Cyber Threat Hunter Jobs

Latest Cyber Threat Hunter Jobs Listings

What do Cyber Threat Hunters Do?

Cyber Threat Hunters are IT professionals that work towards finding cybersecurity threats responsible for potentially compromising an organization. Once they are able to identify these threats, the specialists work towards mitigating the malicious risks before they concede the organization.

The intelligence gathered between these processes is essential for an organization in bettering their security system, ensuring that no new threats present themselves in the future.

In the simplest of words, cyber threat hunter jobs are responsible for continuously detecting, analyzing, and combating advanced threats. As a result, the other cybersecurity specialists further strengthen an organization’s security by introducing strategically advanced security tools.

Key Responsibilities

Cyber Threat Hunters are essentially responsible for safeguarding their organization’s security and digital assets. However, their obligations are much broader and more impactful than this, including:

Short-Term Responsibilities

• Search for and identify cyber threats.
• Monitor security access through regular assessments.
• Gather information on threat behavior.
• Organize and analyze the collected data to determine threat trends.
• Generate reports for IT administrators and business managers.
• Make relevant predictions for the future elimination of the cyber threat.

Long-Term Responsibilities

• Safeguard the company’s digital assets.
• Secure online infrastructures.
• Filtercompany metrics to avoid future threats.
• Plan for all security-related information.
• Draft disaster recovery plans.

Skills, Traits, and Experience

Cyber threat hunter jobs require certain traits that set them apart from other cybersecurity specialists. First and foremost, cyber threat hunters should have strong analytical and logical thinking skills, as they are required to identify and analyze various threats that are not always obvious.

Similarly, they need to have sound communication skills. These can bridge the gap between the cybersecurity department and the business managers. A cyber threat hunter should be able to easily explain the threat along with ways of mitigating the threat to any individual with little knowledge of cybersecurity.

Although some of these aforementioned traits are present naturally in individuals, some traits can be acquired through upskilling and gaining experience in practical work fields. For example, the necessary skills of problem-solving and project management are those that can be acquired through education and work experience.

Moreover, a stronghold in IT- and cybersecurity-related tasks is a necessity, as cyber threat hunters are constantly working in and with the tech departments of their respective companies.

Career Pathway

For a stable cyber threat hunter job, it is best to have a bachelor’s degree in computer science, programming, cybersecurity, or any related analytical field because rigorous training in cybersecurity will give you an added benefit over other employees that are new to the field.

Most of the organizations looking to hire cyber threat hunters require individuals who have a solid background in technology and cybersecurity.

However, the kind of background they are looking for is rather broad. For example, suppose you are an IT specialist working in the department of cybersecurity for over five years. In that case, you have the necessary experience to work as a cyber threat hunter due to your acquired skills and knowledge.

Hence, the best thing about cyber threat hunter jobs is that you can start at different cybersecurity positions and pivot into specialized jobs later. Most of the cyber threat hunters hired by the top organizations have already been working in the cybersecurity industry for over ten years, without specific concentration in threat hunting.

Degree, Qualification, and Certifications

Recommended Degree:

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, programming, or cybersecurity.
• Master’s degree in computer science, programming, or cybersecurity.
• Diplomas in cybersecurity and threat hunting.

Recommended Certifications:

• CompTIA
• Cybersecurity Analyst (CySA+)
• NexGenT boot camps.
• Certified Ethical Hacker.
• CWAPT Certified Penetration Tester.

Upward Mobility

If you don’t meet the given qualification criteria or are just looking to advance in cybersecurity, you can always opt for upskilling via boot camps and training modules.

Bootcamps and training modules are short and intensive programs that provide cyber threat hunters with all the skills, traits, and knowledge they need to excel in their specific field. Most of these programs are flexible and held virtually, making it easy for absolutely anyone to take part in them.

With experience gained from boot camps and training modules, individuals working in the IT field, or the cybersecurity field, can apply for cyber threat hunter jobs and even expect quick promotions.

How Much Money do Cyber Threat Hunters Make?

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, cyber threat hunters make a median annual wage of around USD 99,000. Whereas, ZipRecruiter states the average annual salary of a cyber threat hunter to be over USD 112,000.

However, the annual wage of cyber threat hunter jobs largely depends on the job role, company credentials, and job location. Hence, it could be that a cyber threat hunter can land a job that is higher paying, with extra benefits, especially if they work for multinational companies with greater business ranking and high rate of return.

Related Jobs

• Incident Analyst: Responsible for reviewing the cyber crimes that have already occurred piecing together relevant information to stop future cybercrimes.
• Compliance Analyst: Works on ensuring that the company follows industry regulations and government rules.
• Cybersecurity Analyst: Reviews the current security systems of the company, introducing strategic tools to prevent cybercrimes.
• Vulnerability Analyst: Responsible for running internal and external security audits to review possible points of vulnerability, especially areas that can put the company in danger.
• Certified Ethical Hacker: Work on conducting advanced penetration tests on the company’s security system to identify any possible breaches. As a result, company security systems can be strengthened.