4 answers
Ethan
Student
Grundy Center, Iowa
3
Questions
Asked
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What is the summary of a person who deals with cyber security? What are the fun parts and not so fun parts of the job?
I am a high school student going into the army and is looking for jobs with fun challenges and jobs with high amounts of problem solving to get a college degree in after service.
#cyber-security
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4 answers
Cameron Lincoln
Cyber Risk & Regulatory Senior Associate
11
Answers
Columbia, Missouri
Updated
Cameron’s Answer
Hi Ethan!
I can't speak for every job in the field of cybersecurity, which is a broad category indeed. Cybersecurity can be a job in application development, risk management, defense, ethical hacking, working as the chief information security officer or member of a cybersecurity operations center for a company, to the world of consulting, which is what I do.
Topics in cybersecurity include threat detection and response, access management, encryption, data loss prevention, disaster recovery, capacity planning and resiliency, secure coding and development, and probably a few others that I'm leaving out.
You asked for a summary of what a cybersecurity job is like. Ultimately, it depends on what type of job you are wanting to pursue. An ethical hacker, for instance, would perform penetration testing for companies to try to identify vulnerabilities in their systems. A cybersecurity operations center (CSOC) responder spends a lot of time analyzing logs and responding to alerts and assessing the nature of security incidents in order to respond in an effective way. A Chief Information Security Officer, on the other hand, is an executive level position in a company that is responsible for determining the cybersecurity strategy and program to protect a company's assets.
I do cybersecurity risk and regulatory consulting. I interview subject matter experts at companies and review documents and test systems to assess the maturity or effectiveness of their cybersecurity programs, applications, and processes. I work in teams with really great people who come from diverse backgrounds and we develop recommendations on ways to improve those systems. Every project is different and so far, no two days have been alike.
If you haven't already chosen an MOS for the army and cybersecurity is of interest to you, do consider the Cyber Operations Specialist MOS: https://www.goarmy.com/careers-and-jobs/career-match/signal-intelligence/locations-stats-frequencies/17c-cyber-operations-specialist.html.
Finally, if you like problem solving and you are fascinated by technology, cybersecurity is a solid field to choose from. The cybersecurity market is growing and that is a trend that is not likely to change in the next few years.
Look up different cybersecurity jobs on job boards online to see what options are out there.
Check out Cyber Operations Specialist MOS - https://www.goarmy.com/careers-and-jobs/career-match/signal-intelligence/locations-stats-frequencies/17c-cyber-operations-specialist.html
Reach out to cybersecurity professionals in your local area and see if they are open to you job shadowing
I can't speak for every job in the field of cybersecurity, which is a broad category indeed. Cybersecurity can be a job in application development, risk management, defense, ethical hacking, working as the chief information security officer or member of a cybersecurity operations center for a company, to the world of consulting, which is what I do.
Topics in cybersecurity include threat detection and response, access management, encryption, data loss prevention, disaster recovery, capacity planning and resiliency, secure coding and development, and probably a few others that I'm leaving out.
You asked for a summary of what a cybersecurity job is like. Ultimately, it depends on what type of job you are wanting to pursue. An ethical hacker, for instance, would perform penetration testing for companies to try to identify vulnerabilities in their systems. A cybersecurity operations center (CSOC) responder spends a lot of time analyzing logs and responding to alerts and assessing the nature of security incidents in order to respond in an effective way. A Chief Information Security Officer, on the other hand, is an executive level position in a company that is responsible for determining the cybersecurity strategy and program to protect a company's assets.
I do cybersecurity risk and regulatory consulting. I interview subject matter experts at companies and review documents and test systems to assess the maturity or effectiveness of their cybersecurity programs, applications, and processes. I work in teams with really great people who come from diverse backgrounds and we develop recommendations on ways to improve those systems. Every project is different and so far, no two days have been alike.
If you haven't already chosen an MOS for the army and cybersecurity is of interest to you, do consider the Cyber Operations Specialist MOS: https://www.goarmy.com/careers-and-jobs/career-match/signal-intelligence/locations-stats-frequencies/17c-cyber-operations-specialist.html.
Finally, if you like problem solving and you are fascinated by technology, cybersecurity is a solid field to choose from. The cybersecurity market is growing and that is a trend that is not likely to change in the next few years.
Cameron recommends the following next steps:
Thank you so much! This helps tremendously, especially from the amount of detail you included!
Ethan
Kevin Lam CISSP, PMP, ITIL
Sr. Manager, Incident Response
35
Answers
Santa Clarita, California
Updated
Kevin’s Answer
Cameron answered quite well and at high level - anyone working in the field of information security is focused on protecting a company's intellectual property, data, and IT infrastructure that supports the business operations. Key tenants surrounding this is the CIA model: Confidentiality, Integrity and Availability
https://www.forcepoint.com/cyber-edu/cia-triad
Securing the posture of a company comes in many forms and can be summarized in four distinct areas: policy, processes, tools, and people.
Pros
- Can be exciting work protecting a company or a brand that you love and believe in
- Excellent pay, growth opportunities and job demand
- Flexibility; can work remote just about anywhere a company permits
- Continuous learning opportunities to stay present and relevant
- Doesn't require an advanced degree or education to grow your career
Cons
- Long hours, demanding at times, work life balance can be hard depending on your role/function. Time off or vacations may be interrupted should something come up.
- Stressful work matters and situations; requires one to think on your feet
I work in area of incident response where the mission is to quickly detect and and respond to cyber security attacks and compromises - minimizing damage and preventing future attacks. Our team monitors and responds to security concerns or issues 24x7x365. It is definitely high stress and lots of work but I truly enjoy the team and company I work for.
Hope that helps!
https://www.forcepoint.com/cyber-edu/cia-triad
Securing the posture of a company comes in many forms and can be summarized in four distinct areas: policy, processes, tools, and people.
Pros
- Can be exciting work protecting a company or a brand that you love and believe in
- Excellent pay, growth opportunities and job demand
- Flexibility; can work remote just about anywhere a company permits
- Continuous learning opportunities to stay present and relevant
- Doesn't require an advanced degree or education to grow your career
Cons
- Long hours, demanding at times, work life balance can be hard depending on your role/function. Time off or vacations may be interrupted should something come up.
- Stressful work matters and situations; requires one to think on your feet
I work in area of incident response where the mission is to quickly detect and and respond to cyber security attacks and compromises - minimizing damage and preventing future attacks. Our team monitors and responds to security concerns or issues 24x7x365. It is definitely high stress and lots of work but I truly enjoy the team and company I work for.
Hope that helps!
Trinity Hart
Military
2
Answers
Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan
Updated
Trinity’s Answer
I personally am currently serving in the Navy as an IT. Cyber security/Information Technician Specialist was not the first choice on my job list when I joined, but the longer I have been in the more I am able to see how lucky I was with falling into this rate.
Whether you go army or any other branch, they will send you to their own form of training for your job. In the IT/Cyber Security fields it will most likely be civilian courses (such as Cisco) that will automatically transfer to the civilian world. All the training you receive while serving can possibly be transferred into college credits through a government website they provide. The biggest bonus that will help me out for when I leave the service, is they pay for and even encourage you to take civilian certification courses relating to your Rate/MOS.
I have had a good handful of friends leave the service after 4-8 years and make over six figures within their first two years as a civilian.
The military is an amazing choice for anyone coming straight out of high school, just do not settle for just any job. Make sure it is something that interests you and can be applicable in the civilian world. Best of luck!
Whether you go army or any other branch, they will send you to their own form of training for your job. In the IT/Cyber Security fields it will most likely be civilian courses (such as Cisco) that will automatically transfer to the civilian world. All the training you receive while serving can possibly be transferred into college credits through a government website they provide. The biggest bonus that will help me out for when I leave the service, is they pay for and even encourage you to take civilian certification courses relating to your Rate/MOS.
I have had a good handful of friends leave the service after 4-8 years and make over six figures within their first two years as a civilian.
The military is an amazing choice for anyone coming straight out of high school, just do not settle for just any job. Make sure it is something that interests you and can be applicable in the civilian world. Best of luck!
Alex Nasca
Security Consulting Engineer Intern
5
Answers
Rochester, New York
Updated
Alex’s Answer
Hi Cameron,
I currently do security consulting as an intern at Cisco Systems. They are a very large provider of networking products and services and are a backbone for many companies. My role is to assist our customers with their security challenges, irrespective of the security products they have in their environment. Additionally, we offer strategic consulting, aligned with Cisco’s product offerings, to help customers with business case development and product adoption.
The fun parts are working with cutting edge technology and being able to make a positive impact by helping the millions of people that use our services. The downside of any consulting position is that you have to be prepared to work with individuals of all temperaments. When there is an issue, people want someone to blame and 9/10 times you will be that person. You just have to keep your cool and keep moving forward.
Best,
Alex Nasca
I currently do security consulting as an intern at Cisco Systems. They are a very large provider of networking products and services and are a backbone for many companies. My role is to assist our customers with their security challenges, irrespective of the security products they have in their environment. Additionally, we offer strategic consulting, aligned with Cisco’s product offerings, to help customers with business case development and product adoption.
The fun parts are working with cutting edge technology and being able to make a positive impact by helping the millions of people that use our services. The downside of any consulting position is that you have to be prepared to work with individuals of all temperaments. When there is an issue, people want someone to blame and 9/10 times you will be that person. You just have to keep your cool and keep moving forward.
Best,
Alex Nasca