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The Top Cybersecurity Trends

Cyber security is a general term used to describe how to secure and protect all systems, devices, and computer programs in the field of information technology against cyber attacks or threats. In the field of cyber security, there are various specializations that people can choose for their career paths. Cybersecurity affects almost every sector of society, from the cosmetics industry to finance and governments, to the extent that it can be said that cybersecurity jobs are among the most advanced jobs in the world. In this article, we will examine the way to enter the world of cyber security work and its different trends, so if you are interested in getting information in this field.

How can I get into a cybersecurity major?

As one of the most pioneering and growing fields in today’s world, cybersecurity jobs have the highest average salaries for both beginners and professionals. Even without having a technical background, you can still enter the job market in the field of cyber security!

There are various technical and non-technical positions in the industry, not all of which necessarily require a bachelor’s degree. Note that if you want to become a professional in the field of cyber security, strengthening your soft and technical skills is much more important than the degree to succeed in this industry.
To enter security jobs, among the necessary and important skills you must have are the following:

• Critical thinking and problem-solving ability
• High motivation to learn new concepts and technologies
• A mentality focused on details and assigned tasks
• Adapting to constantly changing environments cited.

Of course, in this field, it is important to improve your working knowledge with new information and updates constantly. Keep in mind that the most important advice to you is to keep your information up to date. You can refer to the linked page for more information about the hacking and security roadmap.

The Top Cybersecurity Trends

In the following section of the article, we will introduce various trends in cyber security and also examine the main areas of this field that people can choose:

Information security

Information Technology (IT) Security Analysts and Security Engineers are the easiest positions for those looking to get started in cyber security. Most information security professionals are educated in computer engineering or software engineering. It should be noted that to improve your skills, you can get relevant certificates from reputable authorities such as (CompTIA Security+, GCIA, and GCIH).

The main responsibilities of information security analysts are:

• Network or application security
• Investigating and documenting data breaches or leaks
• Implementation of security plans and guidelines
• Protecting systems against security risks and malware
• Configuring security protocols such as firewalls, intrusion detection systems (IDS), and intrusion prevention systems (IPS)
• Troubleshooting computer network and security infrastructure

Most cybersecurity analysts and engineers work in a larger team led by an IT security manager (security director or security architect). Security analysts focus on identifying and responding to cyber threats and implementing security policies. On the other hand, cyber security engineers are responsible for creating private security systems for the company. It should also be noted that cyber security engineers can obtain certificates such as Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) and Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP) to improve their knowledge and skills.

Security architects are the highest level of information security because they are responsible for designing a company’s security infrastructure. Compared to the engineers in this field, the main managers of cyber security deal less with the hardware part of security and need more to have specialized knowledge about executive decisions. They typically report directly to the Chief Information Officer (CISO) and are often promoted to the position of Chief Information Officer after some time.

Information technology audit and consulting

Another trend in cybersecurity is the IT auditor, who must audit security standards, compliance, and the organization’s overall infrastructure to ensure that data can be effectively kept secure.
CISA (Certified Information Systems Auditor) and CISM (Certified Information Systems Security Manager) are two examples of the main and necessary cybersecurity certifications to become an IT auditor.
Auditors must have a broad understanding of various fields, including:

• Network security infrastructure (firewall, VPN, web proxy, IDS/IPS)
• Telecommunications
• Security and information processing
• Computer systems and programs
• Data analysis tools
• Management of specific risks
• Security testing guidelines
• Security standards in the industry cited.

Information technology auditors usually have an average role. They must work for several years in the field of information security (to enter the professional job market, an official auditor of information systems requires at least five years of work experience, and for managing the security of good information systems, at least three years of work experience it is needed). Also, these people can perform standard audits or continue their activities at the highest levels as security consultants to help identify areas of security needs in various organizations. Top auditors and information consultants have specialized knowledge of market standards and competitor analysis that helps them determine security best practices.

Ethical hacking or penetration testing

The job of an ethical hacker is relatively special because the person tries to find all the vulnerabilities of the organization’s system and fix any defects or abuse of the system. A legitimate hacker must have special skills to think like a potential threat agent and keep himself updated with the latest hacking techniques and tools against potential threats. In some cases, companies ask hackers to receive a fixed financial reward in exchange for finding vulnerabilities in their systems or identifying bugs.

One of the important areas of ethical hacking is penetration testing. A penetration tester performs simulated tests on specific security system parts to find new vulnerabilities. This allows organizations to focus on higher-risk areas instead of testing the entire system each time. A penetration tester may work with specific components that contain sensitive information or break into a system to test its security.

Interested ethical hackers can improve their skills by obtaining certifications such as Certified Hacker (CEH), GIAC Penetration Tester (GPEN), or CompTIA PenTest+.

Threat intelligence

Threat intelligence analysts gather evidence and data about common attack behaviors, techniques, and indicators (IOC and IOA) and help develop new security programs. Many organizations make critical security decisions based on threat intelligence data to respond to security incidents and prevent them from occurring.

One of the specific roles of threat intelligence is proactive cyber threat hunting, which aims to anticipate any potential threats before an actual attack occurs. Their main goal is to examine common attack behaviors and techniques or TTP (Tactics, Techniques, and Methods) and apply them to current systems to protect against various levels of attack and improve the security posture. Skilled threat hunters have a stronger understanding of the threat landscape than other domains, so the analyst must examine issues from the perspective of a threat actor.

OSINT (Open Source Intelligence) analysts and researchers play an important role in threat intelligence. Open-source information researchers use specialized methods to gather sensitive information that may be publicly available online. By identifying the disclosed information of the companies, they can help improve their security and prevent future (security) gaps.

software development

Software development is a customer-oriented field focused on product offering, which helps to combine programs and applications in the organization’s security structure. Developers are fully involved in designing, testing, and implementing systems to ensure they fully meet a company’s or individual’s needs. They can provide new capabilities to protect against possible vulnerabilities by identifying user weaknesses and using different data.

Cybersecurity software developers must have extensive knowledge of all areas of information security to evaluate the software applications needed accurately. The difference between developers and security engineers is that the developer is not directly responsible for building security systems, but they provide new and optimal solutions for product customers. Usually, developers have a high-level knowledge of modern programming languages, such as HTML, CSS, or JavaScript.

Digital mass detection

Digital forensics is an important approach in cyber security that focuses on investigating cyber attacks and knowing how hackers penetrate a system. Professionals in this field should look for clues to determine what techniques cybercriminals have used to gain illegal access to networks. There are many branches of digital forensics, including computer forensics, network, and database forensics.
The primary responsibilities of Digital Forensic Incident Response (DFIR) analysts and Computer Security Incident Response Teams (CSIRTs) include:

• Identify common behaviors during an attack
• Check for any suspicious activity on the network
• Gathering and reviewing digital evidence to create stronger security measures
• Creating correction and recovery methods
• Assist law enforcement during cybercrime investigations

However, digital forensics typically waits for an attack before responding to incidents. With the help of recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), several measures have been taken to prevent attacks.
In this way, it can be said that the field of digital crime detection is related to hunting cyber threats. Working in digital crime detection requires a strong understanding of the attack landscape to react and eliminate threat actors quickly.

encryption

Cryptographers have one primary responsibility: writing strong encryption code to secure important or sensitive data. Cryptographic engineers are often highly skilled in computer programming, computer engineering, and mathematics because they are expected to write or modify complex algorithms or ciphers that not everyone can crack.

Most cryptographers have at least a master’s degree in their field of study. One of the most common credentials that can be used for encryption is the EC-Council Certified Encryption Specialist (ECES) course.

As technology is constantly changing, cryptographers need to stay abreast of the latest cryptographic theories, security solutions, and infrastructure designs. Government agencies often employ top cryptographers worldwide to protect their classified information so that hackers cannot intercept the encrypted information.