What Does a Cybersecurity Analyst Do?
A cybersecurity analyst is responsible for the security of a company’s hardware, software, network, and IT infrastructure. They must have a thorough understanding of cyberattacks, malware, and cybercriminal behavior. They constantly look for weaknesses and ways to enhance security and anticipate attacks so they can protect sensitive company data. A cybersecurity analyst needs to have excellent communication skills, in-depth knowledge of information technology, and a good understanding of the laws, including best practices and techniques. This role also requires staying up-to-date on technology trends.
Cybersecurity analysts must be creative to stay one step ahead of cyberattacks. Thinking outside the box to come up with clever solutions is important in finding ways to stop breaches to the organization’s network. Strong attention to detail and a detail-oriented mindset are also key skills. Overlooking even the smallest detail can result in a breach of the network. Cybersecurity analysts are also responsible for configuring tools such as malware filters, password protectors, and vulnerability management software.
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National Average Salary
Cybersecurity analyst salaries vary by experience, industry, organization size, and geography. To explore salary ranges by local market, please visit our sister site zengig.com.
The average U.S. salary for a Cybersecurity Analyst is:
$114,075
Cybersecurity Analyst Job Descriptions
When it comes to recruiting a cybersecurity analyst, having the right job description can make a big difference. Here are some real world job descriptions you can use as templates for your next opening.
Example 1
As a Cybersecurity Analyst, you’ll serve at a base of your choosing while protecting our cyberspace infrastructure with your technical and analytical skills in computers, science, and math. Plus, you’ll advise commanders on risks and other mitigation factors in conjunction with utilized technologies, all to ensure the mission is successful.
Primary responsibilities
- Assess, plan and develop programs to protect cyberspace infrastructure
- Support communication operations throughout the world
- Command crew to accomplish cyberspace, missions, and other training
Qualifications
To be considered you must meet the following requirements:
- Bachelor’s Degree with a focus in computer and information sciences
- Completion of Undergraduate Cyberspace training and mission qualification training in specialty area
- Completion of a current Single Scoped Background Investigation (SSBI)
- Must be between the ages of 18 and 39
Example 2
Ensures that the risk to the organization’s information posed by a variety of cyber threats (cyber-attacks; theft or corruption from within; etc.) is minimized. Ensures that our networks and systems are secure and updated. If cyber-attacks occur or data are stolen or compromised, these incidents are dealt with promptly and effectively and the chance of that particular type of incident recurring is minimized.
Duties and responsibilities
- Researches and stays up to date on the latest information technology security trends
- Monitors the organization’s networks for security breaches and investigates violations when they occur
- Help to design, implement, and maintain the organization’s cyber-security plan
- Develop and direct implementation of security standards and best practices for the organization
- Direct the installation and use of security tools (e.g., firewalls, data encryption, PII data discovery), to protect sensitive information
- Recommend security enhancements to IT Management
- Help IT resources and end users when they need to install or learn about new security products and/or procedures
- Ensure that IT security audits are conducted periodically or as needed (e.g., PCI/SOX or when a security breach occurs)
- Comply with all audit material requests (PCI/SOX)
- Deploy patches in a timely manner while understanding business impact
- Works closely with other members of IT Infrastructure team to support other areas such as server systems, applications, network, cloud, and user support, as needed
Example 3
Essential duties
- Monitor computer networks for security issues
- Investigate security breaches and other cybersecurity incidents and leads incident response, documentation, and damage assessment activities
- Leads Installation of security measures and operate software to protect systems and information infrastructure, including firewalls and data encryption programs
- Work with IT security team to perform tests and uncover network vulnerabilities
- Work with IT security team to fix detected vulnerabilities to maintain a high-security standard
- Stay current on IT security trends and news and standards
- Develop company-wide best practices for IT security
- Perform penetration testing
- Guide colleagues in installing security software and understand information security management
- Research security enhancements and make recommendations to management
- Security Policy development
- Analyze system configuration using DoD approved software and protocols such as DISA STIG using STIGviewer, SCC, and OpenSCAP
Education and experience
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or related field of study required
- Minimum of four (4) years of experience in a combination of risk management, information security, IT, and Cloud work experience
To be considered for this position, you would need to meet, at a minimum, the knowledge, skills, and abilities listed here:
- DOD Secret Security Clearance or ability to obtain one
- CompTIA Security+ CE or must have the ability to obtain one within 6 months of start date
- Security qualifications a bonus – CISSP, CISM
- Demonstrated knowledge of RMF, NIST, NISPOM, system audits, vulnerability scanning, and DCSA security package development are highly desirable
- Bachelor’s degree in computer science or related field
- 5+ years’ experience in information security or related field
- Experience with computer network penetration testing and techniques
- Understanding of firewalls, proxies, SIEM, NAC, antivirus, encryption, and IDPS concepts
- Ability to identify and mitigate network vulnerabilities and explain how to avoid them
- Strong collaborative drive and interpersonal skills
- Strong initiative, proactive work ethic and prioritization skills
- Trustable judgement and analytical problem-solving skills
- Effective execution and decision making
- Champion of change and promotes innovation
- Strong written and verbal communication skills
Sample Interview Questions
- What’s the difference between IDS and IPS?
- Can you explain the CIA triad?
- What’s the difference between encryption and hashing?
- What’s the purpose of a firewall?
- Why is a cybersecurity policy important for an organization?
- Would you consider yourself an excellent communicator?
- How would you identify and prevent a brute force attack?
- What is port scanning?
- Can you name the seven layers of the OSI model?
- Can you describe an MITM attack?
- What’s the difference between SSL and TLS?
- What does XSS stand for, and what does it mean?
- What does WAF stand for, and what does it mean?
- What programming languages do you know?
- What are the most common vulnerabilities you see in network security?
- What is the importance of DNS monitoring?
