What certifications should I seek out for Cybersecurity openings?

2015-08-20T14:14:34-04:00

Is there certain certification I would need to be able to secure a job in our cyber security division?

Response by CMSgt Mark Schubert made Aug 20 at 2015 2:42 PM

2015-08-20T14:42:02-04:00

MCSE/MCNE comes to mind - these are pretty standard. Anything Cisco related would help - and of course specific security seminars/programs are a plus.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 20 at 2015 3:31 PM

2015-08-20T15:31:11-04:00

It really depends on what work role you're applying for. SANS courses and GIAC certifications are a great place to start but are a tad expensive. They have some of the best people in the industry teaching for them: Paul Henry, Mark Baggett, Dr. Eric Cole just to mention a few. They offer everything from general network security methodologies and pen testing to forensics and intrusion detection. Again, largely depends on what your scope and focus is.

Link: http://www.sans.org

MCP+I, MCSE, CCSA, CCSE, CISSP-ISSAP are great ones to have on your résumé as well.

I would also suggest certifications in virutialization software as well. So many companies are dumping their server racks in favor of virtualization (to save on hardware costs) and having security professionals who know how to secure these types of systems are becoming invaluable.

Oh, and before anyone feels the urge to argue that a VM escape isn't possible (and therefore argue that VM security isn't necessary) resist that urge. It has been done.

SANS Information Security Training | Cyber Certifications | Research

Information security training, network & cyber security training, certification, and research in cyber defense, pentesting, ethical hacking, digital forensics.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 20 at 2015 3:46 PM

2015-08-20T15:46:10-04:00

Which certs do you currently have? What is your experience in cybersecurity?

Do you have stuff Like Security+? CISSP is of course what you want to shoot for but that is more of a long term goal as is CISM. GIAC certs are good, I would say steer clear of CEH (it is kind of a joke). OCSE is also good, without knowing a little more it is hard to advise much.

Hope that helps.

Response by SSG Ed Mikus made Aug 21 at 2015 12:46 AM

2015-08-21T00:46:35-04:00

SANS

Response by LTJG Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 30 at 2015 1:16 PM

2015-08-30T13:16:18-04:00

A good place to start is reviewing the DOD 8570 standards. Sgt Duvall may not care much for the CEH cert but it meets quite a few of the 8570 standards, and 8570 is the gold standard for federal cyber jobs. All federal cyber jobs. SANS/GIAC certs are the most prestigious and respected but require much in the way of expense and effort. OSCP/OSCE are outstanding but are not cheap and are pretty challenging. I'm also not sure that the Offensive Security ones are 8570 compliant.

Response by Maj Kevin "Mac" McLaughlin made Sep 22 at 2015 1:19 PM

2015-09-22T13:19:32-04:00

Depends... Are you looking to go industry, military, contractor to the military, civil service? The reason I ask is because of the nuances of each. I can tell you that within the military, your best option is to have a Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or Computer Engineering degree on hand first, followed by the certifications. Which certification also depends on what type of work you want to do (i.e. Management or Hands-On Technical). If going into management (i.e. policy, resource/project management), CISSP is where you need to go. For the Technical side, it really depends on what you want to be an expert on; OS Security, Infrastructure (FWs, routers, switches, etc), malware analysis, traffic analysis, offensive, defensive, and then some. There are so many things you can do and becoming an expert in all would definitely be a challenge.

Response by SSgt Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 24 at 2015 11:51 AM

2015-09-24T11:51:27-04:00

CCISP