How to Begin a Cyber Security Career

Cyber Security Career: Cybersecurity occupations are among the fastest-growing career fields in the United States, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, cybersecurity jobs will grow at a rate of 31% each year through 2029, which is more than seven times faster than the national average of 4%.

How to Begin a Cyber Security Career

Every day, cyber-attacks get more sophisticated and damaging. We hear a lot about high-profile instances like the SolarWinds and Microsoft Exchange hacks, but the truth is that everybody with an online presence is vulnerable. There are a variety of names for employment that require cybersecurity expertise.

Security Analyst, IT Security Engineer, Security Architect, Systems Administrator, Network Security Engineer or Network Security Architect, and Security Software Developer are the most popular individual contributor job titles for Cyber Engineering roles.

Penetration Tester, Ethical Hacker, Exploit Developer, Vulnerability Researcher, and Auditor are some of the most prevalent job names for Cyber Testers.

Cyber Responders are known by a variety of titles, including forensic technician, incident responder, and forensic analyst.

So, if you're new to the field, you might be wondering what the ideal strategy is to get your feet wet and eventually tap into this huge career potential. So, in this essay, I'll go through the top five knowledge areas and skills that you can build on your own, for free, to put yourself on the fast track to becoming future cybersecurity professional.

1. Cybersecurity jargon

The first order of business is to learn basic Cybersecurity lingo. At the very least, study everything on this list.

Antivirus, blacklist, open and closed source software, data loss prevention or DLP, data encryption, exploit, firewall, honeypot, IP address, insider threat, patch, VPNs, Adware, DDoS, Keylogger, Malware, ransomware, spyware, rootkit, trojan, virus, and worm are all examples of malware.

Learn about attack vectors, attack surfaces, IOCs, IOAs, APTs, bots, brute force attacks, phishing, and social engineering.

Now, you may be thinking, "Well, I already know a lot of these," and I'm sure you do, given all the headlines about breaches and hacks that we see every day.

2. Linux Os

Linux is the second skill on which you can begin working.

A strong grasp of Linux is required to be a cybersecurity specialist. Cybersecurity professionals do in-depth penetration testing and vulnerability assessments, as well as perform forensic analysis following a security breach, using specialized Linux distributions such as Kali Linux.

Linux is a free operating system that does not require a lot of resources to run. Another free piece of software known as the Hypervisor allows you to run Linux alongside Windows on your laptop.

You can get started in less than half an hour by downloading VirtualBox, an Oracle hypervisor, and Kali Linux, which is based on the Debian distribution.

Linux, like Windows, has a command prompt, and the shell you'll be working with here is called Bash. Here's a rundown of the activities you should concentrate on while learning Linux for cybersecurity. Simply google any of the activities if they sound unusual. So, here's the rundown:

View information about your system, including the architecture, kernel version, filesystem, installed packages, running processes, and user sessions. View and change network settings such as IP addresses, open ports and sockets, open files, and installed services. Learn how the Linux operating system starts up. Locate the most important system and service configuration files. Learn how events are logged and where log files may be found. Recognize the differences between physical and logical file systems. Try using some communication tools like the SSH client.

Then go on to shell scripting once you've mastered those. Instead of inputting instructions one by one, shell scripting is used to automate a set of Linux CLI commands.

Some Linux security modules, such as SELinux and AppArmor, can also be used. Cybersecurity specialists also employ a variety of open-source tools, such as Metasploit, to analyze and perform forensics. You can also play around with Wireshark, a packet capture program.

Now, if you learned one new item every day, I'm sure you'd be done with this list in a matter of weeks.

3. computer networking

Computer networking is another useful ability to have. You can utilize the OSI model to give your learning some structure. We create networks that make data transmission between users, machines, and users and machines easier.

Data is communicated through a network of networking devices such as routers, switches, and wireless access points, which are protected by firewalls, intrusion prevention systems, and other security solutions. You should be familiar with a router, switch, firewall configuration, and management, as well as network designs.

Cybersecurity and networking are inextricably linked, and the resulting skill set is known as network security. It can take many different forms, such as network-based access control, traffic filtering with firewalls, and data encryption with encryption techniques to secure actual data communication or data stored on a disk.

Linux provides a full networking stack as well as network-based security. Because all networking equipment is now available in virtual or software form factors, I recommend that you download the Cisco Packet Tracer simulation program. It's free to use and comes with several pre-built topologies to get you up and running quickly. It runs on Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux and allows you to build network topologies with routers, switches, firewalls, and other devices.

4. Problem-solving skills

A career in cybersecurity necessitates analytical skills, the capacity to think critically, and the ability to solve problems through problem-solving techniques.

Analytics or the capacity to assimilate significant patterns into data is usually required in cybersecurity. How to think like a hacker is what you're learning. Many people today are graduating from cybersecurity programs or earning cybersecurity certifications, but they have no idea what the core problem-solving skill set entails.

5. coding

No, you do not need to become a programmer or a software developer. Coding skills are not required for the majority of entry-level cybersecurity positions. Being able to write and understand code, on the other hand, will be a huge plus on your resume.

I don't need to teach you where to start with some very basic coding abilities or how to get started. All you have to do is choose a language, such as Python, and create an account on Reply to get started without having to download or install any software.

Finally, I'd want to share my final thought. Start with your WHY, as Simon Sinek suggests. So you're not interested in Cybersecurity because it sounds interesting or because you saw someone say it on YouTube.

If technology is your passion and you are committed to lifelong learning, there is no reason for you to wait for another job chance. This may be it. As someone once said, eighty percent of success is showing up, and those who show up run the world.