What Is a Cyber Security Specialist?

There are around 2 billion websites on the internet right now. 

Those websites are full of data and information, both from the host and from the visitors. Unfortunately, there are people out in the world just waiting to take advantage of that information. 

Luckily, a whole industry has been developed to help keep all of that personal data safe and secure. 

A cyber security specialist works to implement systems and procedures that will ward off online invasions. 

Let’s take a deeper dive into this growing industry. 

What is Cyber Security?

Cyber security is quite literally exactly how it sounds. It is the protection of online assets and information. 

This type of continual protection is not just for websites but starts all the way at the top with servers and works all the way down to mobile devices. The networks, computers, and any other electronic devices are all included.

Cyber security is meant to be looking forward to try to prevent attacks and breaches, constantly updating the system to be as secure as possible. But security also means handling the consequences if a breach is successful. 

What is a Cyber Security Specialist?

A cyber security specialist is someone who is trained in all of the elements of cyber security. They know the ins and outs of the technology and keep the security system up to date. 

There are actually many titles for a cyber security specialist; security engineer, security consultant, or security analyst.

But whatever the exact title, a cyber security specialist is the person responsible for keeping all digital aspects of a company protected.

What Does a Cyber Security Specialist Do?

The description of what a cyber security specialist is responsible for is deceiving. It makes it sound very simple and straightforward. When, in fact, that is very far from the truth. 

A cyber security specialist has a lot of moving parts to keep track of in order to keep the digital footprint of the company safe and secure. 

Let’s break down the job a little bit more:

Set-up

Depending on when a company is bringing in a cyber security specialist, they may be required to do the initial set-up of a system. 

That would include assessing the current situation, evaluating highest risk points, researching the best options, choosing a system, and implementing those security measures. 

Just like physical security, there are many layers and tools in an overall cyber security system. The specialist is the person handling all of those moving parts. 

Monitoring

It is not enough to just set up a digital security system and leave it at that. Technology is ever-changing and evolving, which includes hackers. 

The threats to a digital system will never be the same from year to year or even month to month. So it is important for a cyber security specialist to continually keep tabs on what is happening in the industry. 

A key to a good defense is to understand the opposition’s strategies. There is a whole education system on the current world of data breaches, a cyber security specialist will keep up on that knowledge. 

They will also continually monitor their system, looking for potential weak spots and bolstering them up. 

Detecting

While monitoring the digital security system, a cyber security specialist will be able to detect any breaches that are successful. 

As with any emergency, the quicker the detection the better. The whole goal is to minimize the time a hacker is in the system to decrease the amount of information they can get their hands on. 

This is a critical aspect to a cyber security job since a cyber attack is almost inevitable at some point. In January of 2019, there were 1.7 billion cyber attacks.

A company can do all it can for security to prevent an attack but quickly detecting an attack and shutting it down are critical. 

Investigating

If, heaven forbid, a cyber attack does happen it is now the job of the cyber security specialist to investigate it. 

They need to figure out how the hacker got into the system, what they had access to, and if any data was taken. 

This investigation phase is important to moving forward and preventing future attacks. 

Responding

Obviously, if a cyber attack happens there will be many necessary things that have to be done to repair the damage. 

There will be an overhaul of the security system to hopefully keep hackers out. The specialist may also have to do damage control with any clients whose information was breached. 

A cyber security specialist has the large job of protecting a company’s entire digital presence and that is a big job. 

What Does It Take To Become A Cyber Security Specialist?

The requirements for becoming a cyber security specialist vary depending on the specific employer. 

It may be possible to just have a degree in computer technology or something similar. But often a company will want the applicant to have a cyber security certificate. 

This type of Cyber Security Specialist Certificate shows that the applicant has completed courses with the necessary training to be effective. Having this type of certificate shows that the applicant really is a specialist and has the training they need to protect the company. 

Are Cyber Security Specialists Important? 

The 350,000 available cyber security jobs are a pretty solid indication of how important the overall business industry finds cyber security specialists. 

Cyber security is important across all industries. Can you think of a company that does not have some kind of digital presence; a website, social media outlets, or even a digital payment system. All of these things are vulnerable to breaches and attacks. 

The last thing any company wants to happen is their information (and maybe even more importantly their clients’ information) to be stolen. And that is exactly why companies are creating whole departments dedicating to cyber security and protecting their assets. 

As time goes on and technology becomes a bigger and bigger part of daily life, cyber security specialists are just going to become even more important. 

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