Cyber Security Courses and Careers to Prevent Ransomware Attacks like WannaCry

By now, you would have heard about the latest ransomware ‘WannaCry’, which has penetrated the security systems in India and many other countries, leaving an adverse effect on more than two lakh organisations in over 150 countries. In India alone, approximately 50, 000 PC's have been attacked so far, with West Bengal being the worst hit. Other states that have been affected include Maharashtra, Gujarat, Delhi NCR and Odisha. An Indian cyber security firm has confirmed that about 8,000 ransomware attack attempts were made in India, with both organisations and personal users being threatened of losing out on their data, if they failed to pay the ransom in bitcoins.

As we move towards a more technology-driven world to make our lives easier, we cannot deny the risk of exposing ourselves to the apparent threat of cyber bullies who will stop at nothing to cause us financial or personal harm. The various types of cyber crimes include copyright infringement, hacking, unwarranted mass-surveillance, child pornography, computer virus, cyber stalking, identity threats, phishing scams etc.

The assault caused by #WannaCry has taught us that even highly protected software produced by organisations like tech giant Microsoft can also be exposed to cyber-attacks. In the event of our vulnarability at the mercy of these notorious hackers, what India really needs are cyber security experts who can help in developing protected systems and prevent cyber crimes.

Forget 'saving the world' or the novelty of being the digital James Bond, it's pretty exciting, being in the field of information security and cyber security! It's like a maze, an electronic playground or even a highly advanced fighter video game, if you may please, never knowing what the hackers may throw your way!

So if you love technology and are an ace in the subject, and are sound in your logic & concept, then you have already made the cut! You should be innovative & creative and should have mastered skills like problem solving, logical approach and execution, in order to excel in this field!

Cyber Security Courses:

• If you are looking for a formal education, then the best option is to pursue B. Tech in Cyber Security or B.Tech in Computer Science or IT followed by an M.Tech in either Information Security or Cyber Security.
• Although there are very few cyber security degree courses at graduate level, few colleges offer courses like BCA in Cloud Computing and Cyber Security.
• BCA followed by MCA is another option for cyber security aspirants. In order to boost your employment chances you can also get cyber security certifications.
• Certain institutes also provide cyber security diploma courses that last form 18 months to 2 years. Such courses are also good provided you complement these with a formal degree such as B.Tech.

Cyber Security Certifications:

Since Cyber Security is such a dynamic field that professionals need to stay updated and need a lot of practice in the field to fulfil the security requirements. Therefor certifications in the field are absolutely necessary to land good jobs. You will be eligible to pursue the following certifications once you have completed graduation i.e. B.Tech or BCA. Postgraduates can also apply for the same.

Certifications in this field will be a proof that you have undergone the training required in order to handle the job. These certifications also strengthen your resume and help you in getting high paying jobs. Few of the companies only hire candidates who have cleared the certification exams. Following are some of the cyber security certificates provided by some reputed companies:

• CompTIA Security +
• GSEC: SANS GIAC Security Essentials
• CEH: Certified Ethical Hacker
• SSCP - Systems Security Certified Practitioner
• CISA: Certified Information Systems Auditor
• CISSP: Certified Information Systems Security Professional
• CISM: Certified Information Security Manager
• OSCP - Offensive Security Certified Professional

Top Colleges offering Cyber Security Courses in India:

Internship Opportunities in Cyber Security in India:

Another important aspect that takes you high on the list of recruiters is doing an internship from a formal cyber security organisation. An internship is this field will be your ally as the knowledge gained during this internship will help you in bagging a lucrative job. Following are some of the reputable organisations where you can apply for internships:

• Koenig Solutions
• Cryptus
• Techdefence
• i3indyia
• Bytecode
• Institute of Information Security
• Hackveda
• Lucideus Training

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Job and Salary after Cyber Security Courses:

Big Data & Data Mining are the way to go in future and with the rise in cyber crimes in India, cyber security organisations are bent on training and hiring experts for data protection. There are several private organisations that you can opt to work with like TCS, Infosys, Cognizant and IBM. Sought after profiles in this field include Cyber Security Architect, Cyber Security Engineer, Information Security Lead etc. Apart from the IT sector, there is a huge requirement for cyber security professionals in Government organisations as well.

The Intelligence Bureau, Department of Telecom, DeitY, National Technical Research Organisation, Defence Research and Development Organisation and Indian Army are some of the Government bodies where cyber security experts can work. Besides these, e-commerce, IT solutions, e-governance, e-banking, e-learning, etc., which are data driven, offer a huge scope of employment to the right candidates.

Salary in this field is entirely dependent on the experience of the candidate. Highly experienced cyber security experts get lucrative packages of up to 25 lakh per annum and more.

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After completing your qualification and acquiring the required certification, you can get a starting package varying from 3.5 to 15 lakh per annum. Starting salaries also depend on the institutes from which a student has studied.