A Guide for the Best Cyber Security Certifications Online

Cybersecurity is one of the most promising career options available these days. Why? We are generating a massive amount of data each day, and securing that data is quite challenging for companies. Malicious hackers are launching cyberattacks on systems of not only renowned enterprises but also startups for financial gains. This is the reason companies are investing hugely in strengthening their defenses by building a robust cybersecurity team. When a company has skilled cybersecurity pros, it is able to beat ill-intended hackers in their own game and keep their systems and networks secure. If you want to start your career in cybersecurity, then achieving certification in this domain is one of the best ways to kickstart your journey. Cyber security certifications online can give you the credibility required to become eligible for many job roles. Fortunately, there are world-renowned certification bodies related to cybersecurity, and pursuing any of their certifications can take your career to new heights. Are you not familiar with these institutes or their certifications? Well, this article makes you familiar with the top cybersecurity certifications that should be a part of your next career move. Based on your career interests, you can select a suitable certification.

Here goes the list.

CompTIA CySA+

This certification tests an individual’s ability to proactively capture, monitor, and respond to network traffic findings. It emphasizes software and application security, threat hunting, automation, and IT regulatory compliance that affects the daily work of security analysts. The best part is it covers the most up-to-date core security analyst skills used by threat intelligence analysts, compliance analysts, application security analysts, and incident responders. CySA+ is an intermediate high-stakes cyber security analyst certification with hands-on, performance-based questions along with multiple-choice questions. The exam CS0-002 consists of 85 questions to be attempted in 165 minutes. The passing score is 750 (on a scale of 100 to 900). It is recommended to have at least 4 years of information security experience before taking this exam.

Cybersecurity Practitioner Certification (CSX-P)

Offered by ISACA, the Certified Practioner Certification is the first and only comprehensive performance certification that verifies an individual’s ability to perform cybersecurity skills spanning five security functions:

Identify

Protect
Detect
Respond

Recover

The certification validates your skills critical to real-life cybersecurity scenarios, provides credibility needed for career mobility, and is among the highest paying and highly recognized IT credentials. The CSX-P exam verifies that a candidate is skilled in identifying assets and remediating vulnerabilities, detecting, responding, and recovering from incidents, and configuring and implementing protective technologies.

Certified Threat Intelligence Analyst

The CTIA certification is administered by the prestigious EC Council (popularly known for offering the Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) certification). The credential acts as a force multiplier for organizations looking to reinforce their cyber defense security measures. By becoming a certified threat intelligence analyst, you will be capable of guarding your organization’s cybersecurity ecosystem with a 360-degree vigil on existing and unforeseen threats. The CTIA exam consists of 50 multiple-choice questions with a time limit of 2 hours. You need to score at least 70% to pass the test. As a prerequisite, you need to have a minimum of 2 years of experience in information security along with attending official EC-Council CTIA training through an accredited Training Center of EC-Council. The credential is suitable for ethical hackers, security analysts, threat hunters, SOC professionals, incident response team members, and security architects.

Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP)

Do you want to build your career and better secure critical assets in the cloud? If yes, then the CCSP credential by ISC2 is best suited for you. It demonstrates that you have the advanced skills and knowledge to design, handle and secure data, applications, and infrastructure in the cloud using the policies, procedures, and best practices established by the cybersecurity experts at ISC2. Certification Magazine in its 2021 Annual Salary Survey ranked CCSP the number one certification that IT professionals plan to pursue next in their career. CCSP is suitable for cloud architects, cloud specialists, cloud administrators, cloud engineers, cloud architects, and auditors of cloud computing services. As the CCSP meets the US Department of Defense (DoD) Directive 8570.1, you can pursue it even if you are working in the government sector.

Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)

If there is one cybersecurity certification that stays ahead of all, then it is the CISSP certifications of ISC2. Earning this credential means you are capable of effectively designing, implementing, and managing a best-in-class cybersecurity program. If you are a security manager, security architect, security systems engineer, security analyst, network architect, or even Director of Security, the CISSP is designed for you. As a prerequisite, you must have a minimum of five years of cumulative, paid work experience in two or more of the eight domains mentioned in the CISSP Body of Knowledge (CBK). post that, you need to pass the CISSP certification exam consisting of 100 to 150 questions to be answered in 3 hours. The passing score is 700 out of 1000 points. The questions are of multiple-choice and advanced innovative item format.