It is digitalization that has moved our world into the hands of digital devices. There is hardly any person who would not use digital devices of any form. This has provided convenience to people beyond expectations. The downside of such a technology is that it has become more prone to harmful activities. Every other day, people are experiencing identity theft, money fraud, ransomware attacks, phishing schemes, and so on. Not just people, companies, and big organizations are also facing these difficult issues. Data breaches have been known to cost a huge amount to the people and organizations in the world. According to research by IBM, the average cost of a data breach is $3.86 million as of 2020. So to prevent the organizations and people from a huge loss, it is important to defend their systems and networks with the help of cybersecurity.

What Qualification Do I Need for Cybersecurity?

What is Cybersecurity?

Cybersecurity is the process of protecting the computers, networks, mobile devices, electronic systems, data, and servers from harmful cyber-attacks and activities. The aim of cybersecurity is to create systems and processes in such a way so that there is the smooth functioning of all the activities in an organization. This keeps us safe from hackers, cybercriminals, and other agents of fraud.

Qualifications and Skills Needed for Cybersecurity

Skills required to become a cybersecurity professional

Some of the important skills that are needed for a career in cybersecurity are listed below:

• Intrusion Detection

Some powerful malware and Trojans always look for a way to penetrate through the firewalls and security walls of authentication. This can cost a lot of money and resources to the owners. So putting such data, even if protected, is at a high risk of getting exposed. Therefore, such security systems need to be efficient enough to guard against such harmful activities. They need to detect such a threat as soon as possible.

• Malware analysis and reversing

Analyzing the possibility of cyber threats is the first step towards guarding the systems. Sometimes it happens that the security systems failed to guard the systems as per the expectations. The huge loss made in the organization is sometimes hard to recover. Data breaches can occur anytime, unexpectedly. For this reason, organizations look for professionals who are more proficient in recovery systems.

• Programming languages

Programming languages such as Perl, C, C++, Java, shell, PHP, etc., form an important part of the cybersecurity world. It helps the professionals to develop contingency plans in the future

This is helpful to develop algorithms and safety mechanisms to safeguard the networks and systems in the future.

• Think like a black hat

In any cybersecurity career, it is important to think about how you can safeguard your systems from harmful activities. But, another perspective of it is thinking from the hacker’s point of view. Think of the ways in which a hacker can try their best to gain unauthorized access. In this way, you will gain more clarity regarding the unethical activities of hackers. It will help you to think deeper about the possibilities and take out solutions. It is only possible with the help of penetration testing. So operating systems such as Linux and Kali Linux are very effective in testing.

• Risk analysis and mitigation

No matter how much you try to safeguard your systems, there will always be the risk of getting the processes wrong. As a cybersecurity professional, it is always worth finding the possible risks. Initially, the identification is important, then track it, and lastly, discover the new risks which might possibly attack your systems.

• Cloud security

The data stored in the cloud is more prone to harmful activities than any other data. The attacks like data breaches, hijacked accounts, malicious insiders, etc., can occur in the cloud data. So we know that cloud technology has gained popularity over the years, it is important that these data should also be protected in the best possible way.

• Soft skills

Apart from the above-mentioned technical skills, it is important for you to keep in mind that all these skills should be performed effectively. So it is those skills that ensure that. The professionals must be a leader, enthusiast, keen learner, communication skills and a problem solver. All of these abilities enhance the performance of the professional, thereby providing the best results.

Popular Certifications for Cybersecurity

The popular certifications in the field of cybersecurity are listed below:

• GIAC security expert
• GIAC security leadership certification(GSLC)
• Certified information systems security professionals(CISSP)
• CompTIA security+ certification.
• CompTIA advanced security Practitioner exam
• CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst +
• EC-Council Certified ethical hacker

Qualifications required: Since most of the work of cybersecurity revolves around computer systems, cloud technology, and other digital devices. So the professional must at least be graduated with any degree specializing in computer science or information technology. It also requires a few years of experience in cybersecurity-related aspects such as forensics, incident detection, responses.

Bottom Line

Cybercrimes have become prevalent activities in today’s world. The research indicates that there will be job growth in the career of cybersecurity. If you are a tech aspirant or a professional in the tech domain, who wishes to start a career in cybersecurity, you shouldn’t wait anymore. Start your career by firstly grasping all the skills required to become one. The best would be to enroll in a course that will not only make you proficient in the skills but will also train you as per the industry standards.