How do you identify the skills of a great cybersecurity professional?

My belief on technical domain, a great cybersecurity professional would have been there, done that and has a strong business perspective due to years of experience he/she now carries in order to stitch the technical risk with business risk and impact context for taking right decisions during incidents and guide the team through mitigation / resolution

It is not physically possible to know everything technical about cyber security, hence the reason why our jobs exists. I mainly look for people who can demonstrate critical thinking, deductive reasoning, how resourceful they are, can create a working hypothesis from strictly observation, and can efficiently answer a question or follow an objective without distraction. I look at their resume and experience. I ask questions based on their personal experience but direct the output to highlight one of these mentioned focus areas. If they can hit the focus areas, they can learn everything else on the job via practical experience or apprenticeship. The rest is people skills and how they can tolerate/mitigate stress.

In my opinion, the best cybersecurity professionals are those that have had exposure and/or experience in coding, networking and IT operations. People can’t simply decide to jump into the profession simply armed with certifications. Although certifications are important, actual experience matters more because it provides both the skills and creativity needed to thrive in the industry.

As a self-made professional and SME in this sector, certain character traits are necessary to be successful. The same traits required will be shared among other leaders and up-and-coming talent, often signaling one another before any effort is intentionally exerted with the purpose of relating to other successful professionals. Technical skills are not essential; however, natural curiosity and the drive to look for answers until they are found are. If someone is driven and coachable, they could surpass seasoned professionals who are complacent with what they already know quickly. Consider this: no preconceived expectations and a thirst for answers. I hired a bounty hunter in 2016 who is now very successful because he read logs and listened

It's almost impossible to know everything in cybersecurity, as each business has unique needs and utilizes different tools. A person should have a strong proficiency in the fundamentals, passion for learning, drive, creativity, and adaptability.

Analytical thinking might be most easily attributed to mathematical competency. One might picture a physicist or an economist when they think of someone that has mastered analytical thinking. However, the ability to analyze raw data, identify patterns, interpret reports, and make accurate conclusions is someone that is able to think through a large amount of practical and academic knowledge while observing a system and consider the possibility of unknown or unexpected factors that might contribute to their observations. Cybersecurity is an applied science and drawing upon formal education, on-the-job experience, and a certain degree of awareness of cognitive bias, enables a cybersecurity expert to make conclusions quickly and reliably.

Thinking about what separates the great from the merely competent, I would volunteer two qualities that always appear together: An attention to very small details, and emergent thinking. They routinely come up with the target no one else sees because they go several levels deeper. Even more impressive are the people who can elicit both the nuanced mechanism of a vulnerability, and also articulate it through the architecture. Big and small picture. Rare birds indeed.

How can you simulate a adversory practices without thinking like one.Biggest part of offensive security is the thinking methdology of approaching systems and entities connected to them and sadly weakest part of that chain is people and it always will be.

Think of a cybersecurity expert as a Sherlock Holmes for the digital world. They gather clues from various sources like logs and reports (data), and then, like a detective, use their sharp mind to spot unusual patterns or potential threats (analytical thinking). For instance, it's like Sherlock connecting the dots between seemingly unrelated events to catch the culprit – in this case, identifying and preventing cyber threats.

In my experience, analytical thinking is a crucial skill that all cybersecurity professionals must have. Dealing with complex computer data, vulnerability mitigation, security event logs, and interpreting attacks by APTs needs an analytical mind to sort through the information. In short, without this skill, a cybersecurity professional will have difficulty interpreting and creating reports for their superiors, which ultimately hurts the company.

I would offer that for a cyber-security professional to be 'great', communication skills are as important as knowledge of the technical domains of the profession. If they are unable to effectively articulate messaging to the senior leadership, then they are ineffective. Additionally, they must not only be able to deliver the information but they must be able decipher technical jargon into business language so as to make the leadership's job easier.

The key word for me is ‘Great’. There are many cybersecurity professionals but very few great ones and greatness in this case is one who is well rounded in the art of not just doing technical stuff but communicating the technical stuff. It’s ironical that this is a crucial but yet rare skill in today’s world. Security professionals are increasingly required to write to or stand before business executives, and what separates great ones from others, is this ability to execllently make sense to business leaders.

The CISO must be well-versed in marketing and communication techniques. He or she must use these services internally within the company (often marketing is only outward-looking, in this case it must be inward-looking). He or she must also be a social person who goes out to meet people in the company, and not just to his or her bosses or friends. He needs to be identified.

Communication skills are critical to succeeding within an organizational environment and no matter what level you are at, it is essential to keep the following aspects clear. clarity and precision adaptability active listening fluency and visual communication bargaining power empathy for others This guarantees that efficiency in communication allows reaching each of the interlocutors clearly.

Communication might be one of the most challenging aspects of the cybersecurity industry. Taxonomy is borrowed from many other scientific, technical, and professional industries due to the nature of cybersecurity to span across small parts of law, finance, business operations, a heavy dose of information technology, and portion of human psychology. The best way to demonstrate effective communication is to provide written documents, recordings, articles, vlogs, or blogs on the topic of cybersecurity that target different types of audiences, from in-the-know, to broadly technical, to completely non-technical.

Creativity is essential for any cybersecurity professional that works on my teams. You want someone who is going to make the your SOPs and security controls better than I can. I need people who can find what I might miss or find the next, best process.

Cybersecurity demands creative and adaptable professionals who constantly seek innovative solutions. In a world of evolving cyber threats, these experts think outside the box, challenge norms, and explore alternatives. They embrace new technologies and trends, using them to enhance security. To identify their creativity, ask for ideas to improve security and look for curiosity and experimentation in their work. These cybersecurity heroes are vital in safeguarding our digital world.

Indeed, a creative and innovative mindset is a distinguishing factor that sets great cybersecurity professionals apart. The cybersecurity landscape is dynamic, with new threats emerging regularly. Creative professionals are better equipped to adapt to novel attack vectors and develop innovative defense mechanisms. Creative thinking allows professionals to approach challenges with fresh perspectives, leading to unconventional yet effective solutions. Creativity is invaluable when it comes to proactively seeking out potential threats. When responding to security incidents, creative professionals can quickly devise strategies to contain, mitigate, and recover from breaches. This might involve to adapt unexpected challenges.

Develop unique methods to address emerging threats and vulnerabilities. Apply unconventional approaches to identify and mitigate risks. Create or implement cutting-edge technologies and techniques to enhance security measures. Stay ahead of cybercriminals by anticipating and preparing for new attack vectors. Ask how they would handle a previously unseen type of cyber attack. Request examples of innovative solutions they have implemented in past roles.

I believe curiosity, resilience, and the desire to learn are fundamental qualities. In a professional who possesses these three skills, the rest is simply a matter of time and dedication. Being a hacker has always involved curiosity about how the world works and how you can modify and enhance things the way you desire. Moreover, it's about never giving up in the face of challenges and continuously seeking knowledge. It's the persistence in the face of challenges that arise along the way and the constant pursuit of knowledge that truly set apart an exceptional professional.

Cybersecurity is a team sport. No single person knows it all or can do it all. The role can also be quite stressful and a great team player will contribute and bring out the best in other teammates with “assists”. Sharing knowledge, being able to perform under pressure, and knowing when to see help are critically important.

Think of a cybersecurity expert as a team player on a sports team. They're like the goalie in soccer, working seamlessly with defenders, midfielders, and forwards. Just as the goalie communicates with the team to block opponents, a cybersecurity pro collaborates with colleagues to defend against cyber threats. It's like scoring a goal – achieving security success – requires teamwork, coordination, and everyone playing their part effectively.

A cyber security professional need to have a business mindset in a project; making sure they are providing value to the project team, and walking the security journey with the team, while protecting the business from security threats vis a vis being an impediment to the project.

A word of advice. Kind of common sense. Pick your battles, you do not want to be a constant aggitator, you may be the best but if you cause too much grief for the team that is not good for you. Eventually you will be in a vulnerable position and it may come back to haunt you. Keep your manager informed, don't let your manager be side swiped by a mis-step or mistake. A good manager, in my opinion acts as a shield. Things happen, be honest and forthright, but how can he/she shield you if he is not aware of a situation. This ebb and flow with a manager will provide time to propose a mutually benificial solution to all parties involved.

Collaboration and teamwork skills are essential for cybersecurity professionals. A great cybersecurity professional should excel in working effectively with others and leveraging their collective strengths. This involves communicating, coordinating, and cooperating with colleagues, partners, or vendors across different functions, domains, or locations. Furthermore, they should contribute to fostering a positive and supportive team culture, where knowledge, feedback, and recognition are shared. To assess their collaboration and teamwork skills, you can ask them to describe their experience and role in working on security projects or tasks with others. Observing their behavior and attitude in interacting with team members.

You need to trust who is on your team when it comes to any security (Physical or Cyber). Many of these people have visibility into things within your environment that you do not want others to know. Any conduct that looks bad on them or the team will severely hamper your ability to move forward as a team.

Professionalism in cyber security is important to keep security accessible in an organization. Sometimes difficult decisions need to be made such as declining a third party application or making a push to mitigate a security risk that may require several people to reprioritize their work streams to address the issue. Always speak clearly to the issue and be open to questions and suggestions from non security personnel to understand the impact of decisions you and your team may make.

High ethical and professional standards are foundational to the role of a cybersecurity professional. The nature of the work involves dealing with sensitive information and making decisions that can have significant impacts on individuals and organizations. Trust is a cornerstone of cybersecurity. Clients, employers, and stakeholders must have confidence that cybersecurity professionals will handle their information with integrity. Cybersecurity professionals often have access to sensitive data. Moreover, Ethical conduct ensures compliance with legal requirements, protecting both individuals and organizations from legal consequences. This integrity is crucial when assessing and addressing security vulnerabilities, incidents, and risks.

To make the world a cyber-safe place, I think cybersecurity professionals have the responsibility to hold themselves up to a high standard of ethical and professional conduct. This not only prevents miscreants from exploiting businesses but also sets a pace for new entrants in the industry. This in turn gives a level of confidence to the employer and the society at large.

Discipline plays a great role for a cybersecurity professional to showcase one's ability to be consistent and dependable in whatever engagements he/she has involved into. A cybersecurity professional who has got discipline as his/her core values will be a regular learner and constantly invest in self development, which results in high performance in constant. Moreover, someone disciplined in this field will pave the way to easily get or develop other skills required including technical, analytics, problem solving skills, etc.

Catch-22, how do I pick up skills and experience in Cyber Security if nobody will hire me. We leaders need to look to those that are just starting their careers to hire and train them up in the skills we need, if we do not, there will be no one with the skill sets and experience we are looking for. Find those individuals that are self-learners, hungry for the knowledge, that have taken the personal time to follow a new career path. Mentor these individuals into the best cyber security team members you could possibly want. Some day we will want to retire, and these are the individual we will want protecting our networks and data.

Aside from the items listed above, it's worth considering that: 1. A skilled cybersecurity professional can tailor cybersecurity measures to any organization, regardless of the industry. This means they can align cybersecurity with business objectives, prioritize risks, and develop effective strategies. 2. A competent cybersecurity expert should have a solid understanding of all major domains such as Data, Network & Infrastructure, Identity, and Cloud, and also possess knowledge of application-level security. 3. Besides, they should stay up-to-date with the latest security trends on a regular basis, such as security for AI and GenAI.

An individual with the presence to be a change agent and transformational leader. Cybersecurity involves communicating effectively with many business units to foster organizational change.

Industry-specific knowledge and their respective regulatory requirements are also important for a CyberSecurity Professional.

I would expect a cyber security expert to - know the technology and use cases of what he or she wants to secure - understand what the risks of the technology and its use cases are - be mindful of the financial boundary conditions of who he or she secure - understand that both security technology and security processes need to be implemented and know about the same