Cyber Security Analyst/ Engineer Job Description & Profile

Cyber Security Analyst/Engineer Job Description & Profile

A cyber security analyst’s primary responsibility is to help protect the company from all digital threats. This includes data breaches, unauthorised access, intellectual property theft, and fraudulent transactions. It is difficult to distinguish between a possible attack and thousands or millions of lawful transactions.

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Three main areas make up the responsibility for cyber threat protection:

• Strategic Planning. At the strategic level, cyber security analysts craft the company’s cyber security, data, and access policies. They also create backup plans, training materials, and audit techniques. This role is for medium- or senior-level cybersecurity analysts for larger companies. For small or medium enterprises, a cyber security analyst or engineer is expected to perform all roles from planning to execution.
• Execution. When a company’s cyber security policy is put into practice, it means that all of the companies have adopted and implemented its policies. The right tools and access controls must be installed to support stakeholders, such as the IT department. It also involves preparing suitable training modules to support the HR department. Cybersecurity analysts will develop tools to track data relevant to digital security and measure it. They will also liaise with external vendors.
• Monitoring and Response. In the early stages of your employment, keeping an eye on all transactions and digital exchanges will be the main part of your daily schedule. This might include looking for suspicious patterns and analysing flagged transactions. The cyber security analyst would lead the response effort in case of any issues. They would aim to minimise the breach’s impact, assess it, and immediately start countermeasures.

A Day in the Life of a Cyber Security Analyst

The day-to-day responsibilities of a cyber security analyst depend significantly on the type and size of the company. They also depend on the analyst’s experience level. At the entry level, much time would be spent learning and studying the firm’s policies. You would also monitor all transactions and digital contact points for any breaches. You would have access to a large set of data that you would be required to analyse and report your findings to your superiors. The company might be using some software for this as well, so cybersecurity analysts and engineers would be expected to be able to use such tools.

For medium- or senior-level executives, a greater focus would be on the strategic aspects of cyber security. They would spend most of their time assessing new threats and how to tweak their policies to protect against them. They would also spend time dealing with exceptions and queries. They came from junior analysts or elsewhere within the organization.

You Might Spend Your Day Doing One or More of the Following:

• Reading up on the latest news and events in cyber security and learning about any major incidents
• Looking at various daily reports of flagged or suspicious transactions
• Preparing reports for senior management and other stakeholders
• Answering queries from other departments on cyber security matters
• Preparing formal training for staff directly or in coordination with third-party vendors
• Coordinating with various vendors on cybersecurity-related matters
• We try to find potential security loopholes in the system through various means. Then, we patch those vulnerabilities directly or with outside support.

The cyber security team must enter crisis mode in the event of an actual security issue. Such incidents are highly time-sensitive and require coordination, analytical, and stress management skills.

Why Choose a Career in Cyber Security?

CEOs often cite cyber security as one of their businesses’ biggest threats. Many companies have faced massive reputational damage recently due to data breaches. This is not surprising. Because of this, cyber security continues to be one of the fastest-growing business verticals. Engineers and analysts can expect many options for growth.

Cybersecurity threats have evolved and need a broader approach to combating them. It’s not just a matter of IT expertise anymore, but also dealing with behavioural issues. Most cyber security breaches happen because of employee error. Employees do not have secure passwords or follow access protocols. Thus, the role of a cyber security analyst has become more strategic than technical. Companies are willing to pay more than ever for candidates with the right experience. You can find a more detailed breakdown of cyber security salaries here.

Cyber Security Career Prospects

• Cyber security analysts and engineers can expect to grow organically. They may eventually become something like a Chief Information Security Officer (CISO). Some organisations might have a Chief Technical Officer (CTO) role to cover cyber security. Below the CISO, there may be team leader-type roles depending on the organisation’s size.
• Another career path is to become an independent cyber security consultant. This can be highly lucrative. Yet, it requires much technical expertise in information and cyber security. Some security consultants even try to attack a company’s cyber defences. They do this to find vulnerabilities and patch them. Forensic investigators and auditors also fall into this category of external consultants. They are usually brought into the picture on an as-needed basis.
• Lastly, you can work for a cyber security software or tool development company. You could be an architect, coder, or implementation engineer. Some of the largest companies even have in-house teams developing cybersecurity tools for internal use.

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