Cyber careers

Ethical Hacker

An ethical hacker is a computer expert who tries to break computers and networks to find out where their weaknesses are.

The difference between these guys and the bad guys is that they have permission to look for these flaws and do it for the greater good, not to make money.

Social engineer

Being a social engineer is all about knowing people. This job uses psychology and behaviour science to learn how people think and act.

A social engineer goes under cover in businesses to help find the weak links in humans and their behaviour

Secure games developer

Gaming is an industry that keeps growing and one that lots of people would like to secure careers in.

But, lots of games have big security issues in them, so we need games developers with security skills to help keep the gaming world safe and secure.

Technology and Security Chiefs

There are several board-level management roles in cyber security; Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Chief Information Officer (CIO), Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) and more.

Having strong technical expertise and good business acumen are essential for a CTO as they are responsible for aligning a company’s business goals with its technology strategy.

Cyber security lawyer

Lawyers can specialise in the advice and prosecution of data security and Internet crime.

The need for expert advice is growing with high levels of crime and penalties for organisations that don’t protect data sufficiently.

Security architect

For system to work successfully, someone needs to constantly design secure code and applications; architect secure systems or create new security tools.

These are all essential parts of cyber security but nothing stays still so to be successful in this role, you have to be able to think fast.

Cyber Forensics Officer

Much like crime scene officers, cyber forensics specialists pick apart a system or network and try to figure out what has happened.

They look for small pieces of evidence and ‘digital fingerprints’ that can point towards a perpetrator.

Risk Manager

Risk Analysts and Managers need to understand which threats will have the worst business impact and advise Boards in non-technical language why and how they should spend on reducing these risks.

Some risk managers also audit networks and make sure they comply with the law.

Operations Manager

Operations and Security Managers protect data on networks, laptops and mobile devices, they may manage encryption and other protective measures like firewall rules.

Security education specialist

Education, training and awareness are demanding, whether the job is about training newcomers, keeping experts up-to-date or enabling staff or customers to benefit fully from technology they are using.

Education specialists make sure everyone else is taught and reminded about best practice in security.

Psychology or Behaviour Specialist

A large proportion of security incidents happen because of human error.

Hackers work to people’s weaknesses in order to gain access or lay traps, so it is important to understand how people behave in different environments and the psychology behind the decisions they make.

Cryptographer

A cryptographer or cryptanalyst is part of a team of intelligence specialists that look for patterns, codes and information to help defeat the bad guys.

They are great problem solvers and are usually quite good with numbers.

Data Scientist

As a society, we are producing and collecting more and more data every day. Organisations use data scientists to turn large volumes of data into useful information and recommendations using clever formulas and computer skills.

They are usually analytical people and like statistics.

Secure Code Developer

Everything that requires code needs a level of security.

The best way to do this is to make sure that security is built into the code right at the beginning, so secure development is critically important and a lack of it could lead to security weaknesses throughout businesses.

Compliance Manager

The main task of a compliance manager is to make sure that an organisation can tick all of the boxes of legal and industry standards in terms of information security.

The look after the rules within the company and make sure everyone is working to best practice.

Malware Hunter

The are hundreds of nasty cyber security bugs and viruses out there.

A malware hunter’s job is to track down some of these nasty infections, learn how they work, much like a hunter would learn animal behaviour, and help to prevent them from attacking more organisations in the future.

Retail Security Manager

These are specialists in eCommerce and online retail security.

It’s their job to keep online shops and their customers safe, helping to reduce fraud and theft and keeping people’s data safe.

Mobile Security Developer

A unique set of developers that specialise in innovations in mobile, including wearables and connected devices (Internet of Things devices).

Mobile security developers will build innovative mobile technology that has different security needs to other platforms.

Cyber Security Sales Consultant

Any organisations that provide a service or product are likely to need a team of sales people, helping the company to continue to grow.

These individuals are extremely important in cyber as they often translate technical practice into everyday business language.

Whistle-blower

An official whistle-blower receives, assesses and manages the response to phone calls, emails and notes from various sources about security issues via a confidential reporting service.

They will open an investigation into claims, providing updates to management and form a process to resolve the case.

Communicator

Cyber is a fast-moving industry and one that is important to every single person around the globe.

Bbecause of this, it is important that messages are clearly communicated about risk, solutions and opportunities in cyber; the communications person will do this through media, social media and marketing.

Threat Intelligence Analyst

Threat intelligence is evidence-based information gathering.

These individuals look at indicators of possible issues, the context of them and what else might be on the horizon. They are deeply analytical and are good at spotting trends.