Your Complete Guide To Computer Security Certifications And Career

1. Information security

This popular CIA Triad security model is the starting point of any organization’s security that abides by the three principles - confidentiality, integrity, and availability. It is a traditional security form that has been in existence for several decades.

Confidentiality - This security principle states that only authorized people can access or modify any information or operation. For instance, entering a password while operating your debit cards at any ATM is an authentication to the access of sensitive information that ensures confidentiality. The best countermeasures to retain confidentiality are data encryptions and labeling, good access controls, and powerful authentication mechanisms.

Integrity - Maintains data authenticity and resists any unauthorized data modifications. For instance, the bank software provides data integrity of all transaction records of a user account. The best practices to maintain integrity are digital signatures, encryption, and hashing.

Availability - Any time access to authorized persons. For example, with a debit card and its associated PIN, you have 24/7 access and availability of ATM services. The use of hardware fault-tolerant servers is the best way to maintain the availability principle.

2. Network security

According to Statista, Trojans account for 58% of all computer malware, and as per Cloudflare, there was a 175% increase in DDoS attacks in the fourth quarter of 2023.

This computer security model consists of hardware and software technologies to prevent unauthorized access to the system and network, which helps maintain data integrity and usability.

Some types of network security protections include

• Next-Generation Firewalls - These have inbuilt security protocols to check the network traffic both ways. The next-gen firewall blocks out not-so-desirable traffic and prevents the possibility of an application layer or a malware attack. 
• Remote access VPN - It is an effective way to protect the computer network for people accessing it via extranet, mobiles, and telecommuters. Encryption, data scanning, and multi-factor authentication are a few ways to ensure data privacy via VPNs.
• Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) is a standard security method that emphasizes providing the required user access that is enough to perform their job roles. 
• Data Loss Prevention (DLP) - It is a computer security model that clubs technology and cybersecurity techniques to safeguard any sensitive organization’s data from being exposed.  
• Cloud-Network Security - It is a popular data center premise that holds and protects tons of data from the applications using a Software-defined Networking/Wide Area Network.

These offer a shield against malware attacks like trojans, virus, worms, trojans, and adware. A small brief on these common cybersecurity threats can help to comprehend better:

Adware - It is a common type of malware displayed on the ad on your laptops and mobiles and does not cause a high degree of danger.

Worms - A self-replicating program that swallows the OS files until all the information on the system gets emptied.

Virus - A piece of infected code/program that attaches itself to another program to procreate multiple times that gets transmitted during a file or a software share.

Trojans - It is malware disguising itself as legit software to pull out sensitive financial information from computers. 

3. Application security

Application security is the process of safeguarding applications from outside security threats by using the related hardware and software design in the development phase. 

With application security, all the malicious activities on the platform get minimized, which helps prevent any data access or modifications by hackers. 

For instance, a firewall installed in a software application determines the file handling and execution procedures, a countermeasure against undefined file executions in that application. As far as hardware is concerned, Routers is the best way to stay invisible with the IP addresses searched for on that particular computer.

Some other instances of application security tools are biometric systems, antivirus software, encryption and decryption programs, and spyware detection programs.

4. Internet security

According to Cybersecurity ventures, there will be a ransomware attack per 11 seconds in 2023, and in comparison to their previous analysis, it is a rise 0f 20% from 2019, which was 14 attacks per second.

To prevent such attacks, Internet security abides by particular protocols to ensure protection from viruses, hacking, malware, and DDoS attacks, i.e when an e-commerce site uses security measures like Multi-factor authentication it signals trustworthiness for its customer base to navigate and engage in a business transaction.

5. Information Technology Security

According to Verizon, 43% of cyber attacks gets aimed at small businesses. But only 14% are ready with a security system.

IT security refers to the activities, processes, and best practices protecting networks, information, or devices from unidentified access.  The three areas that encompass IT security is - cloud security, endpoint security, and cybersecurity.

• Endpoint security - It is the act of safeguarding all the network endpoints like mobiles, PCs, and laptops from malicious activities.
• Cybersecurity - It is the process of protecting networks, computers, information, and gadgets against any threats.
• Cloud security - As the name suggests, it is a set of strategies designed to safeguard the cloud environment against any cyberattack.

As you can witness, whatever the security protocol the companies or individuals deploy, hackers find a loophole to break into your system. Thus, it compels large corporations to hire seasoned computer security professionals to ensure confidentiality and integrity and safeguard their reputations. It, in turn, opens job opportunities for many.

These job opportunities are an ingenious reason to  study cybersecurity and pursue a promising career. Besides, there are some highly-attractive benefits that let you consider cybersecurity as a career option.

Let us dive into the subsequent section for more insights.

1. Payscale is high

With cyberattacks soaring, many corporate companies, government bodies, and businesses try to level up their security measures by employing proficient computer security professionals. They are ready enough to invest in their training programs as well. Besides, due to the shortage of skills, they are open to offering lucrative salaries for deserving candidates.

Few stats on salaries is a testimony of how a career and a payscale in Cybersecurity are impressive:

As per Glassdoor, the yearly salary of computer security professionals looks like this:

• The average salary of a cybersecurity engineer is $1,01,548 and the lowest, earns $71, 162
• Cyber security analysts earn around $80,078 with years of experience 
• The Network security architect's salary is $1,26,981

These payscale and Glassdoor figures are impressive. Besides, you can make your cybersecurity salary soar high with professional guidance from a mentor or career coach when you enroll for certification and upgrade your skill set.

2. Giant Tech Companies Hire Computer Security Experts

Do you know that the world is witnessing a shortage of skilled computer security professionals, and more than half of the job openings remain unfilled for weeks or even months?

The following is a list of tech companies that offer cybersecurity jobs. 

1. Sophos  

They offer computer security services like data encryption and advanced data security. This next-gen company is a proud AWS partner.

At present, they have openings for the following positions:

• DevOps cloud engineer
• Security architect
• Senior data scientist

2. Google, Amazon, IBM, and Microsoft - Cloud Storage Providers

With more and more corporate companies migrating to the online cloud platform, they look for professionals who can effectively handle their sensitive data. A few big names in cloud computing like Google, IBM, Microsoft, and Amazon need computer security personnel. 

You can now apply for the following openings:

• Security solutions engineer (Google Cloud)
• Cyber security architect (IBM)
• Principal security Ops engineering manager (Microsoft)
• System development engineer

3. Check Point Software Technologies

They provide identity and access management, solutions for multi-cloud systems, and cloud services. The company has partnered with Google and AWS to offer their clients on-premises network solutions.

You can send in your resume for the following cyber security jobs,

• Cloud security engineer/architect
• Security engineer/architect

Not only this, numerous computer security jobs are awaiting you at

• Intel
• Apple
• Patient First
• Federal Reserve Bank of New York
• CyberArk
• General Motors
• Cisco

3. Work in Diverse Industries

Once, defense contractors and government agencies were the mainstream job providers for cybersecurity professionals. But, now things have changed radically. With exponential growth in technology like Automation, Cloud computing, IoT, big data, and AI, we have started to live in a data-driven era.

With tons of online data being sent and received, organizations are well aware of data breaches and thus feel the need to step up their security measures. They look out for professionals who can safeguard their data integrity and accessibility. 

The undermentioned are a few industries that require computer security experts:

• Finance
• Health care
• Manufacturing
• Retail
• Food
• Education

With numerous jobs available at top companies that provide higher compensation for entry-level positions, a career path in cyber security apparently become a reckoning choice of many.

After deciding upon a cybersecurity career, the next step is to have insights into how the career opportunities of this wing are likely to be in the future. The subsequent section provides the required information.