Cyber Threat Analyst - Career Profile

Cyber threat analysts are information security professionals who use their skills and background knowledge in areas like network administration or network engineering to help counter the activities of cyber criminals such as hackers and developers of malicious software.

The job of the cyber threat analyst involves a combination of:

• technical research - collecting information about Internet-based malware-related criminal activities and the people behind them;
• intelligence analysis - making predictions about cyber criminals and their future activities based on what is already known about them;
• the creation of threat intelligence reports that communicate the results of the analyses to people who need to know them (e.g., government decision-makers, security officials, senior corporate officials).

Educational Requirements:

To become a cyber threat analyst, at minimum you typically need a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems or another related field, but this may not be required if you already have several years of experience in the field.

Some of the certifications employers may ask for include:

• CISSP;
• Security+;
• ISSEP;
• GIAC.

Important Technical Skills:

Cyber threat analysts need to have solid experience in areas such as:

• network and/or operating system security;
• computer network intrusion detection/prevention systems;
• firewalls;
• IT network-based attack methodologies and tools;
• security operations and incident response technologies and methodologies.

Other Crucial Skills:

Beyond your specialized technical skills in information security, you should also be able to demonstrate:

• highly developed research and analytical skills - so you can work with data and pinpoint statistically significant patterns related to cyber threats;
• strong organizational skills;
• attention to detail;
• strong presentation skills, as you will probably be expected to brief others on your findings and recommendations
• solid teamwork skills - the ability to collaborate with others who are conducting research in the same, similar or different areas than what you're looking into;
• excellent writing/communication skills.

Companies/Organizations Typically Hiring Cyber Threat Analysts::

• BitDefender;
• Symantec;
• VeriSign;
• MITRE.

Posted in: Cyber Threat Analyst