Cyber security specialist vs cyber security analyst

The differences between cyber security specialists and cyber 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 cyber security specialist and a cyber security analyst. Additionally, a cyber security specialist has an average salary of $93,395, which is higher than the $88,422 average annual salary of a cyber security analyst.

The top three skills for a cyber security specialist include cyber security, incident response and NIST. The most important skills for a cyber security analyst are incident response, windows, and SIEM.

Cyber security specialist vs cyber security analyst overview

	Cyber Security Specialist	Cyber Security Analyst
Yearly salary	$93,395	$88,422
Hourly rate	$44.90	$42.51
Growth rate	32%	32%
Number of jobs	65,235	64,387
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	6	6

What does a cyber security specialist do?

Cybersecurity Specialists are information technology (IT) professionals who safeguard and protect the company's networks. They ensure that the network infrastructure is secure at all times. They do routine checks to see whether the infrastructure is vulnerable to attacks. Cybersecurity Specialists monitor and respond to security concerns. They launch programs or software to mitigate any attacks that the company's infrastructure may receive. They also look for ways to minimize the network infrastructure's vulnerability to risks, threats, and attacks.

What does a cyber security analyst do?

A cybersecurity analyst is responsible for planning and carrying out security measures to protect a company's computer networks and systems. They constantly keep tabs on threats and monitor their organization's networks for any security breaches. Their tasks involve installing computer programs or software and encryption, reporting breaches or weak spots, exploring new IT trends, educating the company's information security team on security. They also do simulate security attacks to find possible network and system vulnerabilities.

Cyber security specialist vs cyber security analyst salary

Cyber security specialists and cyber security analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Cyber Security Specialist	Cyber Security Analyst
Average salary	$93,395	$88,422
Salary range	Between $69,000 And $125,000	Between $66,000 And $117,000
Highest paying City	Bellevue, WA	Los Angeles, CA
Highest paying state	Washington	Oregon
Best paying company	BP America Inc	Neighborly
Best paying industry	Technology	Automotive

Differences between cyber security specialist and cyber security analyst education

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

	Cyber Security Specialist	Cyber Security Analyst
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Most common major	Computer Science	Computer Information Systems
Most common college	North Carolina State University	California State University - Bakersfield

Cyber security specialist vs cyber security analyst demographics

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

	Cyber Security Specialist	Cyber Security Analyst
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 83.2% Female, 16.8%	Male, 78.5% Female, 21.5%
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 cyber security specialist and cyber security analyst duties and responsibilities

Cyber security specialist example responsibilities.

Manage and monitor enterprise antivirus and software firewall programs.
Implement a manage endpoint encryption solution utilizing TrendMicro MobileArmor to secure university workstations against sensitive data loss.
Scan network infrastructure for insecurities and vulnerabilities using programs such as ACAS and HBSS.
Work on implementing DISA STIGS.
Assist in using Nessus to scan local machines.
Upload audit files to ACAS in preparation for STIG scans.

Cyber security analyst example responsibilities.

Ensure all requirements are met to successfully achieve an ATO before release.
Leverage this same site-to-site VPN technology to automate and secure transactions between FMC and its business partners.
Lead technical implementation through multiple projects to reduce the cardholder data environment and ultimately reduce the scope of PCI relate environments.
Log analysis & managing the accuracy of DLP identification to lowering/avoiding false positives and negatives.
Review and manage the security and information assurance capabilities of database applications, database structure and architecture.
Implement a manage endpoint encryption solution utilizing TrendMicro MobileArmor to secure university workstations against sensitive data loss.

Cyber security specialist vs cyber security analyst skills

Common cyber security specialist skills

Cyber Security, 17%
Incident Response, 6%
NIST, 5%
Security Operations, 4%
Forensics, 4%
DOD, 3%

Common cyber security analyst skills

Incident Response, 8%
Windows, 6%
SIEM, 5%
DOD, 5%
Linux, 4%
Security Events, 4%

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Cyber Security Specialist vs Cyber Security Analyst

Updated January 8, 2025

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