Cybersecurity professionals are in high demand in the post-COVID world. A career in cybersecurity is rewarding considering its supply and continual cyber-attacks happening on a day-to-day basis. Remote work security risks, increasing ransomware attacks, all have contributed to the increase in demand for cyber security professionals. Cyber Security professionals’ salaries in India range from ₹ 3.0 Lakhs to ₹ 75.00 Lakhs depending on the experience and certifications that they possess.
According to the Cyber Security Venture Press Report, the number of unfilled cybersecurity jobs has increased by 350%, from one million in 2013 to 3.5 million in 2021.In the last two years, the cybersecurity skills gap has been increasing, and India, being the hub of talent for global IT outsourcing, should take this opportunity to its benefit.
Career Paths in Cyber Security:
Management, technical and leadership are three broad career paths available in the cyber security field. (a) The management job involves security governance and oversight roles, i.e., training and awareness, audits and compliance, third-party risk management, and project management.
(b) A technical job entails roles in security engineering and operations, such as cloud security, identity and access management, security operations, ethical hacking, and so on. (
c) Senior leadership jobs involve focusing on the people, i.e., chief information security officer, chief privacy officer, and chief information security administrator.
Areas of Job Opportunities in Cyber Security:
Irrespective of the industry, a plethora of jobs are opening up for cybersecurity professionals, i.e., jobs in banking, educational, content management, media, investigation, law, IT services and almost across all industries. The following are the various job roles in cyber security.
(a) Security Architect: In charge of designing, implementing, and testing security systems, such as those used to protect data from hackers, malware, and DDoS attacks.
(b) Security Consultant: Data security. i.e., conduct vulnerability tests to protect the computer, network, and data.
(c) Penetration Testers: Also known as Ethical Hackers, these individuals test the network, web application, or product.
d) Chief Information Security Officer – This is the most respected role and highest paid cyber security role. The CISO needs to understand all organisational stakeholders’ security expectations and manage the security of the system.
(e) Cryptographer: Writing a code that hackers can’t crack.
(f) Security Analyst: Develops and implements various security measures.
(g) Security Engineer: Responsible for developing the organisation’s security system.
Areas of study in Cyber Security:
(a) Network Security: Protection of wired and wireless networks with firewalls, anti-malware software, intrusion detection systems, access control, and more.
(b) Application Security – The process of making applications more secure by finding, fixing, and enhancing the security of applications
(c) Digital Forensics: The identification, acquisition, processing, analysis, and reporting of electronically stored data.
(d) Data Acquisition: The process of digitising data from our surroundings in order for it to be displayed, analysed, and stored on a computer.
(e) Governance, Risk, and Compliance: The process of overseeing an organisation’s overall governance, enterprise risk management, and regulatory compliance.
(f) Cyber Crime Investigations – Process of investigating, analysing, and recovering forensic data for digital evidence of a crime.
(g) Security Operating Centre: Process of employing people, processes, and technology to continuously monitor and improve an organisation’s security posture while preventing, detecting, analysing, and responding to incidents.
(h) Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery: Business continuity is the process of keeping a business running during a disaster, whereas disaster recovery is concerned with restoring data access and IT infrastructure after a disaster.
(i) Cyber Range Labs: Creating a platform for teams of future cyber security professionals to gain hands-on cybersecurity practice.
(j) Cyber Security Product Development: The process of creating a technology, process, or control application to protect systems, networks, programs, devices, and data from cyber-attacks.
Certification Programs in Cyber Security:
There are many certification platforms available in India for the professionals to get certified and notable amongst them are EC Council and ISACA
Few examinations from EC Council (https://www.eccouncil.org/programs/)
- Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH v1.1)
- Certified Ethical Hacker Master
- Certified Hacking Forensic Investigator (CHFI)
- Certified SOC Analyst (CSA)
- Certified Penetration Testing Professional (CPENT)
- Certified Cloud Security Engineer (C|CSE)
- Certified Network Defender (CND)
- Certified Threat Intelligence Analyst (CTIA)
- Certified Incident Handler (CIH)
- Certified Chief Information Security Officer (CISO)
- Certified Cybersecurity Technician (C|CT)
- Certified Penetration Testing Professional (CPENT)
- Certified Application Security Engineer (C|ASE)
Few certification from ISACA (https://www.isaca.org/credentialing/)
- Certified Chief Information Security Officer (CISO)
- Certified Chief Information Security Manager (CISM)
- Certified in Risk and Information System Control (CRISC)
- Certified in Governance of Enterprise IT (CGIET)
- Cyber Security Practitioner (CSX-P)
Certification from IRCA (https://www.quality.org/)
- ISO 27001 LEAD AUDITOR Information security management system
