The 10 Coolest Information Security Careers
1 – Information Security Analyst
This information security job involves assessing the effectiveness of Information Security policies and pointing out vulnerabilities or lack of controls to mitigate a given risk. The security analyst will work with every department in the company to make recommendations for improvements and craft detailed design documents for them to implement. This position has become commonplace with the advent of ISO 27001, Sarbanes-Oxley and similar regulations and compliance frameworks. Where to look for a job: basically, every company dealing with information requires an Infosec Analyst.
2 – Incident Responder
Those employed in this information security career will monitor computer systems for security breaches, report, and document such breaches and implement appropriate countermeasures. The incident responder will also undertake protective and corrective measures when a security incident is discovered. Where to look for a job: These professionals are usually found at the SOC or network monitoring department of data centers.
3 – Network Security Engineer
Network security engineers are responsible for developing, maintaining and troubleshooting computer network security systems, configuring security hardware and software and preparing security reports. These professionals possess deep knowledge of communications protocols, network routing, packet and content filtering. That’s how I started my career, a couple of years ago… Where to look for a job: Almost every company with a medium/large sized network infrastructure. For small companies, do expect the network administrator to wear this hat.
4 – Malware Analyst
This information security career involves reverse-engineering malicious software such as viruses and spyware in order to determine how they attack computer systems and how they spread as well as define signatures that could indicate their presence within a system. This profession requires a deep knowledge of high and low-level programming languages. Where to look for a job: Security Software makers.
5 – System, Network, and Web Penetration Tester
This job involves attempting to penetrate systems, networks, and applications in order to detect their vulnerabilities so that companies can correct flaws and improve their security. The tester must be able to identify flaws in security and bring up possible solutions, as well as providing suggestions on how to better allocate security resources. This information security career is also known as white-hat hacking, ethical hacking and pentesting. Where to look for a job: Information Security services providers and consultancy companies, major organizations where security is paramount (banking, financial, health).
6 – Forensic Analyst
The professional holding this position analyzes computer systems to identify who is the responsible for the misuse of a system, or to detect whether a certain application was used to commit a crime. His task doesn’t end there: the forensic analyst is responsible for preserving, documenting and interpreting computer evidence subject to legal rules and guidelines. Where to look for a job: Information Security Services Provider and consultancy companies, major organizations where security is paramount (banking, financial, health, etc).
7 – Information Security Forensics Expert
This information security career involves analyzing the aftermath of a systems security breach by hackers in order to determine how the breach occurred and which of the company’s systems may have been compromised. This position requires security professionals with updated forensic and reverse engineering skills, as well as an awareness of the latest methods of exploiting system vulnerabilities. Where to look for a job: Information Security services providers and consultancy companies, government agencies.
8 – Computer Crime Investigator
This is one of the most glamorous information security jobs as the job holder assists police and forensic investigators with crimes involving computers or with aspects of a criminal investigation involving computers. The computer crime investigator uses advanced technologies to analyze evidence. They will also help law enforcement officials in recovering deleted, hidden or encrypted data from a hard drive which may be of value to an ongoing investigation. It’s also very probable that security clearance will be required if you want to become a Computer Crime Investigator. Where to look for a job: Law enforcement agencies, Information Security consultancy companies.
9 – Information Security Architect
Information Security Architects are the professionals thinking on the big picture: They need not only be aware of every piece of technology deployed within the business architecture but also understand how and why all of these components interact with each other to achieve the objectives of the enterprise. The architect is involved (or at least should be, but we know how real life is…) at the early stages of any IT project to design and implement the security policies required to protect the integrity, confidentiality, and availability of the information on an end-to-end basis.
10 – Chief Information Security Officer
The responsibilities of this information security career are enormous, as CISOs are in charge of an organization’s entire computer security system. The CISO will also oversee the company’s entire network of people who safeguard a company’s digital security, from systems security officers to software and hardware vendors. Their responsibilities may also include identifying a company’s digital protection objectives and defining allocation of resources based on priority areas, as well as overseeing the investigation of security breaches and incident response planning. Depending on the country, CISOs are legally liable for a company’s Information Security health. These are some of the important practices for beginners to start, A perfect way to Start and Strengthen your Cyber Security Career. Referrences https://danielmiessler.com/blog/build-successful-infosec-career/#gs.B1i57U8