These are Some of the Most Popular Cyber Security Job Roles

Cyber security is a vast field. The entire IT industry has transformed from nascent technologies to some of the most unimaginable tech of our times. From cloud computing to artificial intelligence, cyber security professionals are needed to protect each and every digital system that we use in the world. Whether you are learning ethical hacking online or are interested in malware analysis, you will definitely learn something of value through this article, where we will talk about some common job roles that cyber security professionals fit in. These are clearly not all the job roles that exist in this field, but they do make a pretty popular list. Read about them below to know what they are and what they contain in their ambit.

1. White hat hacker

White hat hackers or ethical hackers are the exact opposite of malicious hackers. These are the professionals that are in charge of identifying security issues before they are exploited. They find bugs in code, vulnerabilities in systems and loopholes in overall digital systems that could lead to a disaster if left unattended. A CEH or a Certified Ethical Hacker is one of the most reputed ethical hacking professionals who is trained in white hat hacking and uses his tools and techniques to think like a criminal hacker and perform a breach into an organization. He then reports back to the organization with the discovered vulnerabilities so that they can be fixed in time.

2. Incident handler

Incident handlers are those who are responsible to mitigate the damage created by an incoming cyber disaster. These individuals are trained in cyber incident response so that any malware infection, ransomware attack or other cyber crime is stopped from spreading to and affecting other connected systems of the victim organization.

3. Cryptographer

Cryptographers are the professionals who are in charge of encrypting sensitive information. They develop systems using ciphers and other algorithms so that information is kept safe from manipulation by third parties. Cryptographers understand computer systems, networks and databases. They use mathematical knowledge and algorithms to encode and encrypt information for maximum security. Did you know that cryptographers are one of the highest paid IT professionals with an average salary going up to one $149,000 annually?

4. Forensic analyst

Forensic investigators are needed whenever there is a cyber crime or  cyber incident. These professionals collect evidence against the hacker(s) that can be presented in the court of law. They are also tasked with retrieving damaged or stolen data which is a very common phenomenon with individuals as well as organizations these days. They can be compared with real life forensic experts, except that they deal with crimes that happen with digital machines rather than with humans.

5.  Network security engineer

Network security engineers understand how networks work and protect them from unauthorised traffic and cyber attacks. As the network parameters change according to the new work from home culture, these individuals professionals are adjusting to new network security practices. They are the ones who prevent us from Man in the Middle attacks, Denial of Service attacks and SQL injection attacks.

6. Virus technician

Since viruses and malware are very common today and our cyber ecosystem is heavily infested with them, these individuals are in great demand all over the market. Virus technicians are the professionals who detect viruses and other malware in computer systems and take the necessary steps to remove them.

Information security is a quickly evolving field. In the future, as more disruptive technologies emerge and become an integral part of our everyday life, we will notice new job roles like ‘driverless car security engineer’, to name an example. Keep watching the latest trends in the InfoSec industry to know more about that!