tryhackme: Careers in Cyber
task 1 - introduction
Cyber security jobs are becoming more in demand and are offering high pay. There are many different roles within cyber security ranging from offensive pentesting to defensive security.
Why get a career in cyber:
- High pay. The starting pay in cyber security is high.
- Exciting. Some roles allow you to legally hack or defend government or corporate systems. Something you can't do any other way.
- In demand. There are over 3.5 million unfilled cyber positions and growing.
This lessons gives you information on different cyber security roles so you can pick the right one for you.
task 2 - security analyst
Security analysts are extremely important to creating security measures in organizations to protect from attacks. Analysts go through company networks to find actionable data that can help in the creation of preventative measures. This role requires working with lots of different people within the company to gain a good understanding of the security requirements and the security landscape.
Responsibilities
Working with various stakeholders to analyse the cyber security throughout the company
Compile ongoing reports about the safety of networks, documenting security issues and measures taken in response
Develop security plans, incorporating research on new attack tools and trends, and measures needed across teams to maintain data security.
Learning Paths
Relevant Career Guides
- Becoming a Cyber Security Analyst
- How to become a Level 1 SOC Analyst
- A day in the life of a SOC Analyst
- The ultimate SOC Level 1 Analyst Interview Guide
- From student to SOC Analyst: Hayden's Success Story
task 3 - security engineer
Security engineers develop and implement security solutions using threats and vulnerability data - often sourced from members of the security workforce. Security engineers work across circumventing a breadth of attacks, including web application attacks, network threats, and evolving trends and tactics. The ultimate goal is to retain and adopt security measures to mitigate the risk of attack and data loss.
Responsibilities
- Testing and screening security measures across software
- Monitor networks and reports to update systems and mitigate vulnerabilities
- Identify and implement systems needed for optimal security
Learning Paths
Relevant Career Guides
- Becoming a Security Engineer
- How to Become a Security Engineer
- A Day in the Life of a Security Engineer
- Preparing for a Security Engineering Interview
- Becoming a Security Engineer: Richárd’s Success Story
task 4 - incident responder
Incident responders respond productively and efficiently to security breaches. Responsibilities include creating plans, policies, and protocols for organisations to enact during and following incidents. This is often a highly pressurized position with assessments and responses required in real-time, as attacks are unfolding. Incident response metrics include MTTD, MTTA, and MTTR - the meantime to detect, acknowledge, and recover (from attacks.) The aim is to achieve a swift and effective response, retain financial standing and avoid negative breach implications. Ultimately, incident responders protect the company's data, reputation, and financial standing from cyber attacks.
Responsibilities
- Developing and adopting a thorough, actionable incident response plan
- Maintaining strong security best practices and supporting incident response measures
- Post-incident reporting and preparation for future attacks, considering learnings and adaptations to take from incidents
Learning Paths
task 5 - digital forensics examiner
If you like to play detective, this might be the perfect job. If you are working as part of a law-enforcement department, you would be focused on collecting and analyzing evidence to help solve crimes: charging the guilty and exonerating the innocent. On the other hand, if your work falls under defending a company's network, you will be using your forensic skills to analyse incidents, such as policy violations.
Responsibilities
- Collect digital evidence while observing legal procedures
- Analyse digital evidence to find answers related to the case
- Document your findings and report on the case
task 6 - malware analyst
A malware analyst's work involves analyzing suspicious programs, discovering what they do and writing reports about their findings. A malware analyst is sometimes called a reverse-engineer as their core task revolves around converting compiled programs from machine language to readable code, usually in a low-level language. This work requires the malware analyst to have a strong programming background, especially in low-level languages such as assembly language and C language. The ultimate goal is to learn about all the activities that a malicious program carries out, find out how to detect it and report it.
Responsibilities
- Carry out static analysis of malicious programs, which entails reverse-engineering
- Conduct dynamic analysis of malware samples by observing their activities in a controlled environment
- Document and report all the findings
task 7 - penetration tester
You may see penetration testing referred to as pentesting and ethical hacking. A penetration tester's job role is to test the security of the systems and software within a company - this is achieved through attempts to uncover flaws and vulnerabilities through systemised hacking. Penetration testers exploit these vulnerabilities to evaluate the risk in each instance. The company can then take these insights to rectify issues to prevent a real-world cyberattack.
Responsibilities
- Conduct tests on computer systems, networks, and web-based applications
- Perform security assessments, audits, and analyse policies
- Evaluate and report on insights, recommending actions for attack prevention
Learning Paths
Relevant Career Guides
- Becoming a Penetration Tester
- How to Become a Penetration Tester
- Preparing for a Junior Penetration Tester Interview
- From IT Support to Pentester: Tom’s Success Story
task 8 - red teamer
Red teamers share similarities to penetration testers, with a more targeted job role. Penetration testers look to uncover many vulnerabilities across systems to keep cyber-defence in good standing, whilst red teamers are enacted to test the company's detection and response capabilities. This job role requires imitating cyber criminals' actions, emulating malicious attacks, retaining access, and avoiding detection. Red team assessments can run for up to a month, typically by a team external to the company. They are often best suited to organisations with mature security programs in place.
Responsibilities
- Emulate the role of a threat actor to uncover exploitable vulnerabilities, maintain access and avoid detection
- Assess organisations' security controls, threat intelligence, and incident response procedures
- Evaluate and report on insights, with actionable data for companies to avoid real-world instances
Learning Paths
Relevant Career Guides
task 9 - quiz
Now that we have gone over different cyber security roles, click on the View Site button on tryhackme.
Take the quiz to find out what role would suit you best.