A Day in the Life of a Cyber Security Engineer

As with other information security jobs, work as a cyber security engineer can hardly be defined as routine. While there are some aspects of the job that need to be handled or performed daily, you never really know what your day will entail until it happens. Cyber security engineers typically work in fast-paced, complex environments and are frequently required to work odd hours and even overtime, in some cases. It can be stressful for people who do not thrive in that kind of environment. 

While you never know when a threat or attack is going to take priority, some of the daily tasks that a cyber security engineer may have to perform are: 

• Responding to any network or system security breaches or viruses 
• Ensuring that appropriate security controls are consistently in place to protect the organizations digital files and infrastructure
• Planning, implementing, managing, monitoring, and upgrading security measures for the protections of systems, networks, and data
• Various administrative tasks, reporting, and communication with other departments 
• Performing penetration testing and identifying system and network vulnerabilities 
• Day-to-day tasks and activities can vary for cyber security engineers, depending on where they work and the types of systems and networks they are responsible for protecting. 

What is a Typical Cyber Security Engineer job description? 

As a cyber security engineer, you will be responsible for protecting the networks and systems of an organization against threats from adversaries in cyberspace. The functions of cyber security engineers include performing assessments and penetration testing, development and implementation of secure network solutions, architecting, engineering trusted systems into secure systems, and managing audit/intrusion and security technology systems. 

Cyber security engineers must be able to troubleshoot, identify unauthorized access, and offer solutions regarding an organization’s system and network as it relates to cyber security. When in this position, you will perform the very detailed work at the forefront of information protection efforts for the organization. It is your training, skills, experience, and education that stand between the organization for which you work and threats and breaches, like unauthorized access to data and information or intrusion into your organization’s systems. 

Cyber security engineers may also be known as IT security engineer, application security engineer, web security engineer, or data security engineer. Whatever the title, you will also be responsible for collaborating with other departments to establish security protocols and protect IT systems.

 

What are the Cyber Security Engineer requirements? 

Employers typically look for cyber security engineer candidates to have at least a bachelor’s degree in computer science or another related field of study, and at least three years of experience in identifying threats and developing effective protection countermeasures. 

Additionally, as a cyber security engineer, most employers will expect you to have the following:  

  

• Understanding of cyber security methodologies  
• The ability to evaluate system changes for security implications and the knowledge to make recommendations for improvements  
• Knowledge of current cyber security trends, as well as the continued research of emerging trends and hacking techniques 
• Proficiency in Java, Python Net, C++, bash, and power shell 
• Networking experience with the TCP/IP stack (may not be a requirement, but is often preferred)  
• Solid understanding of the OSI model and renowned ports and services (may not be a requirement, but is often preferred)  
• The ability to work well with others, including collaboration and communication with other departments  
• The ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment and to work under pressure  
• Strong attention to detail and problem-solving skills 

There may be other requirements, depending upon the specific organization and the complexity of its networks and systems. 

  

What are some Cyber Security Engineer roles and responsibilities? 

Cyber security engineers’ primary responsibility is to protect the computer systems and networks of an organization from threats and attacks. To achieve that goal, there are many tasks and duties that cyber security engineers must perform.  

  

The following are the most common functions for which cyber security engineers are responsible:  

  

• Development of a set of security practices and standards  
• Creating new, more efficient, ways to resolve current security issues  
• Making recommendations to management regarding security enhancements and improvements  
• Performing penetration testing  
• Monitoring systems and networks for intrusions or security breaches  
• Conducting network scans to identify weaknesses or vulnerabilities  
• Installation of software, including data encryption programs and firewalls  
• Installation or processing of security products and procedures  
• Installation of appropriate software to improve notifications of intrusions  
• Development of automation scripts to manage and track incidents  
• Monitoring systems to identify irregular behavior  
• Leading incident response efforts  
• Leading investigations into breaches that occur  
• Supervising and providing feedback for changes in hardware, software, and user needs  
• Reporting findings and feedback to management  
• Planning and implementing information security strategies for an organization  
• Training or educating network users on information security  
• Recommending improvements in technical, legal, and regulatory areas as they pertain to information security