9 In-Demand Cybersecurity Skills

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Cybersecurity is a $150 billion business expected to grow rapidly into the future. And the demand for cyber talent is growing right along with the industry. Skilled cybersecurity specialists are needed to keep data safe, prevent attacks, and unearth evidence when systems are compromised. To work in the field, you need important natural abilities coupled with specific knowledge about technology, security, and systems. What skills do you already possess, and which do you need to learn to enter this rewarding field?

1. Ethics

As a cybersecurity specialist, you need the knowledge and skills of a hacker but the ethics of a compliance officer. You should be able to find loopholes in your company’s digital security and have the honesty and integrity to use what you know and learn only for good.

2. Critical Thinking

When you think critically, you ask the right questions, identify assumptions you might make about security systems, and form conclusions with the support of data. You ask why—a lot—and stay one step ahead of criminals. If your organization is under attack, your critical thinking skills help you discover anomalies and security breaches.

3. Innovative Problem Solving

As technology evolves so do cyberattacks. As cybercriminals become more sophisticated, the solutions that worked years or even months ago may no longer hold up. This means you need to think outside of the box to implement a relevant cybersecurity plan. You need to find alternative solutions that work for the here and now that can also prevent future attacks in an ever- changing digital world.

4. Attention to Detail

At some point in your career, you can expect to deal with the aftermath of a cyberattack. You need to check the security system for clues that might reveal the identity of an attacker, pinpointing the time of the attack, and discovering what data was compromised. This process is known as forensics and requires good attention to detail.

5. Planning and Organization

Any job in cybersecurity will require you to be well-organized and able to follow strict protocols. Cybersecurity depends on well-thought-out plans to mitigate attacks and another set to put into play if a cyberattack occurs. And there will be forms, reports, and documentation so others can follow the same regulations you do.

6. Network and Operations Security

Most any cybersecurity position you hold will require you to have knowledge of the step-by-step methodology required to secure any infrastructure by enhancing defenses to the core components of networks, operating systems, and databases. You need to understand cyber threats, risk management, and network monitoring. And you need practical knowledge on how to test security, mitigate threats, and recover from a security incident.

7. Risk Management, Governance, and Compliance

Your organization will have its own processes, often influenced by federal departments. To succeed in cybersecurity, you need to understand and comply with your organization’s risk management framework. This will include knowing how to categorize and authorize information systems, and to select, implement, assess, and monitor security controls.

8. Network Security and Monitoring

To work in cybersecurity, you need to constantly be on the lookout for potential security risks and incidents. Constant monitoring helps prevent hacks before they happen or limit damage when they do. Knowing what to look for makes you an invaluable member of a security team.

9. Continuity and Disaster Recovery

Any company will expect you to know what to do when things go wrong. That means you understand what disaster recovery is and the important countermeasures you need to take in the event of an intrusion. You know how to assess risks, develop a disaster recovery system, and build disaster policies, procedures, departmental roles, and communication processes for an enterprise network. When you learn about business continuity and disaster recovery, you learn how to create and implement policies and procedures that help you plan, train, test, and rehearse for potential cyberattacks. You also learn how to craft and test security strategies.

Which of these important cyberskills do you already have? The first few may come naturally to you, but we can teach you the others! At Charter College, we offer an Associate of Applied Science in Cybersecurity that can prepare you for entry-level work on an IT team in any number of industries. Classes are enrolling now. Call 888-200-9942 or fill out the form to learn more.

888.200.9942