Top 7 Cybersecurity Certifications to Consider in 2019

The demand for cybersecurity professionals has continued to increase over the past couple of years. Therefore, earning a certification in this field is an excellent way to boost your career potentials. With the right credential, you can attain your career goals seamlessly and in a fast way. The year 2019 is fast approaching, and as a professional who is aiming for the next level in your career, you should start thinking of how to make a new year a more rewarding one in your career. One of the ways you can grow an excellent career is by investing your time and money to validate your knowledge, skills, and experience, and there is no better way to do this than to earn an IT certificate. There are some exceptional cybersecurity certifications you need to check out because they can be the ticket to your dream job role. These credentials discussed below are the top 7 certifications to consider in 2019 if you are aiming for a job role in the field of cybersecurity.

Certified Information Systems Security Professional – CISSP

CISSP is an advanced-level credential in the field of IT. It is designed for those professionals who are very passionate about pursuing a career in information security. The certification is offered by the ISC² (International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium). It is a vendor neutral credential and it is globally recognized for its high level of standards. The professionals with CISSP are decision-makers in their organizations. They possess the technical skills and expert knowledge needed to develop, manage, and guide security standards, procedures, and policies within their companies. No doubt, this credential remains one of highly sought after by IT professionals. To earn CISSP, the candidates are required to have at least five years of working experience in at least two of eight Common Body of Knowledge domains. An alternative is a four-year working experience in a minimum of two of the Common Body of Knowledge domains with a college degree or another relevant credential. The CBK domains of International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium consist of Security and Risk Management, Security Architecture and Engineering, Asset Security, Identity and Access Management, Security Operations, Security Assessment and Testing, Software Development Security, and Communications and Network Security.

Certified Ethical Hacker – CEH

Many organizations have suffered from the devastating effects of hackers. Hackers are constantly developing new ways to attack the information systems and take advantage of the vulnerabilities of systems. In order to mitigate these attacks and threats, businesses are proactively protecting the information systems by employing the services of IT professionals who have the skills to beat hackers hands down. These professionals are referred to as ‘White Hats’ or ‘White Hat Hackers’. The Red Hats use techniques and skills to identify the system vulnerabilities and access points they can use to penetrate into an organization. The White Hats use the same techniques to prevent the Red Hat’s unwanted access to information and network systems. CEH is an intermediate-level certification administered by EC-Council (International Council of E-Commerce Consultants). This credential is highly recommended for the professionals looking to explore a career in ethical hacking. The individuals with this certification has the knowledge and skills on hacking practices in different areas like scanning networks, system hacking, worms and viruses, Trojans, sniffers, social engineering, denial-of-service attacks, enumeration, footprinting and reconnaissance, session hijacking, SQL injection, hacking web servers, cryptography, wireless networks and web applications, honeypots, evading IDS, penetration testing, and firewalls.

Certified Information Security Manager – CISM

CISM is a high level credential and it is aimed at the professionals in the field of IT who are responsible for developing, overseeing, and managing information security systems in different enterprise level applications. They are also responsible for developing the best security practices for organizations. The Certified Information Security Manager certification was introduced in the year 2003 and is administered by the Information Systems Audit and Control Association – ISACA. The goals of ISACA are geared towards the IT experts who are interested in top quality standards in terms of control, security, and audit of information systems. The certificate is designed to meet the needs of security professionals in IT who are responsible for enterprise level security management functions. The CISM experts have proven and have advanced the skills in program development and management, security risk management, incident management and response, and governance. To hold this credential, you must be ready to agree to the Code of Professional Ethics of ISACA. In addition to this, you have to go through the extensive exam process. However, before you sit for the test, you must have a minimum of five-year experience with security, and you must also agree to comply with the continuing education policy of ISACA. The credential is valid for three years. After that, you will be required to recertify. You need to obtain at least 120 continuing professional education credits over the three-year period of the certificate to enable you recertify.

CompTIA Security+

CompTIA Security+ is a vendor neutral security credential. It is globally recognized and well respected in the industry. The professionals with this certification are believed to possess higher technical skills, expert knowledge and skills in multifarious security related disciplines. Although the certificate is an entry-level qualification, the individuals pursuing it must have a two-year experience in network security. It is recommended that you pursue the CompTIA Network+ credential before Security+. The candidates who attain the certification are experts in various areas, including cryptography, threat management, identity management, security risk identification and mitigation, security infrastructure, security systems, and network access control. One of the reasons why CompTIA Security+ is well respected in the industry is because it is approved by the United States Department of Defense. In addition to this, it is also in compliant with the standard for ISO-17024.

SANS GIAC Security Essentials – GSEC

GSEC is one more excellent choice of an entry-level credential. This certification is offered by GIAC and it is aimed at those professionals who are seeking to validate their understanding of information security concepts and terminology and their technical expertise needed to take up hands-on security job roles. The individuals with the GSEC certification have the technical skills and knowledge of various areas, such as access authentication, recognizing and mitigating general and wireless attacks, password management, cryptography fundamentals, access controls, DNS, IPv6, ICMP, network mapping, public key infrastructure, network protocols, and Linux. It is important to note that the certificate is valid for a period of four years, after which it is necessary to renew it. To recertify, you need to accumulate a total of 36 continuing professional experience credits over the period of four years.

Offensive Security Certified Professional – OSCP

Although it is somewhat difficult to obtain, OSCP offers you all the skills you need to understand penetration testing process and life cycle. It is offered by the Offensive Security organization as an ethical hacking credential. The candidates pursuing the certificate are expected to sit for a 24-hour exam that focuses on the real world scenarios. Those individuals who pass this test will be able to identify the vulnerabilities in security systems, compromise vulnerable PHD-scrips, perform controlled attacks, and write simple Python/Bash scrips. Before you attempt this exam, you are required to go through the Penetration Testing training course, which is offered by Offensive Security.

Certified Cloud Security Professional – CCSP

CCSP is offered by the International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium (ISC²) and it is becoming quite popular in the field of cloud computing systems. The certification is aimed at the IT experts with at least five years of relevant experience, including at least one year of cloud security work experience. The CCSP certificate is ideal for the middle-level and advanced-level specialists who are involved in IT architecture, information security, web and cloud security engineering, governance, IT auditing, and risk and compliance.

Conclusion

The cybersecurity certifications are here to stay, and the early starter professionals are bound to reap their benefits. If you are currently planning a career path for yourself for 2019, the certificates highlighted are great choices for you to consider. Some other cybersecurity credentials that you can explore in 2019 include Lead Implementer (ISO 27001). This certification is offered by ISO. Others include Advanced Penetration Testing (APT); Offensive Security Certified Expert (OSCE); Certified Chief Information Security Officer (CCISO), EC-Council Certified Encryption Specialist (ECES); Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator (CHFI); and Certified Network Defender (CND).