How Much Does Cyber Security Make? (With Skills And Types)

Cyber security specialists are professionals who protect a company from potential cyberattacks. When you consider a career in cyber security, you may evaluate the earning potential of a job role to decide if it is a good career choice. Learning more about the salary and different job roles related to cyber security is beneficial for understanding more about this profession. In this article, we answer “How much does cyber security make?”, learn ways to increase your salary, understand the skills required, explore what cyber security is, its various types and benefits and explore some related job roles.

Related: Cyber Security Interview Questions And Answers

How much does cyber security make?

Consider the following information to answer the question, "How much does cyber security make?":

The average salary of a cybersecurity analyst is ₹12,46,373 per year. The salary of a cyber security professional depends upon their job role, experience, qualification, skills and location. Some cyber security job role pays a higher salary compared to others. For instance, the average salary of an IT security specialist is ₹10,05,020 per year, while the average salary of a security analyst is ₹8,30,284 per year. There are many other jobs that a cyber security professional can pursue.

What is cyber security?

Cyber security is the technique of defending and protecting computers, mobile phones, networks and electronic systems from malicious online attacks. The process entails restricting unauthorised access to a company's assets. Today, with companies collecting far more information than they can use, it becomes essential to prevent theft of the collected information. By implementing a robust cyber security system, you can prevent cybercriminals from stealing sensitive and personal information.

What are the benefits of cyber security?

Some benefits of cyber security are:

• prevents unauthorised access to the company's digital asset

• protects data and networks

• improves recovery time after a cyberattack

• ensures regulatory compliance and business continuity

• allows employees to work safely

• reduces website downtime

• prevents Spyware and Adware from breaching a system's vulnerabilities

What are the types of cyber security?

Here are a few types of cyber securities:

• Network security: This process protects and prevents corporate or business networks from intrusion.

• Application security: It is the process of preventing online attacks at an application or app level. A cyber security professional implements all security measures before deploying an application.

• Cloud security: Cloud security is preventing the theft of information from cloud storage platforms. It also includes protecting a company's data centre.

• Operational security: It involves protecting and managing the digital assets of a company. Operational security primarily involves seeking user permission for accessing a network.

How can a cyber security professional increase their salary?

To increase their salary, a cyber security professional can take the following steps:

1. Enhance your skill set

Cyber security professionals need to keep up with the changing trends and continually update their skill sets. As hackers find new ways to penetrate a system's vulnerabilities, the ability to reduce cyber attacks is essential. This requires you to update your cyber security skills to increase your employability. It also provides you with the leverage to negotiate higher salaries.

2. Complete a certification

While a bachelor's degree in computer science and related areas is necessary for gaining entry-level roles as a cyber security professional, candidates with specialised certifications get hired for high-paying jobs. Though certifications are voluntary, they showcase your domain expertise and skills. Some common certifications are:

• Certified Ethical Hacker Certification (CEH)

• Certified Network Defender (CND)

• Certified Chief Information Security Officer (CCISO)

• Licensed Penetration Tester

3. Gain work experience

Getting relevant work experience as a cyber security professional soon after completing your bachelor's degree is challenging. Though the demand for cyber security professionals is high, getting hired for a high-paying job requires some years of experience. So, complete an internship in a similar role or work as part-time cyber security professional. Building professional connections in an online cyber security community can help you gain visibility.

4. Work on personal projects

To show your cyber security skills to potential employers, work on personal security projects as a freelancer. Such projects show your passion for this field and give employers a clearer idea of your skill set. You can present these personal projects as a portfolio and increase your chances of negotiating a higher salary.

What are cyber security job roles?

Some common cyber security job roles are:

1. Network security engineer

National average salary: ₹5,90,191 per year

Primary duties: A network security engineer ensures software security from potential data breaches. These professionals oversee the security of data centres, firewalls, routers and other networking tools. Apart from planning, designing, creating and optimising network systems, these professionals help a company understand advanced security threats. A part of their job role may involve sourcing and implementing new security solutions for protecting an organisation from cyberattacks.

Related: How To Become A Cybersecurity Engineer (Salary And Skills)

2. Cyber security analyst

National average salary: ₹12,46,373 per year

Primary duties: Cyber security analysts are trained professionals who specialise in IT infrastructure and network security. These professionals research upcoming IT trends, review suspicious online or network activities, report security breaches, and create contingency plans to mitigate cyberattacks. A cyber security analyst understands a company's infrastructure, monitors it and evaluates potential threats that can breach the network. For ensuring security from cyberattacks, these analysts configure tools like password protectors, virus software and vulnerability management applications.

3. Identity manager

National average salary: ₹9,96,036 per year

Primary duties: Identity managers are cyber security professionals who create a safe network environment. Their primary duty is providing solutions to prevent unauthorised access to identity information. These professionals create policies and technologies that they implement company-wide to authenticate authorised people. Based on a user's identity, a user gets access rights and restrictions. Often, they work with developers to create a software system that verifies a user identity.

4. Penetration tester

National average salary: ₹11,44,995 per year

Primary duties: The role of a penetration tester is like an ethical hacker in the cyber security industry. These professionals perform stipulated cyberattacks on a company's network or systems to find potential vulnerabilities and security weaknesses. Because of their job duties, these professionals can work as full-time employees or prefer to work in an in-house cybersecurity team.

Related: How To Become An Ethical Hacker In 3 Actionable Steps

5. Application security engineer

National average salary: ₹13,10,612 per year

Primary duties: The work of an application security engineer is to ensure that every part of the software development lifecycle adheres to all security best practices. They collaborate with managers and developers to plan and support the release of security systems. Often, an application security engineer performs penetration testing, threat modelling tests and security reviews. This allows a security engineer to understand the potential vulnerabilities in a system.

What are the skills of a cyber security professional?

Here are a few skills a cyber security professional requires for a rewarding career:

Problem-solving skills

Many jobs in the cyber security industry require a candidate to help clients overcome their technical difficulties. Not all cyber security problems are easy to detect and require candidates to use their problem-solving skills to develop security solutions. For instance, if a company is planning to update their firewall, a cyber security professional decides whether they require a new firewall or an upgraded firewall.

Proficiency in security concepts

Most cyber security experts have proficiency in software, devices, operating systems and they understand the security requirement and capabilities of each device. Depending on the role for which you get hired, you require proficiency in security concepts and different hardware or software. Also, employers prefer hiring candidates who constantly remain up-to-date with the changing technological trends.

Attention to details

Protecting an organisation against cyber criminals requires a professional with keen attention to detail. As these professionals constantly monitor network systems for changes, they keenly observe every malicious or unauthorised activity. Using this skill set, these professionals help security professionals compare different systems.

Communication skills

To educate less technologically savvy professionals, a security professional requires excellent communication skills. These professionals require active listening skills to listen, understand and answer questions related to a company's security. As the work of a cyber security professional is time-sensitive, you require excellent communication skills to solve data breaching issues.

Analytics and intelligence

A security professional uses analytics to gather, identify and detect cyberattacks before they occur. This skill set allows a professional to collect network and application data. This can prevent potential attacks and help a security professional create a robust security system.

Salary figures reflect data listed on Indeed Salaries at time of writing. Salaries may vary depending on the hiring organisation and a candidate's experience, academic background and location.