of Platforms

For cyber skills you’ll need to be familiar with featuring a diverse selection of computer systems, portable devices, cloud networking, and wireless networks to be effective in cyber security technical skills, which isn’t simply restricted to computers.

What skills are needed for cyber security? While computer forensics & cybersecurity are two distinct areas, they are closely connected, and having a solid foundation in digital forensics may help you succeed in a career in soc analyst skills.

For skills required for cyber security, you must know what happens when your efforts fail and how stolen data is retrieved to safeguard businesses’ digital assets and avoid security leaks properly. Because of this cyber security skills list include computer forensics courses.

Hacking Working Knowledge 

What skills needed for cyber security? For skills required for cyber security must understand how to “ethically hack” before properly defending a group’s network and infrastructure. In other words, you must have the same abilities as a hacker to properly comprehend how a system might be compromised and devise efficient countermeasures.

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