The global cyber security market is expected to reach $214.9 billion in 2024. The Indian cyber security market was $6.06 billion in 2023. A large products and services market creates a correspondingly large market for talent to power this industry. The supply of qualified cyber security professionals, however, hasn’t caught up with demand: the cyber security talent shortage worldwide has reached 4 million people, and is 790,000 in India.

Such a talent deficit indicates exciting and rewarding opportunities are available for cyber security professionals, but career planning requires understanding what roles exist in the industry and knowing where good opportunities are available.

Top 10 Roles/Jobs in Cyber Security

There are a wide variety of roles in the cyber security industry – so wide that a map of roles has been created. Studying the map will give you a bird’s-eye view of the industry and is useful for those exploring domains within the industry, but those interested in specific functions can examine our list of top 10 roles (in alphabetical order) in cyber security:  

1. Application Security Engineer

An Application Security Engineer verifies that software can repulse cyber attacks. The Application Security Engineer requires coding knowledge and works with development teams to ensure that security is part of the DNA of the software that is being developed, rather than a layer that is added after the software is developed.

2. CIO/CISO

The Chief Information Officer/Chief Information Security Officer is responsible for defining organisational strategies that create and secure the information infrastructure of the enterprise with the goal of maximising stakeholder value. Their responsibilities include defining best practices for information handling by the IT team as well as the larger organisation, ensuring regulatory compliance and maximising return on IT investment.

3. Cyber Security Analyst

A Cyber Security Analyst examines an organisation’s security logs and other records to proactively identify and mitigate cyber threats. Such an analyst requires a sound understanding of malware, the Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTPs) used by threat actors, and the way information is generated, stored, and transmitted by the enterprise.

4. Cyber Security Manager

The Cyber Security Manager is responsible for managing the organisation’s cyber security based on the strategic security objectives defined by the organisation. The role includes communicating with other stakeholders, enforcing the enterprise’s security standards, ensuring regulatory compliance, staffing the IT team with qualified cyber security personnel, and maintaining cyber security expenditure within the organisation’s budget.

5. Information Security Analyst

An Information Security Analyst examines cyber security both within and outside the organisation, anticipates cyber attacks, verifies if the organisation’s cyber defence infrastructure is capable of stopping cyber attacks, and recommends and implements cyber risk mitigation measures. The Information Security Analyst should be able to simultaneously managed both functional and strategic responsibilities.

6. Malware Analyst

A Malware Analyst reverse engineers malware samples to understand how the malware works and to develop cyber defences. A Malware Analyst has deep technical expertise in operating systems, static and dynamic analysis of malware, and obfuscation techniques used by threat actors.

7. Network Security Engineer

A Network Security Engineer ensures that the enterprise network is stable, efficient, and secure. The Network Security Engineer should be able to design and audit networks to maximise availability, prevent network intrusions, and maintain the integrity of information transmitted through the network.

8. Penetration Tester

A Penetration Tester simulates attacks on enterprise IT assets using white hat hacking techniques to verify if the organisation’s cyber defences are effective against real-world cyber threats. A Penetration Tester requires extensive knowledge of multiple operating systems, pentesting tools, and hacking techniques; they should also be able to gather evidence and write reports that enumerate their findings.

9. Security Architect

A Security Architect analyses the enterprise’s strategic objectives and compliance requirements, understands the current and future IT infrastructure requirements, and designs and deploys security architecture to safeguard the organisation’s information assets while enabling growth and productivity.

10. Security Consultant

A Security Consultant evaluates the organisation’s IT ecosystem and advises the organisation on the cyber security strategy, standards, technologies, and policies that must be implemented to secure enterprise information infrastructure. A Security Consultant may function as an independent contractor who works with multiple organisations on specific projects.

Top 10 Cities for Jobs in Cyber Security

Cyber attacks are an international problem and, therefore, opportunities exist worldwide but these opportunities are not equally distributed across all locations. Greater opportunities tend to be available in some cities that have a well-established technology industry or are critical hubs for international commerce.

A discussion on the 15 Best Cities for Cyber Security Jobs is available. We list the top 10 cities to provide a snapshot of the international careers that may be accessed by a cyber security professional:

10. Dubai, United Arab Emirates
11. Amsterdam, Netherlands
12. Berlin, Germany
13. Sydney, Australia
14. Toronto, Canada
15. Zurich, Switzerland
16. London, United Kingdom
17. San Francisco, United States of America
18. Seattle, United States of America
19. New York, United States of America

Salaries for cyber security professionals can vary across these cities from an average of $119,685 for a cyber security specialist in Amsterdam to a median pay of $130,000 in Seattle.

The cyber security industry offers challenging and remunerative careers for professionals that have the knowledge and experience to counter escalating cyber attacks. K7 Academy provides cyber security training with 75% hands-on learning, enabling aspiring cyber security specialists to analyse malware in a real-world threat lab environment and gain job-aligned certifications. Contact Us for more information on how we can help you begin or progress in your cyber security career.

Why should you consider a career in cybersecurity? Other than the satisfaction of keeping the world safe from digital destruction, cybersecurity is a field where opportunities are increasing quicker than the availability of skilled professionals, and businesses are concerned that the shortage of talent is making it difficult to secure their operations. Recent news about cybersecurity jobs include

• 92% of surveyed organisations believe that demand for technical cybersecurity individual contributors will increase next year
• Entry-level positions have salaries in the Rs. 3-6 lakh range, and senior professionals can earn Rs. 50-80 lakhs

The increase in demand for cybersecurity talent is driven both by the relentless increase in cyberattacks and cybersecurity mandates from regulatory bodies, such as the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) requiring Stock Exchanges, Clearing Corporations, and Depositories to conduct regular vulnerability scanning.

We have seen why you should build a career in cybersecurity. Now let us examine how.

How You Can Enter the Cybersecurity Industry

Cybersecurity is a field that involves specific skills, and therefore requires specialised education and training. Entering this industry, and building a career, will be easier if you first research and plan, and then execute your plan.

Understand All the Opportunities Available

Cybersecurity is not a single skill or qualification. You may make your career in Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing (VAPT), or you may prefer malware analysis, or choose any other domain within cybersecurity. To choose your path, you will first need to map the opportunities available – or at least study the map, as  it has already been created. This map proves that cybersecurity is a vast world with a wide variety of opportunities that keep expanding. Research the industry and understand its various domains and roles; you will be able to find your niche no matter where your interests lie, due to the diversity of available opportunities.

Develop Foundational Skills

Cybersecurity revolves around computing technology and you will need a sound understanding of the digital technology ecosystem. Being good at mathematics and programming will help you advance in this field, and you will also need to be familiar with the components of digital technology infrastructure, such as networking, operating systems, and data storage, as these areas are attacked by threat actors and you will need to understand this infrastructure to defend this infrastructure.

Develop Cybersecurity Skills

We have already mentioned that cybersecurity requires specialised education and training. It follows that such training can only be obtained from specialised training centres. Universities and other centres of learning provide courses in cybersecurity. When choosing an institution, look for training centres that are affiliated with cybersecurity organisations and can provide hands-on experience with the cybersecurity tools that you will be expected to use in your cybersecurity career. Being able to work with malware samples will also give you vital experience in isolating, handling, and analysing malware, which are skills you will need when you defend organisations against cyberattacks. An institution that also performs malware research is preferred as you will be exposed to the latest malware and the Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTPs) used by cyberattackers.

K7 Academy provides industry-aligned cybersecurity training with malware research and hands-on exposure to industry tools.

Familiarise Yourself with Standards and Regulations

Cybersecurity is not just a technical field – it is also an essential part of compliance. The organisation that you wish to join may need to comply with GDPR, HIPAA, or PCI-DSS, or may choose to implement the NIST Cybersecurity Framework or adhere to ISO 27001. Familiarising yourself with common cybersecurity standards and regulations will make you a better fit for the requirements of potential employers.

Gain Real-world Expertise

There is nothing like rolling up your sleeves and working on stopping an actual cyberattack to teach you the nuances of creating effective cyber defences – and employers know this, which is why they look for experienced candidates. On-the-job experience can be acquired through internships where you can develop the real-world skills required to counter cyberattacks on a daily basis. Look for cybersecurity courses, such as the courses from K7 Academy, that offer such internships.

Follow Cybersecurity News

Having up-to-date knowledge is essential for career growth, and is particularly important in cybersecurity where cyberthreats, cyber defences, and regulations are constantly evolving. Following cybersecurity news is an easy way to be familiar with the latest ways in which threat actors compromise organisations and the measures that are developed to counter them.

Develop Problem Solving Skills

A cyberattack is a problem that a cybersecurity professional is expected to solve and therefore problem solving skills are highly valued in this industry. The ability to analyse situations, harness critical thinking to identify weaknesses in technology ecosystems, and employ logic when faced with a cybersecurity incident can be developed through practise. Cyber defence is a form of detective work, and you must learn to think like a detective.

Develop Communication Skills

When all functions in an enterprise become digitally enabled, the entire enterprise becomes vulnerable to cyberattacks and cybersecurity professionals will need to interact with stakeholders at various seniority levels across all departments. The ability to communicate effectively, in speech and in writing, and the ability to receive communication well, by listening and reading attentively, will help you be, and be perceived as being, a highly capable cyber defender.

K7 Academy helps aspiring cybersecurity professionals gain job-aligned certifications with hands-on learning programmes that utilise real-world cyberthreats. Contact Us to learn more about how you can access satisfying and rewarding careers in cybersecurity.

Two recent cybersecurity incidents illustrate how employees can be targeted by threat actors or how employee action can result in a data breach:

Two recent cybersecurity incidents illustrate how employees can be targeted by threat actors or how employee action can result in a data breach:

• Hackers accessed internal systems of a video game company after sending an SMS phishing text to an employee
•  A software company suffered a data breach after hackers obtained an employee’s credentials that were mistakenly posted in a public repository

Both these cyberattacks could have been avoided through greater security awareness which can be achieved through employee education. Before we explore cybersecurity education for employees in the enterprise, let us first understand how employee action can result in cyberattacks.

How Humans Can Cause Cyberattacks

An employee can cause a cyberattack through

1. Human Error – This could include sharing a password, leaving a laptop unlocked and unattended in a public place, or discussing problems faced in the IT infrastructure of the organisation in a technology forum in a way that allows the organisation to be identified
   • Human error also includes creating business processes without following cybersecurity best practices in process design
2. Falling for Phishing – Phishing is a form of social engineering where the victim is manipulated into performing an action that has an adverse impact on the organisation, such as transferring funds to the attacker or opening an email attachment laced with malware. 91% of all cyberattacks are estimated to being with a phishing email
3. Intentional Action – An employee may deliberately initiate or enable a cyberattack against their employer due to dissatisfaction or greed.

How Employee Education Can Prevent Such Attacks

Educating employees can help mitigate the human factor in cyberattacks. We will examine how education addresses each of the factors mentioned above.

Human Error

Many enterprises do try to create employee cybersecurity awareness by putting up posters that warn against sharing of passwords or by conducting a floor walkthrough at lunchtime to identify unlocked computers. Such measures have limited success as they do not make employees identify with the need for cybersecurity. Employee education that focuses on how enhanced cybersecurity benefits the employee as well as the organisation can help employees understand the importance of cybersecurity from a practical viewpoint and apply their training when completing their tasks.

Employee education does not imply a one-size-fits-all approach. Training programmes can be customised to suit the needs of teams e.g., the IT team will require training that emphasises the technical aspects of cybersecurity, such as identifying and closing gaps in cyber defences and investigating malware reports, to improve their ability to build and maintain effective cybersecurity; end users will not require such technical training and will be better served by education on cyber hygiene.

Employee education also enables decision makers to adopt a ‘shift-left’ approach and prioritise cybersecurity in their initiatives. This can range from choosing vendors who have a track record of providing frequent and timely security updates for their products, to incorporating cybersecurity in strategic planning.

Falling for Phishing

As explained previously, phishing is a form of social engineering. Phishing may be difficult to counter with technology solutions, such as endpoint protection, as it may not involve malware or malicious links, and may occur on an employee’s device through their personal use of web resources. For example, the attacker may approach a member of the IT team on LinkedIn posing as a recruiter; a job interview may be conducted with questions designed to gain information on the IT infrastructure of the target organisation and that information may be used to launch an attack.

Employee education that highlights the various phishing methods used by threat actors to gain the victim’s trust will help employees spot phishing attempts in their personal and professional lives. Employee education also helps decision makers realise that corporate culture can play a role in making phishing easier to accomplish, and change how the organisation functions. For example, a culture where the boss is obeyed without question enables phishing as the attacker can impersonate the boss via email and send a request for transfer of funds to the attacker’s bank account; organisations that are aware of this risk can change their culture and introduce a maker-checker system for all payments including payments requested by senior leadership.

Intentional Action

Intentional action by employees, also known as internal attacks, is the most difficult to defend against as the attacker is familiar with and has access to the organisation’s infrastructure. The attacker may even be a senior employee who enjoys elevated privileges that can be used to cause severe operational disruption.

Employee education may not stop a disgruntled employee from launching an attack, but can help other employees spot the impending attack and take preventive action e.g., an employee may become suspicious due to unusual activity from the attacker, such as requesting access to data unrelated to their responsibilities or attempting to enter restricted areas.

Employee education can also make management aware of the potential for intentional malicious action and change internal practices and processes to avoid concentration of power in the hands of a few by implementing a system of checks and balances, mandating the principle of least privilege at all levels of the hierarchy, and requiring elevated privileges to be removed as soon as the task for which they are required is completed.

Frequency of Employee Education

Employee education cannot be a one-time exercise as cyberattacks keep evolving and employees’ knowledge and awareness of cyberattack techniques will need to be refreshed. Formal training, in the form of a session conducted by knowledgeable cybersecurity practitioners, will need to be conducted at least once a year. Other forms of education, such as email advisories, can be utilised as dictated by the urgency of the threat.

K7 Academy delivers enterprise cybersecurity education for technical and non-technical audiences, backed by K7’s 30+ years of expertise in cybersecurity. Contact Us to learn more about our cybersecurity training programmes and how we can help your organisation counter the human factor in cyberattacks.

Cybersecurity careers appeal to college students due to the large number of opportunities available and the pride that comes with defending society against cyberattacks. There are a wide variety of roles available within the cybersecurity industry, such as Malware Analysis, Digital Forensics, Threat Response, etc. We will explore Penetration Testing and Red Teaming in this blog, and discuss career prospects in this field.

What Are Penetration Testing and Red Teaming?

Before we expand on careers in Penetration Testing and Red Teaming, let us first understand what they refer to:

Penetration Testing, which is more usually known as Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing (VAPT) is a process of analysing an organisation’s cybersecurity with the goal of identifying weaknesses in cyber defences. This process is similar to an audit, and a report is submitted to the organisation listing the weaknesses identified.

Vulnerability Assessment involves scanning the organisation’s computing assets to identify all potential vulnerabilities and assessing the associated risk. Vulnerabilities are contextual i.e., what may be a vulnerability in one organisation may not be a vulnerability in another, and therefore Vulnerability Assessment requires understanding the organisation and its business processes to discover vulnerabilities. A device that isn’t automatically installing available updates due to insufficient memory is an example of a vulnerability.

Penetration Testing involves ethical hacking to discover if, and to what extent, a vulnerability may be exploited by a threat actor and the impact if it is successfully exploited. A penetration test of the vulnerability example provided in the previous paragraph might attempt to plant malware in the unprotected machine and then move laterally through the organisation’s network until access to unencrypted Personally Identifiable Information (PII) of customers is obtained. Penetration testing is time- and resource-intensive and therefore all identified vulnerabilities will not undergo penetration testing.

Red Teaming simulates a real-world cyberattack and this exercise will usually include a Blue Team (the organisation’s IT team) which will try to counter the Red Team attack. Red Team exercises are performed to obtain a realistic picture of the organisation’s ability to defend against a determined and knowledgeable attacker.

Difference between VAPT and Red Teaming

Red Teaming will include VAPT but a Red Team exercise will usually have a wider scope than a VAPT assignment; internal teams will not be informed that a Red Team attack simulation will be conducted, and will have to respond believing the attack is real.

Why Opportunities are Growing in Ethical Hacking

The increase in digital transformation and remote working has created more opportunities for threat actors to attack organisations, and the costs and consequences of a cyberattack keep increasing, resulting in an expansion in demand for ethical hacking services, like Penetration Testing and Red Teaming, that can identify an organisation’s cyber weaknesses. Penetration Testing is also increasingly mandated for businesses e.g., the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) expects Mutual Funds and Asset Management Companies to perform VAPT once in a financial year (or twice a year if they are classified as a protected system) through an external agency and submit the report within a month.

The global Penetration Testing market is expected to increase from USD 1.4 billion in 2022 to USD 2.7 billion by 2027. This growth is likely to sustain beyond this period as well, as digital transformation is expected to accelerate (and not reduce) in future which will be accompanied by an increase in demand for cybersecurity professionals who have the knowledge and skills to provide effective ethical hacking services. College students who choose to specialise in cybersecurity can expect to enjoy a stable and rewarding career with many opportunities for long-term growth.

What Credentials are Required?

Organisations seeking to recruit ethical hacking experts with an emphasis on Penetration Testing and Red Teaming look for

1. Knowledge of IT infrastructure in an enterprise environment
2. Ethical hacking skills
3. Understanding of Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTPs) used by threat actors

Knowledge of IT Infrastructure in an Enterprise Environment

Ethical hackers need to understand the IT environment to successfully compromise an organisation, and should be familiar with types of hardware, software, middleware, servers, and other computing assets used in the enterprise.

Ethical Hacking Skills

Ethical hackers must have expert familiarity with hacking tools to be able to test an organisation’s defences against the cyber weapons that would be deployed against them by a cyberattacker.

Understanding of TTPs Used by Threat Actors

Penetration Testing and Red Teaming are expected to replicate cyberattacks. Ethical hackers will, therefore, need to have an in-depth understanding of the Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures used by threat actors to create simulations of real-world attacks.

How Can College Students Access Cybersecurity Careers?

K7 Academy offers cybersecurity courses for students and professionals that are designed to suit varying levels of skills and experience. College students who wish to gain the skills required to enter the cybersecurity field can Contact Us for more information on our cybersecurity courses that include hands-on learning with training from cybersecurity experts.

The employability of college students is a critical factor in how colleges are judged, and colleges strive to offer courses that match the requirements of the job market and arm their students with the skills that employers want. In this context, a report from Gartner that discusses human resources in cybersecurity provides interesting insight on the future of the cybersecurity job market: the report states that, by 2025, stress will cause nearly half of cybersecurity leaders to change jobs with 25% opting for different roles; and lack of talent or human failure will be responsible for over half of significant cyber incidents.

An analysis of the report’s findings reveals that a) recruiting cybersecurity talent can help prevent many cyberattacks, and b) cybersecurity practitioners will be able to access many opportunities to progress in their career as leaders choose to seek fresh challenges. Other studies, that project a shortfall in skilled cybersecurity candidates of 1.5 million in India and 3.5 million across the world by 2025, further indicate that students with job-ready cybersecurity skills will be highly employable and enjoy rewarding careers. Colleges that can develop such skills in students will, consequently, attract ambitious and highly capable students.

How Colleges Can Develop Cybersecurity Talent

Colleges cannot make students highly employable through a theoretical course on cybersecurity, as that is not what employers require. Job-ready attributes that will make students employable include

• Hands-on experience with the latest cybersecurity technologies and tools
• Exposure to real-world cyberattacks
• Extensive malware research capabilities
• Experience in a malware research lab
• Industry-recognised certification

Colleges and universities that wish to develop students into well-qualified cybersecurity talent will need to provide the facilities (research labs) and knowledge (academic courses) required to satisfy the requirements listed above. These requirements are highly research-centric and industry-oriented, and colleges will need to partner with cybersecurity companies that have comprehensive malware research expertise, access to malware samples, and expert knowledge on safe handling of malware, to offer compelling cybersecurity courses.

K7 Academy’s College Partnership

K7 Academy’s K7 Malware Analysis Training Programme enables colleges to partner with K7 to provide world-class cybersecurity training to their students. K7 will provide knowledge support, infrastructure guidance, and malware samples to partner colleges for courses on topics that are critical to enterprise cybersecurity:

• Windows Basics & Dynamic Analysis
• Basic Static Analysis
• Advanced Static Analysis – Reverse Engineering
• Android Malware Analysis
• Advanced Android Analysis

All courses have been designed and developed based on K7’s 30+ years’ expertise in the cybersecurity industry which includes winning multiple international awards and operating K7 Labs, one of the world’s leading cyberthreat research centres that has been the first discoverer of several malware.

How the Partnership Works

Partnering with K7 will enable the college to establish a malware lab within their campus and gain cybersecurity training for faculty, allowing the institution to build significant academic assets in malware research that will help them appeal to students seeking careers in cybersecurity. Programme highlights include

• Modules delivered by instructors authorised by K7 Academy
• End-of-module assessments by authorised K7 Academy staff
• Certificate of competence from K7 Academy

Components of the Programme

Lab Approval and Setup

K7 Academy provides technical specifications for the required hardware, software, and infrastructure, and guidance to help the college establish the lab. K7 Academy will also

• Inspect and approve the lab
• Provide the tools required by the training modules
• Provide malware samples
• Monitor the lab setup

Train the Trainer

K7 Academy will train college faculty under a Train-the-Trainer programme. Faculty designated by the college will learn course content, perform practical assignments, and pass assessments similar to the students who will enrol for the cybersecurity courses. K7 Academy will

• Provide faculty training for each module
• Certify faculty to deliver training to students
• Monitor student assessment to maintain programme standards

Guest Lectures

Faculty and students will receive lectures from personnel authorised by K7 Academy on advancements in cybersecurity and the evolution of the threat landscape.

Student Contribution to K7 Products

Students who acquire the required qualifications can gain industry experience by contributing to K7’s threat analysis and detection data creation, assisting in the protection of millions of computing users around the world.

Opportunities for Colleges

The K7 Malware Analysis Training Programme provides opportunities for colleges to

• Improve institutional ranking and accreditation
• Offer curriculum that attracts students seeking high-growth careers
• Cultivate industry-relevant skills in students
• Upgrade faculty skills

Opportunities for Students

Students who complete the K7 Malware Analysis Training Programme will be able to access opportunities in

• Anti-malware companies
• Enterprises with in-house security teams
• Incident Response solution vendors
• Government-led cybersecurity initiatives

Students will be able to attract the attention of potential employers as they will possess

• Hands-on experience in malware analysis conducted in a research lab
• Expert research skills honed by the instant feedback they receive on their malware research
• Familiarity with the tools and technologies that are used by the industry

K7 Academy provides cybersecurity training to Indian and international students, and in colleges and the enterprise sector. Contact Us for more information on how we can help your institution offer industry-aligned academic programmes, with an emphasis on malware research, that enable your students to access lucrative opportunities in the fast-growing cybersecurity industry.

A report by Gartner provides insight on the human factor in cybersecurity: by 2025 a) Nearly half of cybersecurity leaders will change jobs, 25% for different roles entirely due to stress, and b) Lack of talent or human failure will be responsible for over half of significant cyber incidents.

Being a cybersecurity practitioner is undoubtedly stressful due to the hundreds of thousands of new cyberthreats that are created every day; a cyber defender has to be effective against every single attack, but it takes just one successful attack to disrupt operations. This stress is compounded by cybersecurity being added as a layer on top of operations rather than baked into operations, as the cybersecurity team is made responsible for security outcomes that result from the actions and decisions of many others. Cybersecurity as a separate layer is not a sustainable way to ensure long-term safety as Gartner’s report also reveals that lack of talent and human failure will contribute to a significant portion of cyberattacks. Businesses must resolve both these issues, and the solution to both lies in cybersecurity training.

Why Is Cybersecurity Training The Solution?

The common thread that links both the statistics quoted at the beginning is the lack of sufficient cybersecurity talent. Cybersecurity talent can manifest both as a) cybersecurity specialists with in-depth expertise in defending against cyberattacks, and b) cybersecurity awareness amongst business users.

Cybersecurity Specialists

Creating a strong team of cybersecurity specialists will reduce stress on cybersecurity leaders who will be able to focus on long-term strategic cybersecurity initiatives rather than managing routine cybersecurity tasks. The obvious solution here is to hire a team of specialists with the required expertise, but the cybersecurity industry is experiencing a severe talent deficit that is unlikely to end soon and enterprises struggle to identify, recruit, and retain the necessary talent. Cybersecurity training that is designed to develop advanced threat hunting and attack prevention skills enables the enterprise to create a cybersecurity team from the existing, in-house IT team. This is often quicker than attempting to recruit specialists, develops the specific cybersecurity skills that are required by the enterprise, and creates greater employee commitment as they benefit from skill enhancement and superior career progression.

Business Users

Business users, the non-IT employees of the organisation, are responsible for most utilisation of computing resources and the design and execution of business processes. Cybersecurity training that emphasises the fundamentals of cyber hygiene can help employees flag suspicious events and behaviour and facilitate creating business processes that integrate cybersecurity at the design stage to reduce opportunities for threat actors to compromise the enterprise. Phishing attacks that target the user are responsible for 91% of cyberattacks and cybersecurity training for business users can help in defending against such attacks that rely on social engineering rather than attacking a device or network.

Cybersecurity Training from K7 Academy

K7 Academy is a unit of K7 Computing, a global leader in cybersecurity with over 30 years’ expertise in the industry. The academy draws on K7 Computing’s experience and insight, gained from protecting 25+ million users across 27 countries and operating K7 Labs which analyses hundreds of thousands of threat samples every day, to design training programmes that quickly create the expertise required to defend against real-world enterprise cyberattacks. Our training programmes can be customised to meet the needs of specific enterprise audiences, such as C-suite training to create awareness and build defences against whaling and similar attacks that target senior management, prevent brand erosion, and aid in the development of effective cybersecurity strategies.

Corporate Cybersecurity Training

K7 Academy’s training for the corporate sector includes

• Certified Malware Researcher – Windows
  • Develops skills and techniques to perform forensic investigation of malware and secure the Windows environment
  • Includes case studies, discussions on current threats and past attacks, and industry perspectives
• Certified Malware Researcher – Android
  • Creates proficiency in analysing mobile threats
  • Includes demonstrations and activities on Android app development, and case studies and discussions on the current Android threat landscape
• Network Security
  • Enables management of complex networks through understanding of network fundamentals and security layers
  • Includes demonstrations and activities on network protocols, layer-wise attacks, network monitoring tools, log and packet capture and parsing, as well as case studies and discussions
• Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing
  • Provides hands-on learning of the steps taken by an ethical hacker to pentest a website
  • Includes demonstration and activities on footprinting, scanning, enumeration, and hacking a WordPress website, as well as case studies and discussions
• Cybersecurity Sentinel
  • Creates awareness of key cybersecurity concepts, cyber ethics, laws, and standards
  • Includes case studies, discussions on current threats and past attacks, and industry perspectives
• Security Incident Response
  • Develops skills to respond to attacks and isolate malware
  • Includes malware testing in secure environments, incident response plan and practice, as well as case studies and discussions

How Cybersecurity Training Benefits Enterprises

K7 Academy’s cybersecurity training provides various benefits appropriate to the stakeholder segment:

• Business Users – Improvement in cybersecurity awareness across the organisation
• IT Team – Cybersecurity skill development and tool familiarity
• C-suite – Knowledge download to enable the development of strategic cybersecurity initiatives

Contact Us to learn more about our training programmes and how we can help you prevent destructive cyberattacks in your organisation through a strategy or relevant and proactive cybersecurity training.

The march of digitalisation is relentless. Every individual, organisation, and society is undergoing digital transformation. Many, even most, of us are already leading digital-first lives. India registered more than 88 billion digital transactions in FY 2021-22, a number that will increase substantially in 2022-23. Work, education, entertainment, shopping, and socialising are all transitioning to digital channels and delivery mechanisms.

Cybersecurity Talent Deficit – An Opportunity for the Ambitious

The growth in digital activity has been accompanied by growth in digital attacks. AV-TEST registers over 450,000 new cyberthreats every day. Businesses are trying to build cybersecurity teams to counter these cyberattacks but are hamstrung by the growing talent deficit in cybersecurity. India is projected to have a shortage of 1.5 million skilled cybersecurity candidates by 2025; that number expands to 3.5 million across the world.

The accelerating need for cybersecurity specialists coupled with the growing talent deficit creates lucrative opportunities for ambitious students who are willing to add industry-recognised cybersecurity qualifications to their resume.

Creating Cybersecurity Facilities in Colleges

Accessing cybersecurity opportunities requires development of cybersecurity skills that focus on threat research, as all cyber incidents need to be investigated and analysed before they can be resolved. Cybersecurity solution vendors also prefer to recruit candidates who are familiar with malware research.

Universities and colleges that wish to develop in-demand skills in their students should, therefore, offer

1. Malware labs for students to conduct malware research
2. Malware research programmes to train and certify students in malware research

Both of these will require industry partnership to ensure that students acquire job-oriented skills and industry-recognised certifications.

K7 Malware Analysis Training Programme

The K7 Malware Analysis Training Programme functions as a partnership between K7 and an educational institute to combine the malware research credentials of K7 with the academic credentials and access to students enjoyed by the institution, with the goal of providing career-building training in malware research with world-class facilities and infrastructure for students to practise and hone their skills.

Courses

• Windows Basics & Dynamic Analysis
• Basic Static Analysis
• Advanced Static Analysis – Reverse Engineering
• Android Malware Analysis
• Advanced Android Analysis

Programme USPs

• Training modules will be delivered to students by instructors who have been trained by K7, delivering cybersecurity knowledge that is in-sync with industry advancements and best practices
• Student assessment will be performed by staff authorised by K7, ensuring students meet the high standards set by K7
• Successful candidates will receive a certificate of competency from K7 Academy, ensuring they gain industry-recognised certification

Programme Components

The K7 Malware Analysis Training Programme comprises

• Lab Approval and Setup – K7 Academy guides the college on establishing the lab, provides approval once the lab is created, and will continuously monitor the lab setup. K7 will also provide
  • Tools of the trade
  • Malware samples
• Train the Trainer – College staff receive training from K7 Academy through the same syllabus, practical assignments, and assessments that will apply to students, ensuring they have a thorough understanding of malware research and are well equipped to guide their students
• Guest Lectures – Authorised personnel from K7 Academy will provide lectures to faculty and students on the latest developments in cybersecurity
• Student Contribution to K7 – Students who have attained sufficient skills and certification will be allowed to contribute to K7’s malware research that will be used to protect K7’s 25+ million customers worldwide

Programme Benefits

The K7 Malware Analysis Training Programme, integrating research programmes with malware research facilities, offers several benefits to both the institution and the student.

Benefits to Colleges

• Improved Ranking – Educational institutions that offer malware research courses (with associated increase in research graduates and Ph.D. candidates) can advance their ranking and enjoy greater accreditation opportunities
• Best-in-Class Curriculum – The curriculum from K7 is designed based on real-world cyberthreats and the lab is modelled to mimic the functionality and structure of malware labs in the industry, ensuring the institution is regarded as the best choice for prospective malware researchers
• Industry-relevant Skill Development – The increasing demand for malware analysis specialists ensures that colleges with well-designed malware research courses will be able to enable professional development of students through development of skills that are required by employers
• Enhanced Faculty Profile – The college faculty will be directly trained by K7 cybersecurity experts, improving their capabilities and enhancing their academic profile

Benefits to Students

• Hands-on Experience – Career prospects are governed by experience in malware research and students who have the opportunity to analyse malware in a lab environment that simulates real-world conditions and context will have an advantage over their peers
• Instant Feedback – Students conducting malware research receive instant feedback on their threat analysis from faculty that have been trained by K7, allowing them to quickly improve the accuracy and effectiveness of their research
• Latest Technology and Tools – The K7-designed courses emphasise familiarity with the latest technology and tools, enabling students to become proficient with the resources they will encounter in the workplace
• Rewarding Opportunities – Students who successfully complete the malware analysis programme will be well equipped to enter and thrive in the rapidly expanding cybersecurity industry, and will be sought-after by
  • Anti-malware companies
  • Enterprises with in-house security teams
  • Incident Response solution vendors
  • The government

K7 Academy’s training programmes are designed based on K7 Computing’s 30+ years of expertise in cybersecurity. Contact Us to learn more about how we can help your college offer job-aligned malware analysis training to your students.