Overview
Cyber security professionals protect organisations from breaches, malware, phishing and nation-state attacks. With India's push to data localisation, the DPDP Act 2023 and rising ransomware threats, demand has exploded. Government (CERT-In, NCIIPC), defence services (Cyber Command), banks and IT services all hire aggressively.
Day-to-day responsibilities
Monitor SIEM dashboards (Splunk/QRadar/Sentinel) for threats; investigate alerts and triage incidents; conduct vulnerability scans (Nessus/Qualys); perform penetration tests; lead red-team / blue-team exercises; respond to incidents and forensics; ensure compliance (ISO 27001, SOC 2, RBI guidelines); train employees on security hygiene.
Skills required
- Networking fundamentals (TCP/IP)
- Linux & Windows internals
- SIEM tools (Splunk/QRadar)
- Vulnerability assessment (Nessus)
- Scripting (Python/PowerShell)
- Cryptography basics
- OWASP Top 10
- Incident response
Education path
B.Tech CS / IT followed by specialisation via M.Tech in Cyber Security (NIT Kurukshetra, IIIT-Allahabad) or MS abroad. Direct entry via certifications (CompTIA Security+, CEH) is common for graduates from any branch. CDAC PG Diploma in Cyber Security is highly regarded.
Career progression
- 1SOC Analyst (L1)
- 2SOC L2 / Threat Hunter
- 3Senior Analyst / Pentester
- 4Security Architect / Manager
- 5CISO
Top employers in India
Useful certifications
- CompTIA Security+
- CEH (EC-Council)
- OSCP (Offensive Security)
- CISSP
- CISM
- AWS Security Specialty