Cyber security specialist vs information security engineer

The differences between cyber security specialists and information 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 specialist and an information security engineer. Additionally, an information security engineer has an average salary of $97,288, which is higher than the $93,395 average annual salary of a cyber security specialist.

The top three skills for a cyber security specialist include cyber security, incident response and NIST. The most important skills for an information security engineer are infrastructure, incident response, and security tools.

Cyber security specialist vs information security engineer overview

	Cyber Security Specialist	Information Security Engineer
Yearly salary	$93,395	$97,288
Hourly rate	$44.90	$46.77
Growth rate	32%	32%
Number of jobs	65,235	120,257
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 67%
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 an information security engineer do?

An information security engineer specializes in designing and developing systems to protect company and customer data from hackers or any cyber attacks. Their responsibilities revolve around coordinating with different departments to identify their needs, assess existing programs to identify any areas needing improvement, monitor network and system for any problems, and implement preventive measures for protection. Should there be any breaches, it is essential to resolve them right away and conduct an investigation to prevent it from happening again. Furthermore, it is necessary to assist employees in utilizing security systems to ensure smooth workflow.

Cyber security specialist vs information security engineer salary

Cyber security specialists and information security engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Cyber Security Specialist	Information Security Engineer
Average salary	$93,395	$97,288
Salary range	Between $69,000 And $125,000	Between $73,000 And $129,000
Highest paying City	Bellevue, WA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Washington	California
Best paying company	BP America Inc	The Citadel
Best paying industry	Technology	Technology

Differences between cyber security specialist and information security engineer education

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

	Cyber Security Specialist	Information Security Engineer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Most common major	Computer Science	Computer Science
Most common college	North Carolina State University	Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cyber security specialist vs information security engineer demographics

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

	Cyber Security Specialist	Information Security Engineer
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 83.2% Female, 16.8%	Male, 88.3% Female, 11.7%
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 information security engineer 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.

Information security engineer example responsibilities.

Lead the certification and accreditation efforts by implementing NIST 800-53 security controls in order to obtain FISMA compliance.
Implement a manage endpoint encryption solution utilizing TrendMicro MobileArmor to secure university workstations against sensitive data loss.
Ensure that security policies are properly implement using NIST guidelines and perform auditing of logs.
Conduct Java algorithm design reviews and resolve any design issues.
Automate manual queries and integration using WhiteHat API's with PERL and Java.
Update ACAS plugins weekly or when updates become available on the DISA provide website.

Cyber security specialist vs information security engineer skills

Common cyber security specialist skills

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

Common information security engineer skills

Infrastructure, 7%
Incident Response, 6%
Security Tools, 5%
Network Security, 4%
SIEM, 4%
NIST, 4%

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Cyber Security Specialist vs Information Security Engineer

Updated January 8, 2025

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