Certifications can be the most cost-effective way to boost your credentials no matter where you are in your career. Some cybersecurity certifications are fairly straightforward, but others can provide you with a real challenge.We ranked the seven hardest cybersecurity certifications based on required experience, exam duration, exam requirements, and prerequisites needed to earn the certificate as well as the pay it can offer.
One of today’s most in-demand and lucrative fields, cybersecurity (or infosec, as it’s sometimes called) can let you protect key data, undermine international espionage, catch cyber criminals, and stay on the front lines of technology. Plus, you can earn a top-performer’s salary and enjoy a range of interesting career opportunities. Let’s take a look at what cybersecurity is, the state of the infosec job market, cybersecurity across industries, careers in the field, and educational opportunities to help you get started.
Are you looking for a career on the front lines of national defense or at the cutting edge of corporate security?
Information security, sometimes called cybersecurity, could be the field for you.
Since entering the IT field later in my career-life, I noticed an on-going debate amongst cybersecurity professionals: to cert or not to cert. There seems to be those (like myself) that push the obtainment of a certificate(s). On the flip side, there are those that tend to lump certificates into the “not-needed” category. Mostly, the argument is “learn it yourself”. This is especially true among “hackers”. I say “hackers” because the term hacker is actually a misnomer, and can be its own topic. The bigger picture considers whether a certificate outweighs a degree program.
The most significant difference with the new exam format is that it is proctored. This means that you are being watched over your webcam for the entire period of the session. Proctoring a five-day exam is impractical, so the exam was split into three six-hour sessions. Each six-hour session consists of three individual “challenges”. Each challenge involves recovering the contents of a secret file, but some challenges will require hacking more than one machine. You enter the contents of the file into a web page and submit it when you are done with the session. You must complete at least one challenge per session, and you must complete at least five out of the nine sessions to pass the exam.
Do you work in IT or cybersecurity and want to advance your career? Are you required to hold certain certifications for your job? It sounds like you need some certification training. Finding the right training for your certification can help you achieve your goals, save time and money, and even put you on the fast track to promotions and pay raises.
The OSCP certification is great for individuals with several years of experience in system administration, networking, or software development, who wish to learn “elite hacking skills.” The LPT (Master) is great for those who want to pursue penetration testing as a career and who are looking for a certification that demonstrates that they can complete a realistic penetration test simulation on their own.
ECSA Certification review by Daniel Sewell, Sr. Penetration Tester for Alpine Security. The EC-Council Certified Security Analyst (ECSA) certification consists of both a hands-on practical penetration test and a multiple choice exam.
DoD 8570, the Cybersecurity Information Assurance Workforce Development Program, will soon be replaced by DoD 8140. DoD 8570 determines which cybersecurity certifications are required for Information Assurance positions in a United State’s government organization.