Careers in Information Security Management

Network / Systems Administration
What you should be aware of

Security Fundamentals	Access Control	Ethical Hacking
Network Security	Identity Management	Social Engineering
Operations Security	Cryptography	Penetration Testing
Application Security	Database Security	Vulnerability Assessment
Threats	Data Security	Countermeasures
Vulnerabilities	Data Backup	Secure Internet Access
Virus	Restoring Backup	Internet Filtering Software
Trojans	OS Hardening	Digital Certificate
Worms	Windows Administration	Digital Signature
Spyware	Windows Registry	File Transfer Protocol
Adware	Boot Sector Virus	Incident Response
Keylogger	Corrupted Registry	Port Scanning
Phishing	Desktop Security	Packet Sniffing
Spamming	Denial of Service	Password Cracking

Suggested certifications:    Network+, Security+, MCSA, MCSE, MCP, CCNA, CCNP
Certifying organizations:  CompTIA, Microsoft, Cisco

Network / Application Security Assessment
What you should be aware of

Network Security Testing	Cryptography	Ethical Hacking
Web Application Security Testing	Public Key Infrastructure	Social Engineering
Operating System Security	Data Encryption Standard	Penetration Testing
Patch Management	Advanced Encryption Standard	Vulnerability Assessment
Perimeter Defense	Directory Traversal	Countermeasures
Reconnaissance	Code Analysis	Digital Certificate
Footprinting	Code Injection Attack	Digital Signature
Enumeration	Cross Site Scripting	Steganography
Google Hacking	Cross Site Request Forgery	System Hacking
Identify Theft	Metasploit Framework	Session Hijacking
Malware	Privilege Escalation	Man in the middle attack
Keystroke Loggers	SQL Injection	Password Cracking
Firewall Architecture	Thread Modeling	Wireless Sniffers
Intrusion Analysis	Threat Profiling	Wireless Traffic Analysis
IDS / IPS	Denial of Service	Wireless Security Layers
Unified Threat Management	Distributed Denial of Service	Wireless ARP Poisoning

Suggested certifications:    Security+, GISF, CEH, GPEN, GWAPT, GAWN, CWNA, CWSP
Certifying organizations:   CompTIA, EC-Council, SANS

Incident Response & Computer Forensics
What you should be aware of

Electronic Evidence	Data Acquisition and Duplication	Incident Response
Digital Forensics	Event Correlation	Cyber Crime
Digital Media	File Recovery Tools	Cyber Law
Intrusion Analysis	File Signature Analysis	Cyber Warfare
IDS Architecture	Hash Analysis	Live Response
Intrusion Prevention System	Image File Forensics	Security Incident Report
Security Monitoring	Mobile Forensics	Investigation Process
Network Traffic Analysis	Network Forensics	Operating System Forensics
Log Capturing	Windows Forensics	Kerberos Authentication Process
Log Analysis	Windows Registry Analysis	Denial of Service
Packet Decode	Signature Analysis	Email Fraud
Intruder Footprints	Static Analysis Process	Steganography
False Positives	Emergency Response Team	Unified Threat Management

Suggested certifications:    Security+, CEH, GPEN, CHFI, GCFA, GCIA, GCIH, GREM
Certifying organizations:  CompTIA, EC-Council, SANS           

Information Security Management
What you should be aware of

CIA Triad	Security Practices	Asset Management
Network Security	Security Policy	Asset Valuation
Operations Security	Security Strategy	Risk Assessment
Physical Security	Security Architecture and Design	Privacy Laws
Access Controls	Security Roles and Responsibilities	Regulatory Compliance
Identity Management	Information Security Controls	Risk Evaluation
Software Development Security	Information Security Framework	Risk Management
Database Security	IS Program Development	Risk Mitigation Strategies
Cryptography	IS Steering Group	Information Risk Management
Source Code Security	Enterprise Security Requirements	Configuration Management
Threat Modeling	Enterprise Governance Framework	Incident Management
Penetration Testing	BCP / DR	Problem Management
Vulnerability Assessment	System Resilience	Service Level Management
Telecommunication Security	Computer Crime Investigation	Cost Benefit Analysis

Suggested certifications:  Security+, GSEC, CISSP, CISM, ISMS
Certifying organizations:   CompTIA, SANS, ISACA, ISC2, IRCA

For specific information on various certifications and their pre requisites visit our training synopsis on Information Security Management.

The first step to choosing a career in Information Security Management (ISM) is to determine the area of interest in information security.

• Do you want to focus on securing code?
• Or is your interest more in computer forensics?
• Or handling security audits of networks and systems?
• Maybe, a security researcher who identifies vulnerabilities in products or applications?
• Or a security consultant who implements international standards such as ISMS?

Certifications can be a great help, since you will learn a lot about information security and also validate your knowledge of the domain.

Those interested in security should first pursue certifications that will help them gain general IT skills.

Network certifications such as Network+ from the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) and the Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) will help provide a good foundation of general network knowledge on which to build the security skills.

In addition to network certifications, for those who wish to work with Windows operating systems, the Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) can be very useful.

For general security practitioners, a good entry-level certification is the Security+ certification from CompTIA. It provides the basic knowledge required for securing a network, and is slowly gaining popularity and recognition. The GIAC Security Essentials Certification (GSEC) from SANS Institute is also good for representing broad security knowledge.

Perhaps the most recognized certification for general security practitioners is the Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) from the International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium (ISC)2. This certification is highly recognized and respected in the security community since it requires candidates not only demonstrate knowledge of 10 domains of information security but also document at least four years of security experience.

A thorough understanding of each of these domains is not required, so this is a good certification for anyone interested in the security field, and even if you wish to specialize in a certain aspect, the wide range of knowledge is beneficial.

For those interested in more-specific security certifications, SANS Institute as well as EC-Council offer many highly regarded certifications, such as, GIAC Certified Penetration Tester (GPEN) and Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH), GIAC Certified Forensics Analyst (GCFA) and GIAC Certified Incident Handler (GCIH) and Computer Hacking Forensics Investigator (CHFI) and EC-Council Certified Security Analyst (ECSA) provide more detailed coverage for precise areas of information security.

The Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA) offers the Certified Information Security Manager (CISM), a certification for those interested in managing and overseeing enterprise-level information security and the Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC), a certification for those responsible for managing business risk for enterprises and capable of implementing appropriate IS controls.