8 Skills Needed to Be a CyberSecurity Professional
Cybersecurity may seem not easy at the beginning. especially if you haven’t practiced it before. so I’ll demonstrate the most important skills needed to be a CyberSecurity professional / ethical hacker.
However, you can start a CyberSecurity career by understanding how a computer works and how to code and understand how operating systems work.
There are specific skills and requirements that you must have and master to become an ethical hacker and start a CyberSecurity career.
1. Mid-Level Computer Skills
The first and the most important skill you must start with. you’ve to be familiar with how OS works. You must be able to use the OS command line. You can start by learning MCSA (Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate). and RHCSA (Red Hat Certified System Admin).
2. Computer Networks Skills
One of the most important skills you will rely on is to deeply understand how computer network work. Many attacks happen in the network layer. and many services may be attacked like (ex: ARP Spoofing and DDOS attacks). You can start studying CompTIA network+ and CCNA R&S.
3. Database Skills
One of the most critical systems is a database because it contains a huge amount of data. Moreover, many attacks only target DataBase to gain access to the system. Examples of DB attacks are SQL injection, weak authentication, weak privileges, and excessive privileges.
4. Use of Linux OS
Not only understanding and learning Linux But also you have to use it on a daily basis. Because the vast majority of hackers (white and black) use it. Most of the hacking tools have been developed for Linux. It also gives you more freedom to tweak programs and powerful control over your machine.
5. Programming and Scripting Skills
Sooner or later you will need to use your own hacking scripts and tools. And it’s impossible to do so without developing your programming skills. Thus enhancing your ability to defend your system. Also, it’ll help you understand some software vulnerabilities. The easiest with the largest community is python to start with. You can add javascript and PHP to understand web apps. You can check this free python course from here and then check this paid course to advance your skill from here. Also, you can check my Programming blogs from here.
6. Understand Virtualization and Cloud Technologies
In a digital transformation era, most busiensses are migrating their valuable assets from legacy IT infrastructure to cloud infrastructure like AWS, Azure and GCP.
And while learning You’ll rely on building your own virtualized environment to learn and make your own lab. And testing what you’ve learned. You may need to isolate your hacking environment from your personal environment to avoid any crashes/backfire in your system
7. Study Security in Depth
Network and Information security contains many concepts and needs to be studied in-depth as it’s not an easy topic. So I recommend studying CompTIA Security+, CCNA Security and CEH.
8. Reverse Engineering Skills
Reverse engineering as a process is to revers a piece of software to return it to the source code. So you can understand how it works and then convert it to a tool that’s more advanced. One of the things you’ll realize is that most hackers are able to make better hacking tools by reverse-engineering the malware of other hackers or develop a technique to defend against that malware.
Finally, Skills Needed to Be a CyberSecurity Professional may seem hard to master and honestly they are. But “Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do.” – Pelé, Brazilian football legend.
Thank you for reading!
Experienced cybersecurity senior consultant with a dedicated focus on Identity and Access Management, proficient in Sailpoint and PasswordSafe. Backed by extensive expertise in Governance, Risk Management, and Compliance (GRC).