Information security engineer vs cyber security engineer

The differences between information security engineers and cyber 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 an information security engineer and a cyber security engineer. Additionally, a cyber security engineer has an average salary of $99,492, which is higher than the $97,288 average annual salary of an information security engineer.

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

Information security engineer vs cyber security engineer overview

	Information Security Engineer	Cyber Security Engineer
Yearly salary	$97,288	$99,492
Hourly rate	$46.77	$47.83
Growth rate	32%	32%
Number of jobs	120,257	73,419
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 67%	Bachelor's Degree, 60%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	6	6

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.

What does a cyber security engineer do?

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.

Information security engineer vs cyber security engineer salary

Information security engineers and cyber security engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Information Security Engineer	Cyber Security Engineer
Average salary	$97,288	$99,492
Salary range	Between $73,000 And $129,000	Between $75,000 And $131,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	The Citadel	Dotdash
Best paying industry	Technology	Technology

Differences between information security engineer and cyber security engineer education

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

	Information Security Engineer	Cyber Security Engineer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 67%	Bachelor's Degree, 60%
Most common major	Computer Science	Computer Science
Most common college	Massachusetts Institute of Technology	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Information security engineer vs cyber security engineer demographics

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

	Information Security Engineer	Cyber Security Engineer
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 88.3% Female, 11.7%	Male, 83.8% Female, 16.2%
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 information security engineer and cyber security engineer duties and responsibilities

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 engineer example responsibilities.

Facilitate and manage weekly meetings between CyberCom, DISA and all OSD components.
Manage security patching life cycle and approve change control requests, firewall rules and DLP policies.
Manage, configure, and maintain all servers within the environments, including Cisco network routers, switches, and firewalls.
Lead security authorization efforts to obtain and maintain an authorization to operate (ATO) for customers' core financial system.
Manage efforts to consolidate customer VPN infrastructure.
Lead numerous DLP upgrades and process improvements and successfully implement application security program.

Information security engineer vs cyber security engineer skills

Common information security engineer skills

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

Common cyber security engineer skills

Cyber Security, 17%
Python, 5%
Linux, 4%
Architecture, 4%
NIST, 4%
Incident Response, 4%

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Information Security Engineer
Information Security Engineer vs Cyber Security Engineer

Updated January 8, 2025

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