What are the skills required to become a Security Specialist

Question

I am a Network Admin and I am preparing myself for Security Specialist job. I am preparing myself by getting certifications. Please suggest me the skills required to become a Security Specialist. It would be helpful for me. Thanks

Answer 1

Every employer will have different needs. But these are some fundamentals skills:

• IDS/IPS, penetration and vulnerability testing
• TCP/IP, computer networking, routing and switching
• DLP, anti-virus and anti-malware
• Firewall and intrusion detection/prevention protocols
• Secure coding practices, ethical hacking and threat modeling
• Windows, UNIX and Linux operating systems
• ISO 27001/27002, ITIL and COBIT frameworks
• PCI, HIPAA, NIST, GLBA and SOX compliance assessments
• C, C++, C#, Java, Python or PHP programming languages
• Security Information and Event Management (SIEM)

Answer 2

Hello Haman, skills required to become a security specialist are:

• Strong IT skills and knowledge including hardware, software and networks

• Meticulous attention to detail

• Ability to use logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of IT systems

• A forensic approach to challenges

• A deep understanding of how hackers work and ability to keep up with the fast pace of change in the criminal cyber-underworld

• Ability to seek out vulnerabilities in IT infrastructures