Cybersecurity Specialists Fight High-Tech Crime

Threats to personal computers (such as viruses and malware), large-scale attacks on our technological infrastructure—face it, high-tech crime is a persistent problem in the modern world. As our communication systems grow increasingly complex, it becomes even more important to defend them against intentional and unintentional attacks.

Fighting cybercrime is the domain of cybersecurity specialists. These professionals have high-tech skills in areas such as data recovery, network and systems engineering, risk assessment and strategic analysis. Cybersecurity training may also cover emergency response—securing data systems and addressing problems in the wake of a catastrophe.

Cybersecurity specialists can work in either the public or the private sector:

• Many people with cybersecurity training are employed by the Department of Homeland Security, the National Security Agency, and other federal, state and local government agencies.
   
• Private businesses and non-profit organizations also need skilled information security professionals to safeguard company data, internal networks and e-commerce platforms.
   
• Many information security specialists maintain network security, protect the confidentiality of employee and customer information, and guard against breaches in communication networks.
   
• Cybersecurity specialists also help guard against glitches in information networks in an attempt to keep information on our virtual systems as secure as possible.

If you're thinking of a career in cybersecurity, keep an eye out for job titles like these:

• Business continuity professional
• Computer forensics analyst
• Cybersecurity analyst
• Cybersecurity specialist
• Ethical hacker
• Information assurance expert
• Information security manager
• Network security specialist
• Software security engineer

Although many cybersecurity specialists hold a degree in computer science, increasingly programs specialize in cybersecurity training or computer forensics. If you attend an institution that is part of the Federal Cyber Service Scholarship for Service program, you may even be eligible for grants and scholarships to pursue a degree in information security.

There are also many specific technical certifications in the field of cybersecurity. These certifications are granted by industry organizations, such as the International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium and the American Society for Industrial Security.

Start researching cybersecurity training and degree programs to earn top salaries like these: 

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So if you want to use your high-tech expertise as a cybersecurity specialist, get the best cybersecurity training you can find at one of our top schools. Or take advantage of online training, and get the education you need from the comfort of your own home. Your degree is just a click away!

_{Sources: National Security Agency, EC Council (eccouncil.org/)}