You may laugh, but Vulnerability Assessment Analysts are actually cybersecurity trouble-seekers.
They scan applications, systems and networks all the time, looking for vulnerabilities and deviations from acceptable configurations, enclave policy or local policy. They then present their findings in a comprehensive list or report (the vulnerability assessment) so that their clients can use it to improve their security posture.
This role covers both vulnerability assessment and penetration testing and sometimes also extends to some elements of red teaming.
Remember, Vulnerability assessments and penetration tests tend to be list-orientated activities, typically following a set methodology. Red teaming, on the other hand, follows a goal-orientated approach by mimicking real-world threats and simulating attacks.
This role ultimately involves picking systems apart, prioritizing issues, and presenting these findings in a report for the client.
What Are His Typical work duties?
The end goal for a Vulnerability Assessment Analyst is the vulnerability assessment or penetration testing report. This report will address key security vulnerabilities and misconfigurations detected by the assessment, and detail the effectiveness of security measures and architectures (such as the defence-in-depth architecture). They get to this point by searching and analyzing applications, systems and networks; the analyst must be incredibly thorough and thus should have a genuine interest in unpicking such infrastructure.
Specifically, a Vulnerability Assessment Analyst will find themselves carrying out the following duties:
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Identifying exploitable flaws in applications and systems
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Conducting vulnerability assessments for networks, applications and OS
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Conducting network security audits and scanning on a predetermined basis
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Using automated tools to identify vulnerabilities and reduce time wastage
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Testing methods manually to understand the environment and reduce false negatives
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Compiles and tracks vulnerabilities and mitigation results to quantify program effectiveness
What skills do Vulnerability Assessment Analysts need?
This role demands various skills, the most important of which are shown below:
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Penetration testing
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Social engineering
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Threat-behaviour mimicry
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Intrusion detection
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Network analysis
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Event log interpretation
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Security framework knowledge
What qualifications are required?
The primary requirement here is a sincere interest in hacking and cybersecurity. Some employers will desire a Bachelor’s degree in a related field, such as Computer Science, but this is not essential. Even for those with little relevant education, this career path is accessible with the right work experience (often cited as 2–3 years for entry-level roles).
This Article Was Written & published by Meena R, Senior Manager - IT, at Luminis Consulting Services Pvt. Ltd, India.
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