What cyber skills are needed at each career level?
By: Nigel Evans, Edited by: Alec Surmani
Published: May 9, 2025
Cybersecurity is a critical requirement for most organizations, and there's plenty of demand for professionals at every career level. If you're considering a career in cybersecurity, find out what skills you'll need at entry-, mid-, and senior-level positions.
Cyber skills for cybersecurity experts
In cybersecurity, skill proficiency is paramount. However, this is a dynamic industry, and the path to developing skills is not necessarily linear. In fact, you'll find different demands at each career level, based on a mix of ongoing education, technical expertise, adaptive thinking, and experience.
At the entry level, you may need to focus on foundational skills, while higher positions call for leadership capabilities or deeper expertise. So, if you're considering a cybersecurity role, it pays to have a good idea of what may be required, so you can develop those skills along the way.
Helpful cyber skills for entry-level roles
Be sure to build a strong foundation in cybersecurity basics before pursuing an entry-level role.
| Skill | Description |
|---|---|
| CIA | Make sure you grasp crucial concepts like the CIA triad, which stands for "confidentiality, integrity, and availability" and relates to who can access data, whether the data is trustworthy and accurate, and if it's accessible to the correct people. In short, CIA often forms the basis of a company's security strategy. |
| Threat knowledge | Next, focus on the top five cybersecurity threats today, including phishing, malware, and ransomware. Make sure you understand how the cyber attackers exploit vulnerable systems, so you can be ready to defend against them. |
| Risk management | At its core, cybersecurity is all about risk management. Risks will always be there, and you'll need to learn how to best deal with them. So, explore risk management courses that'll help you assess an organization's unique position and build protection. Are the company's existing systems sufficient, or could you add additional protection? |
| Regulatory understanding | At the same time, brush up on current laws and regulations relevant to your chosen industry. You'll be able to advise clients if they're not handling their data correctly and avoid penalties or other legal action. |
Preferred cyber skills for mid-level roles
When you've got a solid understanding of the industry, you may want to apply for a mid-level role. Make sure that you can conduct threats and vulnerability assessments, design a basic network security system, and know what to do in response to an incident.
| Skill | Description |
|---|---|
| Operating system assessment | Learn about operating systems in great depth, including the various cybersecurity protocols, protection levels, and commands. There are many operating systems, like Linux, macOS, or Windows, and each presents its own challenges to the cybersecurity specialist. |
| Penetration testing | Next, learn how to run penetration tests that simulate an attack on a network or system. You'll do this in a strictly controlled environment, but the aim is to uncover any weaknesses that a hacker could potentially exploit. Take time to learn all about penetration testing, including its methodologies, tools, and techniques. |
| Cryptography | Encrypted data is much safer and less likely to be intercepted or accessed by bad actors. Learn about ciphertexts and other cryptography methods to boost your skill set. |
| Access management | In a client-facing role, others may call upon you to advise an end-user about data or system access. There are many access management tools, including multifactor authentication or role-based access control. |
Required cyber skills for senior-level roles
At an advanced level, you will already have significant technical ability, and you've likely been working in the industry for some time. You've mastered the skills of a mid-level employee and are now ready for a leadership or consulting role.
| Skill | Description |
|---|---|
| Policy and decision-making | You may need to advise other business executives about policy decisions. The role may involve helping them develop more wide-ranging organizational security methods or implement complex architectures. A solid understanding of the company's current system and existing procedures is essential. |
| Leadership | You also need to be an effective leader, as you're ultimately responsible for the members of the security team beneath you. You'll need to be able to delegate, coach, and make changes if necessary, and in short, you must be an excellent communicator and manager. |
| Certification | To set yourself apart from other cyber professionals at your level, think about getting some additional credentials. For example, you could become a certified chief information security officer to bolster your appeal. |
Key cyber skills for every career level
The best cybersecurity professionals share some common skills across all career levels. You likely need to be very good at problem-solving, to navigate and resolve the most complex of issues. You will also need to be an avid learner, as these threats are ever evolving, and your cybersecurity skills will need to keep pace.
This is certainly a place for teamwork, so be good at collaboration. You must be able to work effectively with other members of the team, managers, and stakeholders from outside the organization.
Get started in cybersecurity on edX
Are you ready to delve deeper into the ever-expanding world of cybersecurity? Then check out edX's courses and degree programs in cybersecurity and get started today.