Cybersecurity Analyst Salary in India

Cybersecurity is the practice of guarding against digital attacks on systems, networks, and programs.

With a growing number of users, devices, programs, and an ever-increasing deluge of data in the modern enterprise, cybersecurity is becoming increasingly important. The increasing volume and sophistication of cyber attackers and attack techniques exacerbate the problem. This is where a cybersecurity analyst plays an important role. Cybersecurity analyst salary is among the highest-paid salary for an employee in India.

Who is a cybersecurity analyst?

A cybersecurity analyst guards IT infrastructure such as networks, hardware, and software against various criminal activities. They are also responsible for multiple tasks such as network and system monitoring, detecting security threats, analyzing and assessing alarms, etc.

Let’s get started by learning how much you can expect to earn as a cybersecurity analyst and the factors that can affect your pay. But, before starting, let’s go through the topics that we will be covering in this blog:

1. Roles and responsibilities of the cybersecurity analyst
2. Average cybersecurity analyst pay
3. Factors influencing the salary of a cybersecurity analyst
4. Job opportunities for cybersecurity analysts in the industry
5. Top three courses to start with if you want to become a cybersecurity analyst
6. Best course for an intermediate level candidate
7. Best course for an expert level candidate

Roles and responsibilities of the cybersecurity analyst

A cybersecurity analyst typically works for a corporation, a government agency, or a non-profit and works to protect their employer’s sensitive, proprietary, and personal information from threats.

A cybersecurity job description falls under the purview of the IT sector. This position is ideal for tech-savvy individuals who enjoy thinking creatively about new solutions, coding, and exploring new technology. You may be expected to do the following as part of your job:

1. Keep an eye on computer networks and systems for threats and security flaws.
2. Install, customize, and maintain security software and firewalls.
3. Examine systems for potential flaws.
4. Conducting security audits through vulnerability testing and risk assessment.
5. Conducting internal and external security audits.
6. Investigating security breaches to determine the root cause.
7. Updating the company’s incident response and disaster recovery plans on a regular basis.
8. Verifying third-party vendor security and collaborating with them to meet security requirements.
9. Create systems and processes for the company’s best security practices.
10. Report on security incidents and changing responses.
11. Perform security audits, create top-tier security practices, and provide strategic, innovative cloud-based security solutions.
12. Expertise in security testing tools such as App scan, checkmark, Burpsuite, Kali, Nessus, Fiddler, Paros, Sqlmap, OWASP, and others.
13. Handle end-to-end security and application verification for thick/thin client and mobile applications.
14. Should be able to evaluate applications for authentication, authorization, user management, session management, data validation, and all common attacks such as SQL injection, Cross-site scripting, Command injection, Error handling, Auditing, and logging.
15. OWASP implementation and penetration tests assessments.

Average cybersecurity analyst pay

As per Ambitionbox, dated 22/05/2024, India’s average cybersecurity analyst salary ranges between ₹ 2.7 Lakhs to ₹ 11.0 Lakhs, with an annual average wage of ₹ 5.0 Lakhs. The average starting salary for cybersecurity analysts in India is around ₹6.0 Lakhs per year. 

Factors influencing the salary of a cybersecurity analyst

Many factors can affect the salary of a cybersecurity analyst, such as:

Skills

Businesses are looking for professionals with solid cybersecurity skills to combat evolving threats. According to Naukri.com, the following are some of the skills associated with the highest salary increases for cybersecurity analysts:

1. Malware Analysis: It is the process of understanding the behavior and purpose of a suspicious file or URL.
2. VAPT: Both vulnerability assessment and penetration testing (VAPT) are security services that identify network vulnerabilities.
3. Mobile App PenTesting: It tests mobile applications/software/mobile operating systems for security vulnerabilities by using either manual or automated techniques to analyze the application.
4. Splunk: Use this security information and event management (SIEM) system to detect and respond to threats.
5. Identity Management: It ensures that only authorized users have access to data and technological resources.
6. Network PenTesting: It identifies security vulnerabilities in applications and systems by intentionally using various malicious techniques to evaluate the network’s security, or lack of, responses.
7. Network support: Know the best practices for keeping a company’s computer network operational and secure.
8. Digital Forensics: It is a branch of forensic science that focuses on identifying, acquiring, processing, analyzing, and reporting data stored electronically.
9. Vendor management: Understand how businesses can protect themselves from attacks originating from third-party vendor networks.
10. Cryptography: It is the study of secure communication techniques that restrict access to a message’s contents to only the sender and intended recipient.
11. Ethical hacking: A legal attempt to gain unauthorized access to a computer system, application, or data.

JAVA, Python, Rubi, Bash, Powershell, MySQL, Networking, and other vital skills are also in high demand.

Beginner-level skills

To learn beginner-level skills, such as Penetration Testing, Incident Response, Cryptography, Cybersecurity Capstone: Breach Response Case Studies and Digital Forensics you can refer to the Security Analyst Fundamentals Specialization course. This course is among the beginner-level courses provided by Coursera and it has the highest rating of 4.8 stars. The course duration is of four months. Some of the other beginner-level courses that you can refer to are:

1. IT Fundamentals for Cybersecurity Specialization
2. Cybersecurity Roles, Processes & Operating System Security
3. Penetration Testing, Incident Response and Forensics

Intermediate-level skills

To learn intermediate skills, such as Malware Analysis, IT Fundamentals, and Server a candidate can refer to the IT support, Network+ , Security + , CSA + , python , server+ course. This course is an intermediate-level course provided by Udemy. Some of the other courses that you can also refer to are:

1. IBM Cybersecurity Analyst Assessment
2. Certified Threat Intelligence Analyst
3. Cybersecurity and the Internet of Things

Expert-level skills

To learn expert-level skills, such as VAPT, Mobile App Pen Testing, Network Pen Testing, and Fundamentals of Information Security and Cybersecurity (in-depth) a candidate can refer to the Cybersecurity Management (Undergrad) course. This course is an expert-level course provided by the University of Colorado. Some of the other courses that you can also refer to are:

1. Learn Ethical Hacking
2. Cybersecurity for Managers

Experience

Years of experience have a significant impact on how much you can earn. Entry-level cybersecurity analysts, for example, earn 18,000-25000 less than experienced cybersecurity analysts. As your career progresses, this curve rises.

In many industries, one level of experience can significantly impact your salary. This is especially true in cybersecurity, where practical knowledge is as important as formal education. As per Ambitionbox, dated 22/05/2024, the cybersecurity analyst salary in India with one year of experience to 6 years ranges from ₹ 2.7 Lakhs to ₹11.0 Lakhs.

Let’s go through the salary based on experience in the form of a table:

Experience	Salary (LPA)
1-2	4.3
2-3	5.2
3-4	6.1
4-5	7.3
5-6	9.4
6-7	9.6

Location

According to Ambitionbox data, cybersecurity analysts in certain cities will earn significantly more than in others. If you worked in Bangalore or Pune, your salary could increase by 15% or more. Where you live and work can have a multiplier effect on your cybersecurity career.

Employees’ wages depend on the standard market rate for their location, such as their city, state, or even country. The company’s pay philosophy and other factors include the employee’s experience level and expertise.

For example, suppose you are offered a cybersecurity analyst position at a Bangalore-based company but live in Lucknow. In that case, you may be offered a salary of 56,000 – the average pay in that area – rather than 63,000, which is the average pay for a cybersecurity analyst in Bangalore.

Let’s have a look at the pay scale being offered to a cybersecurity analyst (experience – 6 years) in some major cities:

Location	Average salary (LPA)
Hyderabad	7.5
Chennai	7
Pune	9.7
New Delhi	5.0
Mumbai	7.8

Certifications

Certifications can increase your yearly salary by 5% to 25%, which is significant if you can compound that difference over your career. A CISM, CISSP, CISA, or CEH certification can significantly benefit your cybersecurity career.

Company-type

Salary ranges are typically included in pay structures for each pay grade, which means a minimum and maximum salary amount bracket for each pay grade. Companies determine their pay structures by analyzing external and internal compensation data. Let’s look at the salary ranges for cybersecurity analysts in various organizations. The data shown in the table is based on the data on Ambitionbox as of 22/05/2024.

Company-type	Average salary (LPA)
Forbes Global 2000	6.6
Public	6.2
Fortune India 500	6.0
Conglomerate	5.5
Startup	5.2
Government	6.7
MNC	6.7

Top three courses to start with if you want to become a cybersecurity analyst

Here’s the list of top three courses to start with if you want to become a cybersecurity analyst, these courses can be done by a candidate having zero year’s experience:

Security Analyst Fundamentals Specialization

This course is among the beginner-level courses provided by Coursera and it has the highest rating of 4.8 stars. The course duration is of four months. Some of the topics that are covered in this course are:

1. Penetration Testing: In this section, you will learn about different phases of penetration testing, how to gather data for your penetration test and popular penetration testing tools.
2. Incident Response and Forensics: In this section, you will learn about the phases of incident response, important documentation to gather, and the components of an incident response policy and team. Finally, you will be taught key steps in the forensic process as well as important data to gather.
3. Cyber Threat Intelligence: In this section, you will gain knowledge about network defensive tactics, network access control, and how to use network monitoring tools. You will also learn about data security risks and mobile endpoint protection.
4. Cybersecurity Capstone: In this section, you will investigate incident response methodologies and security models in this course.

IT Fundamentals for Cybersecurity Specialization

This course is among the beginner-level courses provided by Coursera and it has a rating of 4.6 stars. The course duration is of four months. Some of the topics that are covered in this course are:

1. Introduction to Cybersecurity Tools & Cyber Attacks: In this section, you will learn about the history of cybersecurity, as well as the types and motivations of cyberattacks. As an introduction to the field of cybersecurity, key terminology, fundamental system concepts, and tools will be examined.
2. Cybersecurity Roles, Processes & Operating System Security: In this section, you will learn about the key cybersecurity roles within an organization as well as the concept of virtualization as it relates to cybersecurity.
3. Cybersecurity Compliance Framework & System Administration: In this section, you will learn about the concepts of endpoint security and patch management.
4. Network Security & Database Vulnerabilities: This section will teach you about Local Area Networks, TCP/IP, the OSI Framework, and the fundamentals of routing. You will learn how networking affects an organization’s security systems.

Cybersecurity Roles, Processes & Operating System Security

This course is among the beginner-level courses provided by Coursera and it has a rating of 4.6 stars. The course duration is of fifteen hours. Some of the topics that are covered in this course are:

1. People Process & Technology: In this section, you will learn about the service management framework and how it affects how an organization will use this framework.
2. Examples & Principles of the CIA Triad: In this section, you will learn what is the CIA Triad and how is it important to cybersecurity concepts and practice.
3. Authentication and Access Control: In this section, you will learn about the importance of authentication and identification. 
4. Overview of Virtualization: In this section, you will be introduced to the fundamentals of virtualization and cloud computing. You will also learn about the governance, security, and benefits of cloud computing.

Best course for an intermediate level candidate

One of the best courses for an intermediate-level candidate is Cybersecurity Specialization. This course is among the intermediate-level courses provided by Coursera and it has a rating of 4.6 stars. This course can be done by a candidate having an experience of 2-4 years. Some of the topics that are covered in this course are:

1. Usable Security: In this section, we focus on how to design and build secure systems with a human-centered approach. We will examine fundamental principles of human-computer interaction and apply these insights to the design of secure systems, with the goal of developing security measures that respect human performance and goals within a system.
2. Software Security: In this section, we will look at the fundamentals of software security. We’ll look at major software flaws and the attacks that exploit them, such as buffer overflows, SQL injection, and session hijacking.
3. Cryptography: In this section, we will learn the fundamentals of modern cryptography with an emphasis on practical applications.
4. Hardware Security: In this section, we will look at security and trust from the standpoint of hardware.

Best course for an expert level candidate

One of the best courses for an expert-level candidate is the Advanced Executive Program in Cybersecurity. This course is among the expert-level courses provided by Simplilearn. This course can be done by a candidate having an experience of 4-5+ years. Some of the topics that are covered in this course are:

1. Enterprise Infrastructure Security: In this section, you will learn about various topics, such as Security Essentials, Network Basics, Network Security, and Identity & Access Management.
2. Application and Web Application Security: In this section, you will learn about various topics, such as Software Security, Secure Software Testing, Cryptography, and Secure Software Lifecycle Management.
3. Ransomware and Malware Analysis: In this section, you will learn about various topics, such as Malware Analysis, Ransomware Malware, and Advanced Malware Protection.
4. Ethical Hacking and VAPT: In this section, you will learn about various topics, such as Security Testing, Vulnerability Assessment, Penetration Testing, and Advanced Penetration Testing.

Conclusion

A bachelor’s degree in computer science, programming, or a related field is required for many Cybersecurity Analyst positions. As the demand for cybersecurity grows, companies are increasingly focused on hiring people with the necessary skills and technical experience, which can be obtained through training and practice. You can also explore more courses related to cybersecurity analysis.

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