The need for attention to cyber security issues on industrial control systems has never been greater or more urgent. These systems are vital to companies in industries such as chemical, electrical, water, and oil; these systems are necessary for companies to control their field devices, collect data, and detect problems.
When companies in these industries realize that their assets increasingly are under attack, they call on the services of an Industrial Cyber Security Analyst to provide protection against catastrophic failures, costly errors, destruction of property and equipment, environmental damage, and health and safety risks.
Industrial Cyber Security Analysts help prevent attacks through their expertise and knowledge of databases, networks, hardware, firewalls, and encryption. The Analyst protects Web sites and networks from cyber threats such as malware, denial-of-service attacks, and viruses. The Industrial Cyber Security Analyst is responsible for formulating a cyber security strategy that ensures compliance to industry best practices and government regulations, for performing risk and vulnerability assessments, designing defensive architecture and strategies, performing compliance monitoring, and providing remediation strategies.
An Industrial Cyber Security Analyst typically is responsible for identifying and fixing any security weaknesses discovered and for making recommendations for security hardware and software upgrades to ensure future security of the system. In addition to formulating security policies and procedures, the Analyst will review violations to help prevent future occurrences and may regulate access to computer files, may develop firewalls, and may test systems to verify security measures.
General Educational Requirements
The minimum requirement for some entry-level Industrial Cyber Security Analyst positions is an Associate’s Degree coupled with work experience. Positions beyond entry level require at least a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, or a related discipline. Some employers prefer a Master’s Degree, usually in Information Assurance or Cyber Security. Industry certification almost always is required, and some employers – especially government agency or military organizations – will require security clearances.
Additional Qualifications
In addition to technical experience, this position requires general business expertise, strong interpersonal skills, proven verbal and written communications skills, logical thinking and analytical ability, and sound problem-solving and decision-making abilities.
