What Skills Do You Need to Become an Effective Cybersecurity Engineer?

According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's annual Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) report, victims in the U.S. lost 6.9 billion USD to internet-enabled crimes in 2021. With the rising cybersecurity concerns and associated costs, the demand for cybersecurity professionals will continue to soar. If you are planning to pursue a career in cybersecurity and looking for information on how to become a cybersecurity engineer, here’s a detailed guide for you:

What is Cybersecurity?

Cybersecurity is the practice of protecting computers, networks, and data from cyber threats and attacks that can cause security breaches, data loss, monetary theft, and even stall business growth. Cybersecurity has become a board-level issue in many organizations, given the rising costs associated with the attacks and their increasingly sophisticated nature.

What is a Cybersecurity Engineer

Before you learn how to become a cybersecurity engineer, you must understand what they do. Cybersecurity engineers are professionals responsible for protecting systems and networks against cyber threats and attacks. A cybersecurity engineer’s roles and responsibilities often overlap with those of a data security engineer, an IT security engineer, or a web security engineer.

What Does a Cybersecurity Engineer Do

The day-to-day responsibilities of a cybersecurity engineer include:

• Evaluating the security needs and planning and deploying secure network solutions

• Conducting regular testing and scans to identify security issues

• Troubleshooting the security and network issues

• Conducting penetration testing at regular intervals

• Upgrading the security systems when required

• Collaborating with other departments to establish and maintain security protocols and secure IT systems

• Taking an active role in the change management process of an organization

• Conducting daily administrative tasks such as reporting and communicating with the relevant departments

How To Become a Cybersecurity Engineer?

A degree in computer science, IT, systems engineering, or a similar field is just the first step. In addition to it, cybersecurity engineers need the following sets of skills and abilities:

• Technical skills related to cybersecurity

• Two years of work experience in cybersecurity-related jobs

• Knowledge of firewalls and other forms of endpoint security

• Proficiency in languages such as C++, Java, Python, etc.

Prerequisites Needed To Become a Cybersecurity Engineer

If you are wondering about the educational requirements to become a cybersecurity engineer, you need to have a bachelor’s degree or higher in computer science or a related field. Cybersecurity engineers are also trained in network design and architecture. They must also be familiar with the latest technology advances in anti-virus software and firewalls.

Some organizations demand certain certifications from the candidates applying for the position of cybersecurity engineer. Here are some popular certifications you can pursue:

• Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH)

• Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)

• Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA)

• Certified Information Security Manager (CISM)

• CompTIA Advanced Security Practitioner (CASP+)

Important Cybersecurity Engineering Skills

While there is no set path on how to become a cybersecurity engineer, here are some cybersecurity skills that might give you an edge:

1. Networking and System Administration: Understanding networking will help you understand the technical aspects of data transmissions  This is essential to ensure data security. The same goes for having knowledge of system administration.

2. Knowledge of Operating Systems and Virtual Machines: You must know the fundamentals of operating systems such as Windows, Linux, UNIX, etc. Moreover, you must thoroughly understand these operating systems' architecture and basic mechanisms, along with their commands and tools.

3. Programming Languages and Tools: You must be proficient with programming languages such as Python, Java, C/C++, Node, and Ruby. Moreover, you must also be familiar with tools such as OpenSSH, Shell, and others.

4. Knowledge of Cloud Security: Knowledge of cloud security will help you secure the position of cybersecurity engineer needed to manage big platforms, such as Microsoft Azure, AWS, and the Google Cloud Platform.

Is There a Demand for Cybersecurity Engineers? 

Cybersecurity has become a crucial aspect of our day-to-day lives. As per noted magazine Cybersecurity Ventures, the number of unfilled cybersecurity jobs grew by 350%, from one million positions in 2013 to 3.5 million in 2021. They will continue to grow similarly until 2025 If you are interested in a career in cybersecurity engineering, explore professional courses from MIT xPRO.