Cyber Security Analyst Job Requirements

A Cyber Security Analyst helps to safeguard an organization's information technology infrastructures by employing set of strategies, methodologies, technologies and processes to manage, detect and prevent cyber threats capable of impacting adversely the confidentiality, integrity and availability of an organization's information technology assets. He/she is responsible for providing risk assurance on IT infrastructures and systems within an organization's network that interact with the larger cyberspace (i.e. internet) and can potentially pose security threat to the organization. As a second line of defense role within the risk function, a cyber security analyst ensure the identification, assessment, mitigation/remediation and monitoring of vulnerabilities and threats to IT assets of an organization. They proactive implement security measure in IT infrastructure (e.g. network infrastructure, operating systems/server infrastructure, databases, applications/business solutions, etc) to protect an organization information assets from the risks that could impact the confidentiality, integrity and availability of information assets. Some of the duties of a Cyber security analyst are not limited to planning and implementing security measures to protect IT infrastructure/systems. They perform their function mostly before deployment of business systems and solutions (pre Go-live or pre-implementation) against the information systems audit function, whose role is performed mostly after the facts (postmortem or post-implementation). Although they also ensure that monitoring systems and detective controls are in place to have visibility on users' activities, cyber threats and security incidents on IT assets within the scope of their function. Cyber security analysts are expected to be abreast with changes, technological advances and the dynamic threat landscape in the cyberspace that are capable of resulting to new attack methods, threats actors/sources and vulnerabilities. This is to enable them anticipate possible security breaches, data losses/leaks and activities that could disrupt or denies services to consumers.

Reporting line of a Cyber Security Analyst

Cyber security analyst reports to the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) who is a member of the senior management team and accountable to the Board of Directors.

Professional Certifications for Cyber Security Analyst

To be endorsed as an Cyber security analyst, practitioners must acquire the prestigious Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) from ISC2, Certified Information Security Manager (CISM) by ISACA, Global Information Assurance Certification (GIAC), Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) by EC-Council among others.