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Information Security Engineers

Develop and oversee the implementation of information security procedures and policies. Build, maintain and upgrade security technology, such as firewalls, for the safe use of computer networks and the transmission and retrieval of information. Design and implement appropriate security controls to identify vulnerabilities and protect digital files and electronic infrastructures. Monitor and respond to computer security breaches, viruses, and intrusions, and perform forensic investigation. May oversee the assessment of information security systems.
Related: Computer Network Support Specialists  Computer Systems Analysts  Information Security Analysts  Network & Computer Systems Administrators  Penetration Testers 
Industries: Professional, Science, & Technical  Government 

  • Summary

  • Details

    • Work Activities

    • Coordinate monitoring of networks or systems for security breaches or intrusions.
    • Provide technical support to computer users for installation and use of security products.
    • Review security assessments for computing environments or check for compliance with cybersecurity standards and regulations.
    • Recommend information security enhancements to management.
    • Develop response and recovery strategies for security breaches.
    • Develop information security standards and best practices.
    • Identify or implement solutions to information security problems.
    • Review security assessments for computing environments or check for compliance with cybersecurity standards and regulations.
    • Develop information security standards and best practices.
    • Train staff on, and oversee the use of, information security standards, policies, and best practices.
    • Scan networks, using vulnerability assessment tools to identify vulnerabilities.
    • Develop or install software, such as firewalls and data encryption programs, to protect sensitive information.
    • Identify or implement solutions to information security problems.
    • Identify security system weaknesses, using penetration tests.
    • Conduct investigations of information security breaches to identify vulnerabilities and evaluate the damage.
    • Write reports regarding investigations of information security breaches or network evaluations.
    • Train staff on, and oversee the use of, information security standards, policies, and best practices.
    • Develop or implement software tools to assist in the detection, prevention, and analysis of security threats.
    • Develop or implement software tools to assist in the detection, prevention, and analysis of security threats.
    • Troubleshoot security and network problems.
    • Coordinate documentation of computer security or emergency measure policies, procedures, or tests.
    • Oversee performance of risk assessment or execution of system tests to ensure the functioning of data processing activities or security measures.
    • Oversee development of plans to safeguard computer files against accidental or unauthorized modification, destruction, or disclosure or to meet emergency data processing needs.
    • Assess the quality of security controls, using performance indicators.
    • Develop or install software, such as firewalls and data encryption programs, to protect sensitive information.
    • Coordinate vulnerability assessments or analysis of information security systems.

    Skills

    • Mathematics
      • Using math to solve problems.
    • Speaking
      • Talking to others.
    • Social Perceptiveness
      • Understanding people's reactions.
    • Complex Problem Solving
      • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
    • Operations Monitoring
      • Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
    • Reading Comprehension
      • Reading work-related information.
    • Time Management
      • Managing your time and the time of other people.
    • Equipment Maintenance
      • Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
    • Management of Personnel Resources
      • Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
    • Judgment and Decision Making
      • Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
    • Troubleshooting
      • Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
    • Negotiation
      • Bringing people together to solve differences.
    • Persuasion
      • Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
    • Active Learning
      • Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
    • Operation and Control
      • Using equipment or systems.
    • Repairing
      • Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
    • Coordination
      • Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
    • Service Orientation
      • Looking for ways to help people.
    • Systems Evaluation
      • Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
    • Management of Financial Resources
      • Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
    • Systems Analysis
      • Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
    • Quality Control Analysis
      • Testing how well a product or service works.
    • Installation
      • Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
    • Technology Design
      • Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
    • Science
      • Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
    • Equipment Selection
      • Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
    • Operations Analysis
      • Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
    • Critical Thinking
      • Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
    • Writing
      • Writing things for co-workers or customers.
    • Monitoring
      • Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
    • Active Listening
      • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
    • Learning Strategies
      • Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
    • Instructing
      • Teaching people how to do something.
    • Programming
      • Writing computer programs.
    • Management of Material Resources
      • Managing equipment and materials.

    Abilities

    • Rate Control
      • Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
    • Dynamic Flexibility
      • Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
    • Mathematical Reasoning
      • Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
    • Problem Sensitivity
      • Noticing when problems happen.
    • Inductive Reasoning
      • Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
    • Visualization
      • Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
    • Arm-Hand Steadiness
      • Keeping your arm or hand steady.
    • Visual Color Discrimination
      • Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
    • Trunk Strength
      • Using your lower back and stomach.
    • Gross Body Equilibrium
      • Keeping your balance or staying upright.
    • Speech Clarity
      • Speaking clearly.
    • Finger Dexterity
      • Putting together small parts with your fingers.
    • Oral Expression
      • Communicating by speaking.
    • Speech Recognition
      • Recognizing spoken words.
    • Speed of Limb Movement
      • Quickly moving your arms and legs.
    • Static Strength
      • Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
    • Night Vision
      • Seeing at night or under low light.
    • Peripheral Vision
      • Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
    • Time Sharing
      • Doing two or more things at the same time.
    • Written Comprehension
      • Reading and understanding what is written.
    • Originality
      • Creating new and original ideas.
    • Memorization
      • Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
    • Control Precision
      • Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
    • Multilimb Coordination
      • Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
    • Extent Flexibility
      • Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
    • Hearing Sensitivity
      • Telling the difference between sounds.
    • Auditory Attention
      • Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
    • Category Flexibility
      • Grouping things in different ways.
    • Wrist-Finger Speed
      • Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
    • Gross Body Coordination
      • Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
    • Fluency of Ideas
      • Coming up with lots of ideas.
    • Number Facility
      • Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
    • Information Ordering
      • Ordering or arranging things.
    • Oral Comprehension
      • Listening and understanding what people say.
    • Perceptual Speed
      • Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
    • Manual Dexterity
      • Holding or moving items with your hands.
    • Sound Localization
      • Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
    • Depth Perception
      • Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
    • Glare Sensitivity
      • Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
    • Reaction Time
      • Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
    • Dynamic Strength
      • Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
    • Response Orientation
      • Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
    • Explosive Strength
      • Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
    • Stamina
      • Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
    • Near Vision
      • Seeing details up close.
    • Far Vision
      • Seeing details that are far away.
    • Deductive Reasoning
      • Using rules to solve problems.
    • Flexibility of Closure
      • Seeing hidden patterns.
    • Written Expression
      • Communicating by writing.
    • Speed of Closure
      • Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
    • Spatial Orientation
      • Knowing where things are around you.
    • Selective Attention
      • Paying attention to something without being distracted.

    Knowledge

    • Philosophy and Theology
      • Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
    • Food Production
      • Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
    • History and Archeology
      • Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
    • Personnel and Human Resources
      • Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
    • Customer and Personal Service
      • Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
    • Building and Construction
      • Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
    • Engineering and Technology
      • Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
    • Biology
      • Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
    • English Language
      • Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.
    • Therapy and Counseling
      • Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
    • Fine Arts
      • Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
    • Mathematics
      • Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
    • Sociology and Anthropology
      • Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
    • Chemistry
      • Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
    • Sales and Marketing
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
    • Design
      • Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
    • Psychology
      • Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
    • Education and Training
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
    • Mechanical
      • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
    • Public Safety and Security
      • Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
    • Geography
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
    • Telecommunications
      • Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
    • Transportation
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
    • Communications and Media
      • Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
    • Law and Government
      • Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
    • Administration and Management
      • Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
    • Physics
      • Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
    • Production and Processing
      • Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
    • Foreign Language
      • Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
    • Medicine and Dentistry
      • Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
    • Administrative
      • Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
    • Computers and Electronics
      • Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
    • Economics and Accounting
      • Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.

    Education

    Education
    Bachelor's degree
    Work Experience
    No work experience
    Training
    No on-the-job training
    Education and Training Opportunities

    Pay

    Washington Annual Salary
    131800/yr
    Washington Hourly Wage
    63.36/hr

    Washington Employment Trends

    Currently Employed
    17,060
    Yearly Projected Openings
    1500

    Personality

    Conventional: People interested in this work like activities that include data, detail, and regular routines. They do well at jobs that need:
    • Attention to Detail
    • Integrity
    • Dependability
    • Analytical Thinking
    • Adaptability/Flexibility
    • Stress Tolerance

    Tools

      Technology

      • Access software
      • Application server software
      • Authentication server software
      • Cloud-based data access and sharing software
      • Cloud-based management software
      • Configuration management software
      • Content workflow software
      • Data base management system software
      • Data base reporting software
      • Data base user interface and query software
      • Development environment software
      • Document management software
      • Electronic mail software
      • Enterprise application integration software
      • Enterprise resource planning ERP software
      • Enterprise system management software
      • Expert system software
      • File versioning software
      • Geographic information system
      • Graphics or photo imaging software
      • Internet directory services software
      • Network monitoring software
      • Network security and virtual private network VPN equipment software
      • Network security or virtual private network VPN management software
      • Object or component oriented development software
      • Office suite software
      • Operating system software
      • Presentation software
      • Project management software
      • Risk management data and analysis software
      • Spreadsheet software
      • Switch or router software
      • Transaction security and virus protection software
      • Transaction server software
      • Web platform development software
      • Word processing software

    ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

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