Why it’s on our record: The certification is explicitly designed for the “early profession” expertise stage and is a vendor-neutral various to the CCNA.
CompTIA Safety+
The CompTIA Safety+ certification teaches threat evaluation and automation throughout 5 domains: security ideas, operations, structure, program administration, and threats, vulnerabilities, and mitigations. Quite a few enterprises have contributed to the event of Safety+, together with Microsoft, Deloitte, and Zoom. The Safety+ cert opens up various alternatives, together with community security analyst, penetration tester, and security architect. The 90-minute examination consists of a most of 90 multiple-choice and performance-based questions; candidates should rating 750 on a scale of 900. Certificates holders should renew the cert by taking 50 CEU by way of CompTIA’s Persevering with Training program inside three years. Word: CompTIA will probably retire the examination by 2026.
Coaching and examination charges: US$404, examination; US$581, examination, retake, research information; $US1,111, examination, retake, research information, hands-on lab coaching, examination prep, e-learning
Why it’s on our record: The CompTIA Safety+ is unanimous alternative throughout comparable lists. This system particularly teaches early profession abilities and is probably the most extensively adopted ISO/ANSI-accredited early profession cert. CompTIA additionally paperwork quite a few case research {of professional} growth enabled by way of the cert. CompTIA can also be probably the most ceaselessly talked about certifying group on comparable lists, and its superior certs, reminiscent of CompTIA Superior Safety Practitioner (CASP), include a median pay premium of 10%.
GIAC Safety Necessities (GSEC)
The GIAC Safety Necessities certification provides a curriculum similar to CompTIA Safety+. Subjects coated embrace all the things from cryptography and the cloud to incident dealing with and endpoint security. GSEC is fitted to security directors, forensic analysts, and penetration testers who’ve an IT background however must validate their data as a practitioner. Candidates should rating 73% or extra on the four-hour, 106-question examination, which may be administered with a proctor on-line or onsite. Professionals should take the 36 persevering with skilled training credit inside 4 years to resume GSEC, a typical constant for all GIAC certs.
Coaching charges: On-demand and in-person choices priced at native charges
Examination charges: US$999; retakes, US$899
Why it’s on our record: The GIAC Safety Necessities provides foundational cybersecurity data perfect for “new InfoSec professionals.” GSEC can also be a part of the profitable GIAC certification ecosystem: The common pay premium for GIAC Community Forensic Analyst (GNFA) and GIAC Cloud Safety Automation is 10%, whereas GIAC Safety Management stands at 15%.
Microsoft Licensed: Safety, Compliance, and Id Fundamentals
Microsoft Licensed: Safety, Compliance, and Id Fundamentals focuses on the fundamentals of security, compliance, and identification. The seller-specific cert gives instruction by way of Microsoft Azure, Entra, Preview, and Purview. The 45-minute proctored examination might encompass 40 to 60 questions throughout a number of alternative, drag and drop, record constructing, and extra. Candidates should wait 24 hours for a retake after which two weeks for all subsequent retakes. Certification holders might show their certificates on LinkedIn and a customized URL by way of their certification dashboard.
Coaching charges: Candidates can take the course on-demand and entry a research information without spending a dime. Alternatively, they’ll use a third-party coaching supplier that teaches the fabric on-line or onsite at native market charges.
Examination price: Varies by nation (US$99 for US)
Why it’s on our record: Whereas Microsoft provides quite a few certifications regarding cybersecurity, Microsoft Licensed: Safety, Compliance, and Id Fundamentals is one explicitly geared toward rookies, together with college students, new IT execs, and enterprise stakeholders. The curriculum aligns strongly with the governance, threat administration, and compliance most popular by 24% of hiring managers, in keeping with ISC2.
Offensive Safety Licensed Skilled (OSCP)
To earn the Offsec Licensed Skilled certification, candidates should full the affiliated course, PEN-200: Penetration Testing with Kali Linux, and go the following examination. The course covers 10 modules, together with info gathering, vulnerability scanning, client-side assaults, and fixing exploits. Certificates holders can have proven mastery of penetration testing methodologies perfect for brand spanking new roles, reminiscent of an moral hacker, incident responder, or risk hunter. The OSCP+ examination is solely hands-on, and test-takers should compromise techniques inside a lab surroundings.
OffSec doesn’t implement any stipulations however recommends candidates be acquainted with TCP/IP networking, scripting in Bash and Python, and Linux and Home windows, which they’ll be taught by way of its Community Penetration Testing Necessities Studying Path.
Coaching and lab charges: OffSec bundles the course and examination for US$1649 and as a one-year subscription that additionally features a lab surroundings for US$2079 yearly.
Why it’s on our record: OffSec is among the many most respected certifying our bodies for offensive security. The common pay premium for Offensive Safety Licensed Professional (OSCE) is 10%, and for Offensive Safety Exploitation Professional (OSEE) is 11%.
Programs Safety Licensed Practitioner (SSCP)
The ISC(2) SSCP certification covers seven domains: security ideas, entry management, incident response, cryptography, community security, techniques and software security, and threat identification, monitoring, and evaluation. It’s perfect for numerous professionals, together with security analysts, techniques engineers, community analysts, database directors, and security consultants. The three-hour examination consists of 125 multiple-choice questions; candidates should earn 700 out of 1,000 factors to go and endure a course of validating their skilled expertise. Those that earn the SSCP should abide by ISC(2)’s code of ethics and pay an annual upkeep price that helps the group and its initiatives, together with its members-only community of cybersecurity execs.
To qualify, the SSCP requires one yr of expertise. These with out the expertise requirement can bypass it with a related undergraduate or graduate diploma in laptop science or a associated topic.
Coaching charges: SSCP has quite a few free assets, together with an examination define, flashcards, a observe quiz, and a research app, together with paid choices, reminiscent of on-demand coaching for US$90 for 90-day entry.
Examination price: Varies by market (US$249 for North and South America)
Why it’s on our record: This system aligns with two prime in-demand abilities famous within the ISC2 Cybersecurity Workforce Research: software security and threat evaluation, evaluation, and administration.
