Top Skills Next-level InfoSec Pros Should Have

October 1, 2018 | by Marine D. | Blog posts 0 Comments

In today’s digital world, infosec professionals need to be on top of their skills to protect themselves and their company’s assets online. There are numerous training paths and a large series of practical training courses that can teach you the right skills and hands-on know-how, but whether you are on the defensive or offensive side, here are the top skills next-level infosec pros should have:

1. Threat Analysis & Classification

✔ WHAT IS IT?

Threat analysis & classification is the act of detecting potential attacks in an attempt to protect sensitive corporate data over a length of time.

✔ WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?

Data analysis and classification is the first step to building a secure organization. Data should be based on nominal values according to their sensitivity, such as ‘Public’, ‘Internal’, ‘Confidential’, ‘Top Secret’, etc. High-risk data, typically classified “Confidential”, requires a greater level of protection, while lower risk data, possibly labeled “internal” requires proportionately less protection.

2. Auditing & Penetration Testing

✔ WHAT IS IT?

A penetration test (or pentest) evaluates the security of assets by running a series of planned attacks with the goal of finding and exploiting vulnerabilities. Auditing is a systematic, measurable technical assessment of how the organization’s security policy is employed.

✔ WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?

With cyber attacks happening every single day, it is more important than ever to undertake regular pentests in order to identify your company’s vulnerabilities and ensure on a regular basis that everything is under control. Security audits are also important because they help make more informed decisions on how to allocate budgets and resources to better manage risks.

3. Vulnerability Assessment

✔ WHAT IS IT?

A vulnerability assessment is aimed at building a list of all the vulnerabilities present on a target’s systems.

✔ WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?

A thorough vulnerability assessment will provide you and your organization with the knowledge, awareness, and background necessary to understand potential threats and react accordingly.

4. Reverse Engineering

✔ WHAT IS IT?

Reverse-engineering is the process of taking software or hardware and understanding its functions and information flow, through detailed analysis of a human-readable representation.

✔ WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?

5. Risk Assessment

✔ WHAT IS IT?

A risk assessment identifies the gaps in an organization’s critical risk areas and determines actions to close those gaps.

✔ WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?

Risk assessments are very important as they help to create awareness and identify who and/or what may be at risk in your organization.

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Sources: Intigrow | Mass.Gov

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Tags: #infosec, how to become a penetration tester, information security, IT Security, IT Security Skills, penetration testing

Author: Marine D.

Patience, persistence, and perspiration make an unbeatable combination for success. 😉