18 Cyber Security Certifications For Beginners

ByAndrew Lugsden
Cyber Security Certifications for Beginners

There are many cyber security certifications for beginners, which can each help to start or progress your cybersecurity career. Depending on your career goals and current level of experience, this can dictate the cybersecurity certifications you may want to start with.

If you are looking to enter the cyber security industry or progress your existing career as a cybersecurity professional, obtaining a certification recognized by the industry can be a crucial step towards establishing your knowledge and skills.

The certificates detailed below can provide you with a starting point for your cybersecurity career, regardless of your current level of experience or expertise within the cyber security industry.

Table of Contents

    Financing Certifications through your current Employer

    financing cyber security certifications

    Ideally, if you are already working within a relevant career as a cybersecurity professional, you may be in a position to pitch the cybersecurity certifications exam to your current company as an investment in developing your existing skillset.

    This may result in your company fully or partially financing the certification, in addition to granting you some revision time and access to training programs.

    Where your company is considering financing your security certification, you may want to read more in-depth information about this process in the following post from Investopedia, as you may need to sell the idea to your company and convince them of the benefits your certification can bring them.

    When considering this as an option, it can be a great benefit to you, as it removes the burden of financing the security certification process yourself, provides you with dedicated time to train for the exam, and can result in a qualification that you can use for years to come when looking for career growth opportunities.

    With your company financing your security assessment, you should also expect to negotiate the conditions of what they would expect in return for financing your cybersecurity certification.

    For example, you may be expected to take on additional tasks and responsibilities as a result of learning new skills. You may also be asked to continue working for your current company for a minimum length of time after the security certification, to ensure they can justify the cost for themselves.

    Start learning with free online courses

    free online cyber security courses

    If you are still new to the cybersecurity industry and unsure of the career path you want to go down, spending time working through freely accessible training and educational material may be your best choice for making an informed decision about which cybersecurity certification you want to start with.

    You can review a list of free training materials for multiple disciplines, regardless of your current knowledge and experience within the post “Free Cyber Security Courses“.

    Identify the in-demand industry security certifications

    If you already know the type of career you want to pursue another important step is identifying the security certifications that these careers are expecting their applicants to have.

    Reviewing job listings for your ideal position or an entry-level equivalent of your ideal position can help guide you in the right direction regarding the skills, experience, and cybersecurity certifications you would need to become an attractive applicant as employers will typically list a specific certification within their job requirements.

    Multiple Routes to Certification

    different cyber security certificates

    If you don’t have a particular certification in mind, then there are multiple options for a certification exam that can each lead you to a similar level of experience and knowledge with different cybersecurity concepts.

    The specific certification exam you choose may be guided by various factors, such as time, cost, and whether the certification is sought after within the industry of experienced cybersecurity professionals.

    Another factor to consider is the range of cybersecurity certifications that are offered by a single examination body. If you are starting from limited knowledge and experience, some cybersecurity certification bodies can take you through multiple stages to build up your knowledge, with one certification building into the next.

    However, if you already have a good deal of experience and knowledge with information security, you may want to start with more cyber security focused qualifications and skip over some of the other cybersecurity certifications you consider as more introductory.

    CompTIA Certification Route

    vendor specific cyber security certification path

    CompTIA provides training and cybersecurity certifications to build up your knowledge from no required prerequisites into an information security specialist, depending upon your desired career path.

    If you are looking to move into different cyber security roles, the following series of certifications can build up your knowledge within this career path from an entry level certification into a more advanced knowledge set for cybersecurity and information security.

    CompTIA A+ Certificate

    CompTIA A+

    If you only have very limited experience and are looking to learn some of the fundamentals of information technology across a broad range of relevant topics, the CompTIA A+ can be a great starting point for IT Careers.

    Prerequisites.
    With no specific prerequisites recommended to get started, this certification is set up as a great entry-level certification.

    Roles.
    Although this certification won’t necessarily meet the requirements for entry-level cyber security roles, this is for entry-level IT Support and IT Technician roles, which is your first step on your target career path.

    CompTIA Network+ Certificate

    CompTIA Network+

    If you already have relevant IT experience or have achieved the CompTIA A+ qualification, but have limited knowledge of networking fundamentals and information security, you can consider the CompTIA Network+ certification as your next step.

    Prerequisites.
    The recommended prerequisites for this certification include the experience gained from a certification such as CompTIA A+ and working in a relevant IT role.

    Roles.
    Cybersecurity certifications such as this will likely lead to more senior IT technician roles and are often requirements of working within a Network Operations Center (NOC), although more advanced certifications may still be required to begin your career in cybersecurity.

    CompTIA Security+ Certificate

    CompTIA Security+

    Providing you already have the knowledge, experience, or qualifications similar to CompTIA Network+, the CompTIA Security+ certification provides a great introduction to the core concepts of security operations, security architecture, risk management, as well as monitoring and responding to security issues.

    Prerequisites.
    You should first have CompTIA Network+ or similar knowledge and industry experience before starting this CompTIA Security certification process.

    Roles.
    With this qualification largely focusing on secure operations, management of security, and monitoring or responding to threats, your next step for careers would then be for defensive security roles such as a Security Analyst or working within a Security Operations Center (SOC).

    CompTIA Pentest+ Certificate

    CompTIA Pentest+

    If you are already working within a relevant IT role, have experience and qualifications similar to those already listed, but are looking to move into the security sector the CompTIA Pentest+ certification provides a great introduction to the tools and attack techniques that are typically used for security testing roles for both network architecture and application security.

    Prerequisites.
    This certification recommends similar experience gathered from the previously listed certifications such as CompTIA Security in addition to several years of relevant industry experience to give you the best opportunity to achieve certification.

    Roles.
    With the list of certifications and experience achieved so far, this qualification would be a great opportunity to begin applying for a variety of security roles including a junior in penetration testing.

    ISC2 Certification Route

    vendor specific cyber security certification path

    ISC2 is another training and certification body with multiple qualifications on offer. Unlike CompTIA ISC2 has a dedicated focus on security and doesn’t offer more introductory courses to learn IT and Networking skills.

    ISC2 also focuses more on defensive security operations, with secure architecture, monitoring, response, and data management being more central to the certifications on offer.

    ISC2 Certified In CyberSecurity Certificate

    ISC2 CC

    If you are already working within a relevant IT role and have experience with IT and Network skills, a further qualification to begin focusing on cybersecurity, is the ISC2 Certified in CyberSecurity (CC). This certification will provide an introduction and overview of a range of defensive cybersecurity skills.

    Prerequisites.
    You should already be working within IT and have gathered relevant experience with an understanding of IT and Networking to begin looking into developing your cybersecurity skills with this certification.

    Roles.
    With this qualification aimed at introductory skills to security principles, operations, and network security, your target role would likely be for defensive security positions such as a security analyst or entry-level positions within a SOC.

    ISC2 Systems Security Certified Practitioner SSCP Certificate

    ISC2 SSCP

    Providing you are already working within IT and have experience with cyber security the ISC2 Systems Security Certified Practitioner (SSCP) certification is a much more in-depth assessment against a range of core defensive security skills and can help to further your career into that of a specialist.

    Prerequisites.
    The Systems Security Certified Practitioner certification provides a natural follow-on from the ISC2 CC examination, with the prerequisites for SSCP being a year of work experience in one of the subjects covered within the CC certification.

    Roles.
    With the SSCP certification, you will aim towards more senior defensive security positions than with the CC alone. With specialist positions within a SOC, as a security incident response analyst or security IT engineer developing specific secure solutions.

    GIAC Certification Route

    vendor specific cyber security certification path

    GIAC provides another certification route with multiple qualifications where one can lead into the next. Similar to ISC2, GIAC also specializes in cyber security certifications, however, they provide training options for both offensive and defensive security careers.

    There are several prerequisites for these certifications, but starting with the first listed, the requirements are often relatively minimal with just a background in a relevant IT role.

    GIAC Information Security Fundamentals Certification GISF

    GIAC GISF

    If you are working within IT and have some of the fundamentals already covered for IT skills and networking skills, the GIAC Information Security Fundamentals (GISF) can provide a great introduction to multiple security principles, incident response, and how security can integrate into policies, procedures, and your current role.

    Prerequisites.
    This qualification is a great introduction to the GIAC suite of certifications, with only some minimal requirements for experience within a technical role in the IT industry.

    Roles.
    With this qualification acting as an introduction to cyber security, multiple junior roles could be applied for, such as a security analyst or similar junior role within the defensive security space.

    GIAC Security Essentials Certification GSEC

    GIAC GSEC

    With an understanding of the security fundamentals covered with the GISF certification, GIAC Security Essentials (GSEC) delves into much more detail covering security design and architecture, defense-in-depth approaches to security and system hardening, as well as incident monitoring and response.

    Prerequisites.
    With the GISF certification already achieved or a similar level of knowledge and several years of industry experience working in a relevant IT role, the GSEC certification provides a step up in knowledge and specialization.

    Roles.
    The GSEC certification opens up several senior job roles for secure systems architecture, security analysis roles, and positions working within a SOC.

    GIAC Penetration Tester Certification GPEN

    GIAC GPEN

    If you are looking for more of a specialism within offensive security roles, the GIAC Penetration Tester Certification (GPEN) certificate provides training for multiple attack scenarios and techniques.

    This certification covers the basics of completing a security test, from planning an assessment to identification of issues and exploitation.

    Prerequisites.
    This certification would require the skills obtained from the GSEC certification or similar industry experience, as it will require the understanding of multiple systems and architectures, as well as layering over different security concepts and methods of identifying and exploiting vulnerabilities.

    Roles.
    The GPEN certification should be for those looking to develop a career as a penetration tester, as it is specific to offensive security training.

    GIAC Certified Incident Handler Certification GCIH

    GIAC GCIH

    Where you are looking for a more specialist role in responding to security incidents, as well as securing and hardening systems from attack, the GIAC Certified Incident Handler Certification (GCIH) can provide this level of expertise.

    With GCIH, there is a range of skills for both identifying cyber security attacks, as well as responding to these attacks to stop them. Additional skills, include having a level of knowledge and understanding of how cyber security attackers operate so that issues can be mitigated proactively.
    Where you are looking for a more specialist role in responding to security incidents, as well as securing and hardening systems from attack, the GIAC Certified Incident Handler Certification (GCIH) can provide this level of expertise.

    With GCIH, there is a range of skills for both identifying cyber security attacks, as well as responding to these attacks to stop them. Additional skills, include having a level of knowledge and understanding of how cyber security attackers operate so that issues can be mitigated proactively.

    Prerequisites.
    The GSEC certification or similar experience would also be recommended for this certification route, as responding to and managing security incidents requires an in-depth understanding of multiple IT systems, how they operate, and how they can be secured.

    Roles.
    As the GCIH certification is quite specialized, those looking to develop their knowledge with this certification would likely be looking for Incident Response roles.

    EC-Council Certification Route

    vendor specific cyber security certification path

    The EC-Council is a further training and certification body with a specialization in cyber security for offensive and defensive career paths.

    As the introductory exams within the EC-Council start with security concepts, it is recommended to already have IT and Computer Networking skills developed from prior certifications or through industry experience.

    While multiple career paths could be taken with EC-Council qualifications, the first certifications often overlap and only the later certifications when it comes to career specialization begin to vary the suggested certifications to obtain.

    EC-Council Ethical Hacking Essentials EHE Certificate

    EC-Council EHE

    If you are looking to establish your knowledge for a career as a security tester, the EC-Council has a range of certifications to develop your skills with minimal prerequisites required to start your education and the essentials series can be taken for free to begin your career path.

    Prerequisites.
    If you have already developed your IT and Networking skills the Ethical Hacking Essentials (EHE) certification can act as a great introduction to multiple security testing disciplines.

    Roles.
    As this certification is more of an introduction to several security disciplines to develop your knowledge for further examinations, this certification alone may not progress your career beyond an existing IT role.

    EC-Council Certified Ethical Hacker CEH

    EC-Council CEH

    The Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) certification provides an introductory route for those looking to specialize within the security sector, with further specialization opportunities within the EC-Council’s set of available certifications.

    Prerequisites.
    The Certified Ethical Hacker course covers a broad range of topics related to security testing processes across a range of different technologies. It is recommended to already have a developed set of core IT and network skills to progress through this course, which can be from either prior qualifications or industry experience.

    Roles.
    As the CEH certification is aimed at an introduction to multiple security testing processes, the career path for this qualification will be aimed toward penetration testing and other security roles.

    EC-Council Certified Ethical Hacker Master CEH

    EC-Council CEH Master

    CEH Master is a combination of first obtaining the CEH certification and then completing the CEH Practical exam. The two together make up the CEH master certification, combining both theory and practical skills within various security testing disciplines.

    Prerequisites.
    The Certified Ethical Hacker Practical Assessment consists of the same syllabus as the CEH assessment but is focused on practical skills rather than theory.

    The assessment will require the Certified Ethical Hacker certification, but it is also recommended to have experience working as a security tester to develop the necessary practical skills for the assessment.

    Roles.
    This certification works to develop your existing knowledge and skills working as a penetration tester and should be seen as a career progression to more senior roles within the same career path.

    EC-Council Certified Penetration Testing CPENT

    EC-Council CPENT

    The Certified Penetration Testing (CPENT) certification is aimed towards already experienced cybersecurity professionals who aim to further develop their skills and careers.

    The certification requires the demonstration of a broad range of practical skills such as ethical hacking, security strategy, and cloud security, in addition to submitting a security test report, which will further evidence your knowledge and expertise with the types of security issues encountered.

    Prerequisites.
    The CPENT certification progresses upon the skills developed under prior EC-Council certifications and it is recommended to already have the CEH Master certification or similar industry experience.

    Roles.
    This certification further develops and establishes your knowledge and expertise within security testing across a broad range of disciplines and is aimed at further progressing your knowledge and career within the security testing career path.

    CREST Certification Route

    vendor specific cyber security certification path

    If you are based in the UK the CREST certification body is often sought after for applicants looking to start a career path within Penetration Testing and offers multiple certification exams.

    Although the CREST organization is established internationally, job listings outside of the UK may not often list the CREST certification as a requirement so it is recommended to review both the qualifications listed on your desired job and the previous qualifications listed in this post as an alternative to CREST if not based in the UK.

    CREST also has several specialization exams for both threat analysis and incident response if you prefer to develop your skillset within the defensive security sector.

    As the CREST certification route doesn’t cover the introductory level qualifications for IT skills and is a specialist organization for cyber security, it is recommended to have several years of experience beforehand within the IT sector, developing your knowledge of networks and multiple IT disciplines.

    CREST Practitioner Security Analyst CPSA

    CREST Practitioner Security Analyst (CPSA)

    If you are looking into the cybersecurity sector, specifically working within penetration testing in the UK, the CPSA exam can be a great introductory exam to cover your knowledge of a variety of IT systems, networking skills, security hardening techniques, and security testing processes.

    Prerequisites.
    As the CPSA exam requires a range of IT Skills and knowledge from different disciplines, it is recommended to have several years of industry experience in a related IT role or to progress through other qualification routes to obtain the set of skills listed within the exam syllabus.

    Roles.
    As this certification is aimed at those looking for a career as a Penetration Tester, a junior position in this role would be the next targeted career step.

    CREST Registered Penetration Tester CRT

    CREST Registered Penetration Tester (CRT)

    To develop your career as a Penetration Tester within the UK, the CRT exam provides a logical next step from the CPSA exam. This exam will test your practical skills largely developed from the CPSA examination process and can work to develop your career prospects within penetration testing.

    Prerequisites.
    The CPSA certification is required to have been obtained before undertaking the CRT exam. CRT will assess a broad range of security skills, from identifying vulnerabilities to exploitation, and so the skills necessary would ideally have been obtained from a year or two working as a junior penetration tester.

    Roles.
    As the CRT certification is a progression from the CPSA certification, more senior penetration testing roles would be sought after once obtaining this qualification.

    CREST Certified Tester Application CCT APP

    CREST Certified Tester Application (CCT APP)

    As further skills and career development opportunities, CREST offers several CREST Certified qualifications, with each aimed towards specialization within a specific discipline.

    The CREST Certified Tester Application (CCT APP) certification, delves into much more depth for Web applications and the unique testing techniques and vulnerabilities that can be identified and exploited for a web application.

    Prerequisites.
    While the previous two CREST cybersecurity certifications are not a requirement for taking the CCT certification exam, the skills that are developed from the previous certifications in addition to multiple years of industry experience working as a penetration tester are recommended for completing this certification.

    Roles.
    This certification provides further development and progression to a career within the security industry working as a penetration tester with a specialization in application testing.

    CREST Certified Tester Infrastructure CCT INF

    CREST Certified Tester Infrastructure (CCT INF)

    As further skills and career development opportunities, CREST offers several CREST Certified qualifications, with each aimed towards specialization within a specific discipline.

    The CREST Certified Tester Infrastructure (CCT INF) certification, expands upon the skills developed within the CRT qualification but progresses into further depth with security testing of various infrastructure types and requires more in-depth knowledge of enumeration and testing techniques for devices which can be found on external or internal networks.

    Prerequisites.
    While the previous two CREST cybersecurity certifications are not a requirement for taking the CCT certification exam, the skills that are developed from the previous certifications in addition to multiple years of industry experience working as a penetration tester are recommended for completing this certification.

    Roles.
    This certification provides further development and progression to a career within the security industry working as a penetration tester with a specialization in infrastructure testing.

    OffSec Certification Route

    vendor specific cyber security certification path

    OffSec provides a further option for a security training course and certification scheme. OffSec specializes in the offensive security sector and offers both training and certifications toward this career path.

    As OffSec are cyber security specialists, the core IT and Network fundamentals knowledge and skills will need to be developed through industry experience or prior certifications.

    The OSCP certification is a commonly sought-after certification for those looking to work as a penetration tester but should not be considered a certification for beginners.

    OffSec Offensive Security Certified Professional OSCP

    OffSec OSCP

    To develop and progress your career within the security sector the Offensive Security Certified Professional (OSCP) exam is considered one of the more highly technical and challenging cybersecurity certifications to obtain which is in high demand and is targeted at more experienced security professionals.

    Prerequisites.
    In addition to core IT and Network skills, the learning platform for OffSec offers “Essentials” training courses for network penetration testing, exploit development, and more, which are recommended in advance of the Offensive Security Certified Professional exam as many of the topics covered under the “Essentials” courses will be encountered on the OSCP exam.

    The certification process also allows several days of “lab access” which can be used for preparation before an exam attempt, which can be particularly useful if only paying for one exam attempt.

    Roles.
    The Offensive Security Certified Professional exam is considered a more advanced certification and is often taken by those who already have industry experience as a security tester so isn’t necessarily for beginner roles but can work towards career progression for similar security testing roles.

    Conclusion

    cyber security certification for career growth

    It can take time and discipline to develop the range of skills necessary for working within the cybersecurity industry, however, the benefits and rewards for achieving your desired career path can make it all worthwhile.

    There is a common skills shortage for cybersecurity professionals. Starting this career path early can help to secure your career prospects into the future for an in-demand career with the potential for growth and progression into many different niches and disciplines.

    Developing your skillset and obtaining industry-recognized certifications can help accelerate your career growth in multiple specializations. Whether you want to grow your career within the offensive or defensive security sector will determine what are the best cybersecurity certifications for you.

    With some time and dedication, you can achieve your sought-after career, and hopefully, some certifications can help you along the path.

    Listing the best certificate can be very subjective and depends upon several factors.

    Depending upon your current skillset, whether you want to work in the offensive or defensive security sector, and the list of certificates requested by employers, can all determine which certificate to start with.

    If unsure where to start some courses that cover a broad range of fundamentals for both offensive and defensive security topics can allow you to specialize at a later date, although you should always consider the cost of certification if unsure about your career path.

    Yes. Certification is a standardised way to demonstrate your knowledge and skills but not necessarily the only way.

    If you have worked on projects, have job experience, a degree, or can demonstrate your expertise in other ways this can help to start your career in cybersecurity.

    There are many people who start their careers without having any certifications, and while certification can help your application process it isn’t absolutely necessary.

    Yes, there are a few free courses for cybersecurity. While some do not provide a certificate unless you pay, many offer free course content and training material.

    Other training and development platforms are available which can help to develop your skills in cybersecurity for free. For a list of freely available courses and training platforms, read the following post, “Free Cyber Security Courses“

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