Computer security specialist vs senior security analyst

The differences between computer security specialists and senior security analysts can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a computer security specialist and a senior security analyst. Additionally, a senior security analyst has an average salary of $103,571, which is higher than the $100,909 average annual salary of a computer security specialist.

The top three skills for a computer security specialist include ACAS, FISMA and DOD. The most important skills for a senior security analyst are NIST, incident response, and cloud security.

Computer security specialist vs senior security analyst overview

	Computer Security Specialist	Senior Security Analyst
Yearly salary	$100,909	$103,571
Hourly rate	$48.51	$49.79
Growth rate	32%	32%
Number of jobs	70,181	61,108
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	6	6

Computer security specialist vs senior security analyst salary

Computer security specialists and senior security analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Computer Security Specialist	Senior Security Analyst
Average salary	$100,909	$103,571
Salary range	Between $72,000 And $141,000	Between $79,000 And $135,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Washington	California
Best paying company	Microsoft	Coinbase
Best paying industry	Professional	Government

Differences between computer security specialist and senior security analyst education

There are a few differences between a computer security specialist and a senior security analyst in terms of educational background:

	Computer Security Specialist	Senior Security Analyst
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Most common major	Computer Science	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	Stanford University

Computer security specialist vs senior security analyst demographics

Here are the differences between computer security specialists' and senior security analysts' demographics:

	Computer Security Specialist	Senior Security Analyst
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 75.7% Female, 24.3%	Male, 76.5% Female, 23.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.0% Asian, 9.6% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.0% Asian, 9.6% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between computer security specialist and senior security analyst duties and responsibilities

Computer security specialist example responsibilities.

Review and manage the security and information assurance capabilities of database applications, database structure and architecture.
Perform monthly IA evaluation of systems per DISA STIG guidance using approve DoD & DISA tools.
Conduct audits, analyze system security incidents, and recommend remediation efforts to meet DoD standards.
Evaluate, implement, and maintain encryption standards.
Perform data encryption testing for a proprietary encryption key that encrypt data at rest on platforms.
Perform Nessus vulnerability scans of critical enterprise servers and devices; report results to management.

Senior security analyst example responsibilities.

Supervise and manage information security assets associate with DISA STIGS and HBSS.
Utilize Unix utilities and management packages to analyze and manage traffic flow in the corporate backbone.
Manage GLBA security awareness and training program and annual information security awareness activities.
Introduce dashboards to identify preemptive attacks on corporate perimeter using intrusion detection and web application firewall technologies.
Evaluate DoD security tools; determine compatibility issues with existing network configuration/infrastructure, and present conclusions to management.
Contribute in defining time tables and SIEM project plans.

Computer security specialist vs senior security analyst skills

Common computer security specialist skills

ACAS, 13%
FISMA, 11%
DOD, 10%
Security Policies, 10%
Linux, 7%
Incident Response, 7%

Common senior security analyst skills

NIST, 7%
Incident Response, 5%
Cloud Security, 4%
Encryption, 4%
Firewall, 4%
Switches, 4%

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Computer Security Specialist vs Senior Security Analyst

Updated January 8, 2025

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