Cyber Security Specialist Job Description, Skills, and Salary
Are you searching for a cybersecurity specialist job description? Get to know about the duties, responsibilities, qualifications, and skills requirements of a cybersecurity specialist. Feel free to use our job description template to produce your own. We also provide you with information about the salary you can earn as a cybersecurity specialist.
Who is a Cyber Security Specialist?
Cyber Security specialists are individuals that protect the online spaces of businesses, and organizations and provide cyber protection for an organization’s overall IT systems. A cybersecurity specialist is responsible for providing security during and after the development stages of an individual or organization’s software and networks. They help in protecting the software and network security system of these individuals or organizations. They aid in the protection of employees’ data, also defending computers, servers, mobile devices, electronic systems, networks, and data from malicious attacks.
Cyber Security specialists secure information systems, managing and monitoring all attacks and intrusions, recognizing a potential threat or attempted breach by building firewalls into network infrastructures. They are responsible for analyzing the IT specifications and overall security risk of a client or organization’s system or database, even implementing appropriate security measures, and responding to security breaches at all times. There’s the need for cybersecurity specialist with the birthing of small and medium-sized businesses around globally, that are seen to constantly adopt cloud services, though risking cyber assault, even banks, financial institutions, and healthcare institutions with the current globalization, that seeks to place all businesses on the internet, there’s the need to increase their immunity against cybercriminals, so they would go all out to employ more security analysts to create innovative methods to stop cybercrime in its tracks and safeguard their database.
Cyber Security Specialist Job Description
What is a cybersecurity specialist job description? A cybersecurity specialist job description is simply a list of duties and responsibilities of a cybersecurity specialist in an organization. Below are the cybersecurity specialist job description examples you can use to develop your resume or write a cybersecurity specialist job description for your employee. Employers can also use it to sieve out job seekers when choosing candidates for interviews.
The duties and responsibilities of the cybersecurity specialist include the following:
- Teaching users important lessons that are vital for the security of their system or organization.
- Monitoring and diagnosing malware events and vulnerability issues quickly to proffer solutions.
- Understanding TCP or IP, related network and application protocols, and their security issues.
- Assisting in the creation or validation of certification and accreditation documentation of departmental members.
- Evaluating potential IA security risks and recommending corrective actions that can bring results.
- Preparing reports to keep organization stakeholders apprised of security activities at all times.
- Understands and sets disaster recovery policies to restore an organization’s system of operations to the same operating capacity before an incident.
- Maintaining Cross Domain accreditation for the transfer and collection of data between various secure and non-secure domains.
- Assisting in day-to-day security and audit compliance operations for IT Security Services groups, agencies, or organizations, with the primary focus on technology issues.
- Recommending solutions, including hardware and software programs that can help mitigate risk to a system or software.
- Designing firewalls to safeguard information and protect networks.
- Performing various security audits and analyzing logs to prevent unauthorized access.
- Providing support to all firewalls and networks for operating systems.
- Training employees or team members on the appropriate security procedures for all information security issues.
- Implementing vulnerability assessments and configuring audits of operating systems, web servers, and databases.
- Assisting application developers or support teams with secure application design, planning, and integration.
- Integrating with existing technical architectures, and frameworks, for the implementation planning, and documentation of standard security procedures or policies.
- Providing consulting support regarding securing connectivity, network services, and security standardized test protocols.
- Assessing security threats and recommending or assisting in the delivery of solutions to mitigate risks.
- Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of IT systems.
- Detecting patterns, insecure features, and malicious activities in the infrastructure.
- Carrying out intensive research and working with end-users to understand how technology is used daily and constantly stay top in the market.
- Configuring anti-virus systems and consoles and conducting software upgrades.
- Granting permissions and privileges to authorized users.
- Handling all cyber-attacks efficiently and effectively.
- Managing the pay-per-click (PPC) system from threats and identifying and managing incidents.
- Running penetration tests on upgraded systems regularly to prevent unauthorized access.
- Participating in access audits and conducting computing forensics.
- Facilitating external third-party assurance reviews to assess networks (internal, external, wireless, etc.).
- Working with technical teams to facilitate & promote security incidents quick or prompt response.
- Conducting on-demand forensics analysis and reviewing all compromised systems of their client or organization.
- Analyzing security-related data in both structured and unstructured formats from various sources.
- Providing file analysis reports, and risk evaluation on a weekly, monthly or regular basis according to the client or organization’s preference.
- Understanding current and emerging security and information technology standards and practices.
- Understanding various end users, servers, networks, and security technologies.
- Training staff on security protocols they ought to adhere to.
- Ensuring compliance of staff or team members to the security controls software version, policies, and rules.
- Participating in projects to deploy Cyber Security technologies.
- Monitoring and managing the running of the operational support of new or currently owned or managed solutions and service providers relationships.
- Securing all data of an organization or company security log management, archiving and presenting them according to security policy.
- Maintaining consistent and accurate operational documentation while still processing workflows and configurations for clients or organizations.
- Conducting periodic reviews and scanning of DMZ assets, critical servers, and internal and external or wireless networks.
- Determining applicable enterprise cyber and security standards for the safety of their clients’ software and system.
- Developing security metrics and reporting on security monitoring efforts to ensure their organization’s or client’s system security.
- Enforcing the adherence to corporate and SOC standards, processes,s and procedures.
- Maintaining metrics for measuring the overall health of security systems, project progress, service success, and business value at all times.
- Keeping all users informed by preparing performance reports; communicating system status.
- Understanding how to Integrate security configuration procedures and tools on Windows and Linux platforms.
- Educating other departments within an organization on the significance of cybersecurity.
- Staying up-to-date with the latest trends in international cybersecurity.
- Maintaining baselines for the secure configuration and operations of assets of their clients or organizations.
- Contributing to the IT security-related aspects of the system of their client or organization to ensure legal and regulatory compliance at all times.
- Maintaining quality service by following organization standards and procedures.
- Maintaining technical knowledge by attending educational workshops for enhancement.
- Contributing to team effort by accomplishing related results as needed.
Qualifications
- Obtaining a high school degree or GED certificate, majoring in computer science.
- Obtaining a bachelor’s degree in computer science, information technology, telecommunications, electronics, and electrical engineering or other related fields.
- Obtaining an associate’s degree in an Information Technology or Cyber Security related field or two years’ equivalent Information Technology experience.
- Having (0-5 ) work experience as a Cyber Security Specialist or any similar role.
- Obtaining a certified information systems security professional (CISSP).
- Having hands-on experience analyzing high volumes of logs, network data, and other attack artifacts.
- Experience with vulnerability scanning solutions and being able to proffer quickly answers.
- Proficiency with antivirus and security software.
- Having Knowledge of cryptographic and key infrastructure protocols.
- Understanding and having Knowledge of Defense Information and Accreditation Risk Management Framework (RMF) and their processing for system and application controls.
Essential Skills
- Communication skills: These cybersecurity specialists can’t relate effectively if they don’t properly communicate. They must be able to communicate well and be comfortable in team roles. The job often entails coaching and training co-workers on security best practices. Cybersecurity specialists must have excellent communication skills for active collaboration with associates within the team and various external team members. Every cybersecurity specialist must be able to speak clearly and concisely on cybersecurity strategies and policies, as well as to be able to explain technical information to individuals of different levels of technical comprehension even with layman’s terms.
- Technical know-how skill: With this technology-based field, understanding technology and cyberspace are essential. The cybersecurity specialist will be tasked with responsibilities such as troubleshooting, maintaining, and updating information security systems; implementing continuous network monitoring; and providing real-time security solutions. Being technologically savvy is essential to perform the daily activities of cybersecurity professionals. You must not just have the knowledge but implementation is what is seen as essential for every cyber security specialist. As cybersecurity specialists teach hacker skills, they must be able to understand how systems might be breached and to prepare defenses to those kinds of cybercrime assaults. Not all cybersecurity specialist roles require programming, especially at the junior level. However, understanding basic programming languages such as Python, JavaScript, and SQL can help in identifying threats, so understanding them, and knowing how hackers attack code is seen as valuable for every cybersecurity specialist.
- Attention to detail skill: Every cybersecurity specialist must be quick and alert to detect and counterattack every breach in their client or organization’s system or software security to safeguard their database or prevent unauthorized access. Being able to defend an organization against cyber breaches requires you to be highly vigilant and detail-oriented, to effectively detect vulnerabilities and risks. Seeing they are responsible for continuous network monitoring all cybersecurity specialists will need to be able to quickly identify concerns and come up with real-time security solutions to address them promptly for their clients or organization. They must be able to use analytics and intelligence which allows security practitioners to aggregate networks and all application data to prevent attacks from occurring in the future.
- Digital forensics skill: With the initialization of Internet marketing or online business there’s an increase in the rise of cybercrime so every security practitioner that wants to battle defrauding people, hacking, stealing, and criminals stealing from authorities with virtual anonymity, should understand and make use of forensic tools and all investigative methods that can be used to find data, anomalies, and malicious activity on the network, in files, or other areas of the business.
How to Become a CyberSecurity Specialist
- Obtaining a high school degree or GED certificate.
- Obtaining a bachelor’s degree in computer science, mathematics, advanced analytics, applied mathematics, physics, or any related field.
- Obtaining a certificate in risk management and threat assessment.
- Having (3-5) years of experience in cybersecurity.
- Having extensive knowledge of hardware and networking systems and their application.
- Being familiar with back-end programming languages, including C++ and PHP.
- Having advanced knowledge of security frameworks and risk management.
- Having a level of experience with implementing and maintaining detection systems, firewalls, and prevention systems.
- Possess the ability to identify and spot vulnerabilities on on-premises and remote networks, correct problems, and prevent security breaches.
- Possess the ability to think critically and innovatively about security solutions that can keep data safe while still allowing a business to flourish.
- Having a deep understanding of cyber hacker methodology.
Where to Work as a CyberSecurity Specialist
- Colleges and Universities.
- Security and consultation agencies.
- Financial houses or firms.
- Insurance agencies or firms.
- Government and state houses.
- The armed forces.
- The military.
- Utility industry.
- Power stations.
- Network providers.
- Law firms and agencies.
- Defense Academy.
- Monetary firms.
- IT companies.
- Telecommunications agencies.
- Media houses or agencies.
- Business firms and agencies.
- Manufacturing industries.
- Construction companies.
- Design agencies.
- Web designers and web development agencies.
- Software and Engineering companies or industries.
- Production agencies or companies.
- Research Institute or agencies.
- Health sector or healthcare facilities.
Cybersecurity Specialist Salary Scale
Cybersecurity specialists who expand their skill set and are up-to-date with the latest frameworks and regulations are typically more valuable in any organization. They also command fatter salaries. Cybersecurity specialists’ salaries vary due to location, work experience, employer, compensation, benefits, or extra working hours. The average salary for Cyber Security Specialists in the United States of America is $133,080 annually but the range typically falls between $120,600 and $151,980 annually.
In the United Kingdom, the average salary per annum is £53,387, while in Ireland an Entry Level Cyber Security Specialist with less than three years of experience can expect to earn €44,000 gross per year on average, and a mid-career Cyber Security Specialist with 4-9 years of experience earns an average compensation of €50,000, and a Senior Cyber Security Expert with 10-20 years of experience makes on average €70,000. Cyber Security Specialists with more than 20 years of experience may earn more than €75,000 in Ireland.
In Canada, the average Cyber Security Specialist salary is $87,241 per year with Entry-level positions starting at $63,538 per year while most experienced workers make up to $104,877 per year. The average pay for a Cyber Security Specialist in Germany is €90,187 a year with the average salary range for the Cyber Security Specialist being between €62,410 and €109,939. In Nigeria, the average salary for Cyber Security Specialists ranges from 29,000 NGN (lowest average) to 315,000 NGN (highest average, the actual maximum salary is higher).