These professionals work with public and private employers of all sizes to ensure the safety of data for customers, government entities and healthcare organizations. According to Payscale, major companies paying security specialists well above the national average include the Boeing Company, the Walt Disney Company, and American Express Co. Aspiring cybersecurity specialists may also find ample opportunities in companies like CACI International Inc, American Electric Power, and IBM. Breaking into the cybersecurity field typically requires a combination of up-to-date computer expertise and educational qualifications. Specific educational requirements for cybersecurity specialist jobs will vary according to the position and employer.

This title encompasses roles like cybersecurity analyst and information how to become a security specialist. Cybersecurity specialists handle a broad set of technical responsibilities related to safeguarding sensitive digital information and data. Depending on the size of their employer, these cybersecurity experts may work in niche, specialized areas of the field or oversee more general security tasks.

Cybersecurity Specialist Potential Salary

Security Researcher Tom Forbes worked with the GitGuardian team to analyze all the code committed to PyPi packages and surfaced thousands of hardcoded credentials. The deal, Palo Alto said, will help address the rise of different devices and apps that are being used in organizations, some of which are not provisioned by the organizations themselves. It is an objective of the State of California to achieve a drug-free work place. The Hiring Unit Contact is available to answer questions regarding the position or application process. Learn more about what it's like to work at Office of the Secretary, what the agency does, and about the types of careers this agency offers.

Given the broad scope of cybersecurity specialist work, not all employers require significant professional experience when hiring. Some organizations employ these specialists in entry-level roles, allowing them to develop on-the-job experience. Employers often require prospective cybersecurity specialists to have prior job experience, potentially through entry-level positions with information security teams or internships completed as part of college studies. Job opportunities for cybersecurity specialists can be found in both the public and private sectors.

Cybersecurity Specialist Employment Outlook

Review professional expectations, median salaries, typical responsibilities, and required skills for security specialists. The EDD has immediate openings for information technology professionals. We need great team members to join our technical experts at the forefront of the Department's cybersecurity efforts. These professionals also educate coworkers on best practices, as breaches may occur accidentally or deliberately by bad actors within their companies.

• In addition to connecting with your coworkers, consider joining a professional organization.
• Since a security specialist is essentially an entry-level position in the large world of cyber security, there are positions you can start out in at first and then, you can work your way up the ladder into a management role.
• The Office of the Secretary is the general management arm of the department and provides the principal support to the Secretary in formulating policy and in providing advice to the President.
• This can lead to the theft of sensitive information or the hijacking of computing resources.
• NICCS offers comprehensive information on cybersecurity education and careers.

In terms of skills, experience, and general mindset, a cybersecurity specialist needs to be like a Swiss Army knife of the digital world. A person in this role needs to be multi-disciplinary and adaptable to a wide variety of situations. Another aspect of a cybersecurity specialist’s job is the design of firewalls and other security measures to make sure that information and proprietary networks are compliant with the most recent security standards. There are a number of network-oriented professional cybersecurity organizations and groups that are specifically designed to alert members about job openings and professional development opportunities.

How many skills do you need to be a cybersecurity specialist?

At the app level, infrastructure security professionals develop and deploy effective databases to prevent access by bad actors. For data, this field protects information by building structures for backups and encryption. Read our informational guide to learn about the degrees, certifications, and professional experiences needed to become a security specialist. NICCS offers comprehensive information on cybersecurity education and careers. The NICCS Education and Training Catalog helps cybersecurity professionals find over 6,000 cybersecurity-related courses. PenTest+ is for intermediate level cybersecurity professionals who are tasked with penetration testing to manage vulnerabilities on a network.

• The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics is a trusted source of information about countless job categories and includes listings packed with data about the future job outlook for a wide variety of occupations.
• From code leaks to supply chain vulnerabilities, read how safeguarding automotive software is paramount for consumer safety.
• Some organizations require a master’s degree to become a cybersecurity specialist, but not all.
• And just takes a few wrong keystrokes to push a package intended for internal use into public availability.

Controlling all aspects of cybersecurity for an organization involves the expertise of many trained professionals. Top positions in cybersecurity include security auditor, security software developer, security manager, and security architect. Are you an analytical thinker who’s great with computers and loves to solve puzzles?