What Careers are in Cyber Incident Response?

Cyber incident response operations minimize and mitigate the potential impacts of digital attacks of organizational servers and critical infrastructure. These careers involve forensics, malware, investigations, IT departments, law enforcement and industry trade secrets. There are cyber incident response careers available at the Department of Homeland Security.

Network Security Specialist

Network security specialists monitor and analyze network traffic and activity. They use their knowledge of various network applications and host-based security tools, such as scanning software and security software packages, to maintain system integrity and well-being. They may oversee intrusion detection systems that automatically identify, track and log security events. Network security specialists prioritize and differentiate between false alarms, intrusion attempts and dangerous threats.

When a security incident occurs, they must create and track security investigations to the escalation and resolution. Sometimes, they must compose and email security alert notifications to company staff. They must stay up to date on current attacks, vulnerabilities and countermeasures. Employers want network security specialists who have previous work experience on a computer incident, emergency or security operations team. They should have experience with firewalls, anti-virus programs and vulnerability assessment tools.

Incident Response Analyst

Incident response analysts usually have a background in malware analysis, cyber forensics or incident detection and response. They will probably have a bachelor’s degree in computer science, system engineering, cyber security and information technology. Incident response analysts will use their extensive experience in analyzing and synthesizing security information to guide decisions and mentor IT staff. They may oversee cyber threat analysis and operations through interpreting and integrating various data sources.

Some incident response analysts work for the government and deal with counterintelligence and law enforcement investigations. They respond to information system security incidents in order to protect assets, minimize losses and legally punish criminals. These incident response analysts will follow established standards and tool sets to identify and determine the root causes of incidents. Afterwards, they will create briefings and documentation for security investigators.

Cyber Security Supervisor

Cyber security program supervisors usually work for corporations managing customer engagements, building talent pools and expanding cyber security capabilities. They are responsible for contract performance, customer relationships and the day-to-day management of a large projects and teams. They may help to shape their employer’s IT security vision, strategy and direction. Cyber security program supervisors usually work under the direction of Chief Information Security Officers (CISO) at the executive level.

Cyber security program supervisors will refine team capabilities in alignment with customer needs, technical limitations and emerging threats. They usually have a master’s degree related to computer science and security. Most of these supervisors will have at least one professional security certification, such as CEH, CISA or CISSP. Some corporate employers may prefer candidates with at least one management certification, such as CSM, PMP or ITIL.

Related Resource: What Careers are in Digital Forensics?

An entry-level helpdesk security specialist will investigate alerts, track remediation activities and use internal resources to understand threats and anomalies. They may also optimize detection controls to reduce false positives and generate weekly security reports and presentations for management.