Why to Pursue a Career in Cyber Threat Intelligence

Cybercriminals are continually on the move, looking for ways to conduct cyberattacks and hack into networks across the globe. The annual cost associated with cybercrime damages equates to trillions of dollars each year, with experts predicting that global cybercrime damages will likely exceed USD 10.5 trillion annually by 2025 (Porteous, 2021).

With numbers like these, the need for qualified cybersecurity professionals and threat intelligence analysts is evident. Read on to learn what a career in threat intelligence entails, how to land your first threat intelligence job, and how to become a Certified Threat Intelligence Analyst (C|TIA) with EC-Council.

What Is a Threat Intelligence Analyst?

If you’ve got an analytical mind, the ability to think critically, and a strong understanding of the cybersecurity industry, becoming a threat intelligence analyst might be a great next step in your career path. But what does a threat intelligence career truly entail?

Put simply, threat intelligence professionals are trained to perceive and neutralize threats before cyberattacks can actually take place. Threat intelligence analysts serve within an organization’s cybersecurity ecosystem, where they work to combat existing and emerging threats. It’s important for threat intelligence analysts to understand the following three domains (ZeusCybersec, 2021):

Tactical: Intelligence gained through analyzing data and research that enables analysts to identify Indicators of Compromise (IOCs) within an organization.

Operational: Intelligence gained through learning how cybercriminals and groups think and operate that allows analysts to conduct threat monitoring and vulnerability management.

Strategic: Intelligence that involves taking findings and presenting them in an easily understandable form to key personnel within an organization to identify where cybersecurity weaknesses exist and determine what changes need to be made.

How to Start a Threat Intelligence Career

If threat intelligence sounds like a career path for you, consider starting with EC-Council’s C|TIA program, which offers IT and security professionals the ability to advance their threat intelligence careers through an industry-respected cybersecurity certification.

The Ins and Outs of EC-Council’s Certified Threat Intelligence Analyst Program

The C|TIA program will equip you with all the knowledge and skills you need to land your first threat intelligence job and a successful threat intelligence career. In the C|TIA program, you’ll learn about:

◉ What threat intelligence entails

◉ How to understand cyberthreats and the Cyber Kill Chain methodology

◉ Data collection and processing

◉ Data analysis

◉ Intelligence reporting and dissemination

The C|TIA program is ideal for those looking to work as:

◉ Security practitioners, engineers, analysts, specialists, architects, and managers

◉ Threat intelligence analysts, associates, researchers, and consultants

◉ Security operations center professionals

◉ Digital forensic and malware analysts

◉ Incident response team members

Average Threat Intelligence Analyst Salary

Along with acquiring superior threat intelligence skills, earning a threat intelligence analyst certification can be a great addition to your resume when seeking a job in the field. The average annual salary for a cyber intelligence analyst in the United States is USD 85,353, with those in the 90th percentile and above making upwards of USD 119,500 (ZipRecruiter, 2022).

Source: eccouncil.org