Cybersecurity Entry-Level Jobs Pay Range

Overview of Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity is implementing various technologies and defending against cyberattacks on systems, networks, programs, servers, computers, mobile devices, and electronic systems. Cybersecurity is critical because the military, governments organizations, medical institutions, and financial institutions acquire and store vast amounts of data on computer devices and servers. A significant portion of that data may contain sensitive information, such as intellectual property, financial data, personal information, or other types of data whose unauthorized access or exposure could have negative consequences. In doing business, organizations send sensitive data across networks and to other devices, and cybersecurity refers to the discipline dedicated to protecting that information and the systems that process or store it. In addition, individuals and businesses use the practice to prevent unauthorized access to their data servers and other software applications.

Skill Gap in the field of Cybersecurity

Finding and educating enough professionals to meet the increasing needs of global enterprises facing an ever-increasing threat of cyberattacks is an unprecedented problem for cybersecurity. According to research carried out by the ESG(Enterprise Strategy Group) and the ISSA (Information Systems Security Association), the most significant causes of data breaches are lack of training for non-technical personnel and a scarcity of highly experienced cybersecurity professionals.

Cybersecurity Entry-level Jobs and Payscale

Information Security Analyst: Pay Range: $56k - $80k

An information security analyst is also referred to as a Cybersecurity analyst, security analyst, information system security analyst, data security analyst, or IT security analyst. The individual is responsible for maintaining, developing, implementing, and improving security controls and measures. The work entails data maintenance, security access monitoring, and protecting information systems and digital assets against unwanted access, alteration, and deletion.

A cybersecurity analyst's responsibilities include monitoring the network for data security breaches, intrusion detection/prevention systems, conducting external and internal security audits, and developing and maintaining strategies to help organizations remain secure.

Cybersecurity Analyst preferred/standard certifications are CompTIA Security+, GIAC Certified Incident Handler (GCIH).

Security Specialist: Pay Range: $70k - $90k

A security specialist is also known as an IT security specialist, information security specialist, and information security specialist. The important responsibilities of security specialists involve:

• Maintaining and testing firewalls and antivirus software.
• Implementing security awareness training.
• Patching security vulnerabilities.
• Information assurance.
• Network security.

This position is responsible for ensuring that data is protected against unauthorized access and cyberattacks.

Security Specialist preferred certifications are CompTIA Security+, Certified Information Security Manager (CISM), and Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP).

IT Auditor: Pay Range: $70k - $94k

An IT auditor is also referred to as an IT audit consultant, IT internal auditor, security auditor, and internal IT auditor. IT auditors will assess the organization's technology for security-related issues. The fundamental responsibilities of IT auditors involve:

• Conducting periodic security audits in the organization.
• Scheduling a plan for audits.
• Documenting how the audit is performed.
• Recommending necessary security measures.
• Developing strategies to mitigate the security risks.

IT auditor preferred certifications are Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA), Certified Internal Auditor (CIA), Information Systems Certification.

Forensic Investigator: Pay Range: $75k - $95k

A forensic investigator is also associated with a digital forensic investigator, digital forensic analyst, risk analyst, cyber forensic specialist, cybersecurity forensic analyst, and computer forensic analyst. The principal responsibilities of forensic investigators are:

• Malware analysis,
• Reverse engineering,
• Analyzing digital evidence,
• Recovery of data from damaged hard drives,
• Documenting the process of data retrieval and
• Maintaining chain of custody, research on cyber attacks, and assisting organizations in criminal investigations.

Digital forensic investigator preferred certifications are EnCase Certified Examiner (EnCE), SANS/GIAC Certification, GIAC Certified Forensic Analyst, AccessData Certified Examiner (ACE), GIAC Certified Incident Handler (GCIH).

Incident Responder: Pay Range: $65k - $95k

An incident responder is also referred to as a network technical specialist, disaster recovery specialist, Incident analyst, and Incident Handler. The key responsibilities of an incident responder are building an incident response plan to mitigate the risks, developing an incident response team, incident response recovery, online reconnaissance, and log analysis.

Incident responder preferred certifications are GIAC Certified Incident Handler, IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) Certification, SANS/GIAC Certification.

SOC Analyst: Pay Range: $50k - $100k

The SOC stands for the security operations center. As part of a team, a SOC analyst monitors and defends threats to an organization's IT infrastructure and assesses security systems and measures for flaws and potential enhancements. SOC analysts perform penetration tests and review vulnerability assessments of organizations. Skills required for SOC analysts are network defense, incident response, reverse engineering.

SOC Analyst preferred/standard certifications are Certified SOC Analyst (CSA), Certified IT Infrastructure & Cyber SOC Analyst (CICSA).

Career growth after getting an entry-level job

After getting some years of experience in cybersecurity, there will be numerous paths for career growth in specialized roles.

Security Engineer: Pay Range: $90k - $120k

Security Engineer is also known as a network security engineer, Cybersecurity engineer, information security engineer. The responsibilities of a security engineer are building security strategies for an organization, Updating all security patches frequently, developing automation scripts to detect vulnerabilities.

Security engineer preferred/standard certifications are Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP), Certified Application Security Engineer (CASE).

System Administrator: Pay Range: $100k - $120k

A system administrator is also mentioned as a Security systems administrator, information security officer. The responsibilities of a system administrator are to monitor servers/systems data, Maintain user's access, install and configure software, and develop firewall rules.

System administrator certifications are Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA), Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert (MCSE), red hat certified engineer (RHCE), Oracle Linux System Administrator (Oracle), CompTIA Security+, Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP).

Other Advanced cybersecurity jobs include:

• Security architect - Pay Range: $100k to $170k
• Cybersecurity Manager - Pay Range: $120k to $200k
• CISO (Chief Information Security Officer) - Pay Range: $150k to $300k

Above mentioned pay ranges may vary and depend on years of work experience and organization.