What Does A Cybersecurity Analyst Do?

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects employment of information security analysts to grow 35% from 2021 to 2031, much faster than the average for all occupations. The BLS further projects about 19,500 job openings for information security analysts each year, on average, over this period.¹ This growth is projected on a national level and local growth will vary by location. This projection is not specific to DeVry University graduates and may include earners at all stages of their careers.

The BLS attributes this significant growth to several factors, including the rising frequency of cyberattacks, the growth of e-commerce, a shift toward remote work and strong growth in digital health services and telehealth, which they predict will increase security risks for healthcare providers. 

To help them create security measures and develop strategies to prevent cyberattacks, cyber security professionals need to have a broad range of technical skills acquired through training or work experience, and be familiar with best practices in the industry. Some important capabilities needed to prepare you to succeed as a cyber security analyst include:

A cyber security analyst’s role is constantly evolving and typically involves a wide range of responsibilities. But exactly what does a cyber security analyst do? While tasks may vary based on your position and employer, here are some general tasks you might perform:

Analyzing security systems is one of the primary responsibilities of a cyber security analyst. To do this, they employ a variety of skills such as penetration testing and running security audits. These audits can help them determine who has access to various levels of a network and whether or not their clearance matches their responsibilities. While completing the audit, they also write up reports that communicate their findings and recommend measures to increase or improve security.

After analyzing a company’s security systems, a cyber security analyst works on building security protocols. These protocols may include adding firewalls and encryption methods to certain portions of a network or database. They may also include setting up processes for accessing and transferring sensitive data safely.

Cyber security analysts use a variety of tools to keep an organization’s networks safe. They determine whether or not the company will use a VPN and what encryption programs to install, should they need it. They also determine what or who can or cannot pass through these barriers.

In the event that their analysis shows a weakness that cannot be fixed with their existing tools, a cyber security analyst will have to petition for upgrades. These upgrades could come in the form of new computers that have increased processing power to run programs that prevent data breaches or upgrading to more effective security software programs.

In the event of a security breach, a cyber security analyst investigates what, how and why it happened in order to construct countermeasures that will prevent similar incidents in the future.