Careers in Information Security
Ensuring Mastery of Cybersecurity Knowledge and Skills
Recent data breaches have underscored the need for cybersecurity knowledge and skills. The recent data breach at US Bank impacted 11000 customers. The incident involved accidently sharing critical customer data including names, addresses, Social Security numbers and birthdays by a third-party vendor. The data breach at Bed Bath and Beyond occurred after an employee fell victim to a phishing incident. However, it was noted, that there is no evidence, that sensitive and personally identifying information was shared, unlike the US Bank breach. The incident at Dropbox also involves stolen employee credentials from a phishing attack. The incident involved 130 code repositories being stolen from one of Dropbox’s GitHub accounts. Other notable breaches include those at the Louisiana DPS, Pinnacle Claims Management, and OakBend Medical Center among others. These incidents also resulted in the exposure of health and other sensitive information. A clear underlying observation from these incidents, is that employees at all levels, handling sensitive customer data, need rigorous Cybersecurity training. We have discussed the Certified in Cybersecurity certification in a previous issue. In this issue, we will review other in-demand information security certifications and credentials.
For those seeking an entry-level credential in Cybersecurity fundamentals, the GIAC Information Security Fundamentals (GISF) is an ideal certification. This certification validates a practitioner’s knowledge of computer functions and networking, introductory cryptography, and Cybersecurity technologies. It covers Cybersecurity Terminology, the Basics of Computer Networks, Security Policies, Incident Responses, Passwords and the basics of Cryptographic Principles. The certification is designed for those who are new to Cybersecurity, as well as professionals with basic computer and technical knowledge. This certification is also designed for Career changers to Cybersecurity and anyone who writes, implements, or must adhere to enterprise security policy. Candidates must pass a proctored exam to earn the certification.
Another in-demand early-career certification is the GIAC Security Essentials (GSEC) certification. This certification validates a practitioner's knowledge of information security beyond simple terminology and concepts. This certification covers access control, password management, cloud fundamentals, network architecture, network security, incident handling, mobile device security, vulnerability scanning and penetration testing among other topics. The certification is designed for Security professionals, Security managers, Operations personnel, IT engineers and supervisors, Security administrators and Penetration testers among others. Candidates undergo training mimicking real-world-like tasks in various specialized job roles. Candidates and then tested on their knowledge of real-world-like tasks. Candidates must pass a proctored exam to earn the certification.
Another in-demand certification is the GIAC Certified Intrusion Analyst (GCIA) certification. This certification validates a practitioner's knowledge of network and host monitoring, traffic analysis, and intrusion detection. This certification covers Fundamentals of Traffic Analysis and Application Protocols, Open-Source Intrusion Detection Systems and Network Traffic Forensics and Monitoring. The certification is designed for Practitioners responsible for intrusion detection, System analysts, Network engineers and Network Administrators among others. Candidates undergo training mimicking real-world-like tasks and are tested on their knowledge of such tasks. Candidates must pass a proctored exam to earn the certification.
A fourth in-demand certification is the GIAC Certified Incident Handler (GCIH) certification. This certification validates a practitioner's ability to detect, respond, and resolve computer security incidents using a wide range of essential security skills. This certification covers Incident Handling and Computer Crime Investigation, Computer and Network Hacker Exploits and Hacker Tools (Nmap, Metasploit and Netcat). The certification is designed for Incident handlers, Incident handling team leads, System administrators, Security practitioners and Security architects among others. Candidates undergo training mimicking real-world-like tasks and are tested on their knowledge of such tasks. Candidates must pass a proctored exam to earn the certification.
Candidates may choose to earn advanced certifications as well. One advanced certification is the GIAC Certified Forensic Examiner (GCFE) certification. This certification validates a practitioner’s knowledge of computer forensic analysis. Another advanced in-demand certification is the GIAC Web Application Penetration Tester (GWAPT) certification. This certification validates a practitioner's ability to better secure organizations through penetration testing and a solid understanding of web application security issues. As we have discussed in previous issues, there is a significant demand for Cybersecurity professionals. The certifications discussed above can help professionals start or advance a career in Cybersecurity.
