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The differences between cyber security engineers and security engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a cyber security engineer and a security engineer. Additionally, a security engineer has an average salary of $104,524, which is higher than the $99,492 average annual salary of a cyber security engineer.
The top three skills for a cyber security engineer include cyber security, python and linux. The most important skills for a security engineer are java, cloud security, and infrastructure.
| Cyber Security Engineer | Security Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $99,492 | $104,524 |
| Hourly rate | $47.83 | $50.25 |
| Growth rate | 32% | 32% |
| Number of jobs | 73,419 | 86,093 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A cyber security engineer specializes in designing and establishing security measures to protect a company's network and data from hackers or cyber attacks. Their responsibilities primarily revolve around planning and implementing cyber security systems, responding to any problems or concerns, handling security breaches and emergencies, and troubleshooting to identify any issues or vulnerabilities. Moreover, a cyber security engineer may perform clerical tasks such as producing progress reports and documentation, creating instructional materials for systems, managing schedules, and coordinating with department managers, all while adhering to the company's policies and regulations.
Security engineers are responsible for developing and overseeing data and security software to help prevent data breaches, leaks, and taps related to cybercrime. Other duties and responsibilities include developing new systems to help protect computer networks and assets, configuring firewalls, and conducting penetration testing to pinpoint vulnerabilities. Additionally, security engineers are responsible for investigating attacks and help prevent cybersecurity threat. They are also responsible for creating new processes for authorization, encryption algorithms, and authentication, and analyzing current security policies.
Cyber security engineers and security engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Cyber Security Engineer | Security Engineer | |
| Average salary | $99,492 | $104,524 |
| Salary range | Between $75,000 And $131,000 | Between $77,000 And $141,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Dotdash | ICE Mortgage Technology |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a cyber security engineer and a security engineer in terms of educational background:
| Cyber Security Engineer | Security Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between cyber security engineers' and security engineers' demographics:
| Cyber Security Engineer | Security Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 83.8% Female, 16.2% | Male, 86.4% Female, 13.6% |
| 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% |