How to begin career in Cybersecurity: A Beginner’s Roadmap

Cyber Security is one of the most fascinating and rapidly growing fields in today’s world. In today’s era, from healthcare to banking and governance to blockchain, everything is becoming digital. This digitization makes information sensitive against attacks; hence it became important to protect this information like never before. Cyber security intends to protect all devices, ranging from systems and servers to networks and servers. It provides you with a chance to create an impact in real-world while offering high salaries, challenging scenarios and a huge job market. 

Anyone with a basic Computer Science degree can begin his/her journey in cyber security with a strong foundation on core computer science skills including concepts of networking, knowledge about internal working of popular operating systems such as Linux and Windows, analytical skills to name a few. Strong knowledge of programming languages such as Python, C++, Javascript, bash etc can provide an edge to enthusiasts over others. It helps them to write exploits, build tools and perform vulnerability identification, reverse engineering, malware analysis and scripting in an automated and efficient manner. Recruiters generally look for proficiency in some of the most popular tools such as Maltego, Nmap, Nessus, Metasploit, Wireshark, Burp Suite and Ida Pro while recruiting freshers for different job roles. Users can set up their own labs with the help of virtual box machines such as Kali Linux, REMnux, Metasploitable 2, Windows 10, etc to practice these tools. To enhance practical skills, it is always better to get hands-on experience on platforms such as TryHackMe, HackTheBox, OverTheWire, CTFTime, etc. These platforms offer free as well as subscription based challenges/competitions and courses that you can practice to enhance their skills and build their profile.

Apart from the above, you must build your strong online presence. You can create a LinkedIn profile and update it regularly by sharing online courses, workshops, certifications, Capture the Flag Competitions, hackathons that you participate in during your learning journey. You can take a leap over others by contributing to open-source community. It not only enhances your skills but also builds your brand in cyber community.

In addition to the above requirements, certifications can certainly add value to profile. They are often added as desired skills in job descriptions floated by different companies. Initially, newbies can explore basic certifications such as Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH), ComTIA Security+, Microsoft-SC 900 and CCNA security. On the contrary, advanced learners can pursue certifications such as Offensive Security Certified Professional (OSCP), Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), GIAC Penetration Tester and Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP) after gaining some experience in their job roles to further strengthen the profile and enhance leadership skills.

When you feel that you are ready to enter the cyber workforce, you can aim for entry level job roles that include Information Security Analyst, Security Engineers, Pen Tester, SoC Analyst, to name a few. These job roles offer a good start to start your learning journey through hands-on experience on handling different types of situations. Over the period of time, you gain experience of vulnerability assessment, penetration testing, threat hunting, reverse engineering, malware analysis, risk analysis and assessment. One of the most interesting aspects of cyber security is that it offers something or the other to everyone, depending on your interest in coding, reverse engineering, pen testing, malware detection or information security.

Cyber Security is an ever-evolving field. There is always an arm race between attackers and cyber security professionals. Attackers always try to devise new techniques and methods to attack including zero-day attacks to disguise existing cyber security solutions. On the other hand, cyber security professionals work on robust and efficient defense techniques that can detect these attacks in a real-time manner. To counter huge number of malware, cyber practitioners also leverage the potential of artificial intelligence-based techniques to detect novel attacks without or with minimal human intervention.

It is clear from the above discussion that Cyber Security offers an opportunity of continuous learning. It is important to read the latest cyber security blogs, up-to-the-minute news feed, following influencing people of this field to gain detailed insights and knowledge. Attending workshops, conclave, other important events and joining professional groups like ISACA, etc not only helps us to stay up to date but also helps in building our professional network in cyber community in the long run.

With perseverance, dedication and eye for detail, you can build a successful path in this field. Every expert was once a beginner, but their commitment helps them to achieve heights in their career. Cyber security offers the opportunity to stay up to date, enhance problem solving skills and above all, satisfaction to secure the digital world. You need to take the first step today and who knows, you will be the next influential leader in cyber security domain.  

Author

Dr. Prachi
Professor
Department of CSE
The NorthCap University