What Skills Do You Need To Work in Cybersecurity?

In today’s interconnected digital landscape, cybersecurity continues to be one of the most sought-after skills for tech professionals worldwide. 

With data breaches at an all-time high and threats becoming more sophisticated, driven by the advancement of technologies like AI, understanding cybersecurity principles is vital for everyone in an organization, helping professionals contribute more effectively to their teams and enhance career prospects. 

To successfully combat cyberattacks, organizations must continually reassess their strategies and enhance employee training. Embracing AI-driven defenses and fostering a culture of continuous learning will help protect digital infrastructures, ensuring competitiveness and resilience against evolving cyber threats. 

With the advancement of technology in the modern cyber landscape, the risks and threats of cyberattacks have also advanced, underscoring the imperative need for talented workers who are skilled in cybersecurity and equipped to handle the most dangerous threats. 

So, whether you're just starting out in the field, or looking to advance in your position, here are the top skills you need to work in cybersecurity:

1. Network Security

Network security consists of the policies, processes, and practices adopted to prevent, detect, and monitor unauthorized access, misuse, modification, or denial of a computer network and network-accessible resources. Understanding these protocols, vulnerabilities, and mitigation strategies is crucial for securing networks and preventing unauthorized access. 

Interested in learning more about network security? Check out these resources from Skillsoft:

• Azure Fundamentals: Azure Network Security
• Introduction to Network Security: Theory and Practice
• Communication & Network Security

2. Cloud Security

With more and more organizations moving their data to cloud platforms, cloud-based security providers must protect and keep their data secure. Mastering cloud security concepts like access control, encryption, and compliance frameworks is essential and will provide you with the foundations you need to secure data in the cloud.

Interested in learning more about cloud security? Check out these resources from Skillsoft:

• Securing AWS: Fundamentals
• Cloud Security Fundamentals: Cloud Application Security
• Cloud Security Management: Architecture Security

3. Artificial Intelligence

Over one-third of C-suite leaders point to cybersecurity and AI as top investment areas for upskilling this year. Artificial intelligence can enhance the scale and complexity of cyberattacks, highlighting the importance of understanding the new technology and how to use it for good. It can also help security experts understand the cyber environment and identify abnormal activity.

Interested in learning more about artificial intelligence? Check out these resources from Skillsoft:

• Enterprise Security, Artificial Intelligence, Generative AI, & Cybersecurity
• Reimagining Work with Generative AI
• Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity, and Cyber Defence

4. Incident Response

Incident response procedures are essential to enterprise security operations. In the event of a cyberattack, it’s crucial to have a clear incident response plan and the necessary skills to implement it efficiently to reduce damage and expedite recovery. This encompasses skills like identification, containment, eradication, and recovery. 

Interested in learning more about incident response? Check out these resources from Skillsoft:

• SRE Emergency and Incident Response
• Planning Measures: Incident Response Planning
• Implementing Incident Response & Recovery

5. Ethical Hacking

To protect an organization’s network and infrastructure effectively, you’ll need to fully understand how they can be exploited in the first place. That’s why most cybersecurity professionals must learn how to hack ethically. By developing the same skills as a hacker, you can then work to create effective solutions for thwarting these attacks.

Interested in learning more about ethical hacking? Check out these resources from Skillsoft:

• Prompt Engineering for Ethical Hacking
• Ethical Hacking and Penetration Testing Guide
• Applying AI to Ethical Hacking

6. Security Operations

Overseeing and managing security systems, analyzing security logs and alerts, and addressing security incidents is vital for sustaining a robust security stance. Proficiency in security operations tools and strategies is crucial for ongoing monitoring and detection of threats. 

Interested in learning more about security operations? Check out these resources from Skillsoft:

• Security Operations in Practice
• CISSP: Security Operations
• Security+: Operations and Incident Response Competency

7. Secure Coding

With the increasing reliance on software, writing secure code is imperative. Understanding secure coding practices and principles, such as input validation, data sanitization, and memory management, is essential for building secure applications that will protect sensitive data throughout your organization. 

Interested in learning more about secure coding? Check out these resources from Skillsoft:

• Secure Programmer: Coding Practices
• API Clean and Secure Coding
• Security Architect: Secure Coding Concepts

8. Communication

In addition to hard skills, possessing power skills is also imperative for cybersecurity professionals. As a cybersecurity expert, you will work closely with different teams and departments, so it is important to communicate effectively in order to explain your issues, concerns, and solutions to others. You must be able to comprehensively convey even the most technical information to individuals of all different levels of technical comprehension. 

Interested in learning more about communication? Check out these resources from Skillsoft:

• Stakeholder Communication
• Oral Communication
• Leveraging the Power of Diverse Communication Styles

9. Problem-Solving

As a cybersecurity professional, problem-solving will be a major part of your day-to-day work. You must find creative ways to tackle and address complex information and security challenges across various existing and emerging technologies and digital environments. 

Interested in learning more about problem-solving? Check out these resources from Skillsoft:

• Problem Solving and Decision Making
• Problem Solving: Generating Solutions
• Creativity and Problem Solving

10. Risk Management

Risk management involves identifying, evaluating, and prioritizing risks, followed by minimizing, monitoring, and controlling the impact or probability of those risks occurring. Your ability to think through what could go wrong, assess the severity of threats, and gauge the potential impact of attacks will empower you to work through problems proactively and have a bigger impact on your organization. 

Interested in learning more about risk management? Check out these resources from Skillsoft:

• COMPTIA Security+: Risk Management
• Session & Risk Management
• Cloud Security Management: Risk Management

Today's cybersecurity industry faces a significant talent shortage, with a global shortage of 3.4 million cybersecurity professionals. 

When it comes to improving your cybersecurity skills, there are many ways to ensure you are prepared to take on the challenges presented by the workforce. Most importantly, this involves staying up-to-date on the latest technologies and threats and establishing strong cybersecurity knowledge grounded in training and certification. 

A well-trained workforce is at the core of every organization’s defense against cyber threats. A workforce that understands that today’s cybercriminals must be met with a deep understanding of the technology powering the attacks and the skills and knowledge to help stop them. That starts with continuous education.

Certifications ensure that cybersecurity professionals stay informed about the latest technological developments and emerging threats, maintain their preparedness for new challenges, and provide a competitive edge, validating their skills and knowledge to potential employers. Here are some of the most significant benefits of certification:

Career advancement: Certification can unlock new career opportunities, demonstrating commitment and a willingness to enhance skills. This often leads to promotions, leadership roles, and higher-paying positions

Increased credibility and marketability: Being certified boosts credibility and marketability in a competitive job market. It signals to employers that you possess the necessary knowledge and skills to protect their systems and data

Better compensation: Certified professionals typically earn higher salaries, with potential increases of up to 20%, compared to those without certifications.

Keeping up with the technology and threats: certification programs ensure that professionals stay informed about the latest technological developments and emerging threats, maintain their preparedness for new challenges

Industry recognition: Many employers prefer or require certifications during hiring or promotions. A significant percentage of organizations consider certifications a critical factor in their decision-making process.

No one is safe from cybercrime. Every second counts regarding threats; the better an organization's employees are prepared, the better they can fight against attacks.  

With continuous cybersecurity training and sound data security policies, you can help prevent the unauthorized or unintentional disclosure of data across your organization, protecting your customers, your people, and your reputation.

Start today! 

Learn more about the most significant trends in cybersecurity by reading Skillsoft’s Cybersecurity Awareness Report.