The world around you is changing fast. Things that you didn’t imagine five years ago can be seen happening today. While we as end-users may feel excited to use modern gadgets having advanced capabilities, companies are having a hard time keeping up with the pace of how technology is advancing and offer such products. One of the important issues is hiring the right talent for the job. As professionals do not have the right skills to work on emerging technologies, companies are working on a new strategy to deal with the widening skills gap. The same holds true in the field of cyber security.
The Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG), along with the Information Systems Security Association (ISSA) in their research report highlighted the fact their around 70% of ISSA members felt that their firms had been affected by the global shortage of cyber security skills. Moreover, 45% of the members stated that the cyber security skills shortage had become worse over the past few years. It’s evident from the above findings that security professionals must enhance their skills, or else the companies they work for will be at a considerable disadvantage in today’s quickly evolving cyber threat landscape.
One of the best ways to enhance your skills in cyber security is to achieve an industry-recognized certification. There are various reasons why people consider pursuing a certification – to break into the industry, advance their career, landing a new job, and sustain their jobs in times of economic uncertainty. Many of them even take cyber security courses to hone their skills in this specialized area. When you start looking for a certification, identifying and differentiating among the vast range of offerings can be overwhelming and time-consuming. You may, in fact, find it difficult to decide which certification would best fit your career needs.
So, we have listed down some of the best cyber security certifications to help you out and make a wise decision.
Let’s get started!
CompTIA PenTest+
This certification is best suited for professionals who handle penetration testing and vulnerability management in an organization. The exam features hands-on, performance-based questions and multiple-choice, to ensure that the individual has the skills, ability, and knowledge to perform tasks on systems. It also involves management skills used to plan, scope, and manage weaknesses and not just exploit them. In addition to traditional desktops and servers, the certification also requires the candidates to validate their knowledge of testing devices in new environments like the mobile and cloud.
Exam details:
Code – PT 002
Number of questions – 85 (multiple-choice and performance-based type)
Duration – 165 minutes
Passing score – 750 (on a scale of 100 to 900)
Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH)
The CEH certification is administered by the prestigious EC-Council. This is a go-to certification for individuals who look for loopholes and vulnerabilities in computer systems and uses the same techniques as a malicious hacker but in an ethical manner to assess a company’s security posture. You will get exposure to the latest commercial-grade hacking tools, techniques, and methodologies to hack the target system ethically. The certification includes hands-on hacking challenges, modern case studies and current events, a greater focus on cloud and IoT, and advanced social engineering practices.
Exam details:
Code – 312-50 (ECC Exam)
Number of questions – 125 (multiple-choice type)
Duration – 4 hours
Passing score – on a range of 60% to 85%
Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)
This certification is, by far, the most popular credential in the world of cyber security and offered by (ISC)². Through this certification, you will understand what it takes to design, execute, and manage a best-in-class cyber security program effectively. A variety of security professionals like a security analyst, security manager, security architect, network architect, and IT manager can apply for this credential. Some of the important domains the certification covers include asset security, communication and network security, identity and access management, security operations, and security and risk management.
Exam details:
Number of questions – 100 to 150 (multiple-choice and advanced innovative items)
Duration – 3 hours
Passing score – 700 out of 1000 points
Certified Information Security Manager (CISM)
Gain expertise in information security governance, incident management and risk management, and program development and management with this CISM certification designed by ISACA. You will find over 46000 CISM certification holders across the world who earn an average salary of USD 118K. Those individuals who want to move from team player to managerial role with experience in IT/IS security and control should pursue this certification. CISM certification holders bring credibility to a team and ensure alignment between the company’s information security program and its broader objectives and goals.
Exam details:
Number of questions – 150 (multiple-choice)
Duration – 4 hours
Passing score – 450 or higher on a scale of 200 to 800
Apart from the ones mentioned above, these renowned institutes like EC-Council, ISACA, CompTIA, and (ISC)² also offer other cybersecurity certifications that can help you in your career growth. Choose a certification wisely and start preparing for it. A lot of online courses are available to help you prepare and pass their exams in a single try. So, are you ready to become a cyber security expert?