Introduction to Cyber Security Salary

Cyber Security or Computer Security is a process of protecting systems, networks, data, and devices from unauthorized access. With the growth in digital technology, more cyber crimes are increasing, and to provide a secure environment to customers and companies; there is a huge demand for cyber security. Cyber security professionals use their skills and knowledge to safeguard confidential data, networks, applications, devices, and other digital assets.

The Internet is everywhere, from education to business, bill payments, transactions, government and defense, public and private companies, and many more are using online mode for their functions and day-to-day tasks. This increasing use and reliability of internet computing and online communication have increased cyber attacks in the form of malware, unauthorized access, phishing, and man-in-the-middle attacks.

“Cyber Security is a protection layer to online data, money, computer devices, and everything undergoing internet usage.”

Cyber attacks are not of fixed pattern, new ways of cyber attacks generate frequently. The increasing attacks enhanced the demand for cyber security aspirants, but supply differs from industry requirements. The gap in skilled cyber security professionals increased the job opportunities and salaries for cyber security professionals.

There is no question why we need cyber security as it is similar to using security guards to protect money and other precious assets. In the same way, we need cyber security professionals to safeguard everything that is using the Internet from monetary to data loss. 

You will be surprised to know the average starting cyber security salary in India is ₹6.0 LPA, and the salary increases with the job designation and experience. The demand for cyber security professionals in India and around the globe is expanding daily. As per LinkedIn, there are 3000+ open jobs for cyber security professionals. As per the US Bureau of Labour Force, there is a 33% growth in cyber security professionals from 2020 to 2030 around the world and India is not untouched by this growth. 

In this blog, I will tell you about the cyber security salary for various job roles, factors affecting cyber security salary, and much more. So be with me till the end. 

Big Picture of Cyber Security

The process of using skills and knowledge to provide security to everything which is using the internet for computation and communication, like computers, data, networks, and applications, is called cyber security.

Cyber security professionals can be related to the one doing his task to protect something. 

Why do we need Cyber Security? 

Digitization made the use of the internet very common. From the commoner to the businessman, everyone is using digital data for communication through the internet. 

Banks and other eCommerce Companies are processing all their transactions online. There is a threat of unwanted attacks with monetary and data loss. We need someone to provide a robust security sheet so unauthorized people cannot access the confidentiality.

The government, with the defense department, has confidential information about the country and its various departments. They all are working and communicating through online mediums like sharing information, doing everyday work. It is very important to provide a strong security to sensitive information of the government and defense department.

Hospitals have patients with machinery and health track records. If someone attacks and deletes all data, diagnosing and getting the patient’s history will be very difficult. 

Above are a few examples of domains that need cyber security. Everyone needs cyber security to protect their information, devices, and money, from large organizations to small companies.

Highest Paying Cyber Security Jobs

There are multiple options for jobs in cyber security, and the type of job decides your package and work culture. Here are some of the highest-paying cyber security jobs:

• Network Security Engineer 

A network Security Engineer is a technically skilled and vital asset of a big and mid-sized organization, helping to provide a secure network to LAN, WLAN, and server architectures. They build robust protocols to enhance the security of an organization’s network. There are multiple jobs for Network Security Engineers in MNCs, and the best organizations pay a handsome salary.

1. Salary of Network Security Engineer

A Network Security Engineer has an average salary of ₹5.6 LPA, ranging between ₹ 3.0 LPA to ₹ 12.0 LPA per salary of 4.9k by AmbitionBox. The salary depends on the various posts of the Network Security Engineer.

Designation	Average Salary	Salary Range
Senior Network Security Engineer	₹ 10 LPA	₹5 LPA – ₹22 LPA
Network Support Engineer	₹2.7 LPA	₹1.2 LPA – ₹6.2 LPA
Network Engineer	₹3.4 LPA	₹1.8 LPA – ₹7.6 LPA

2. Eligibility for Network Security Engineer:

1. 1. Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science.
   2. Professional Certificate like:
      1. CISSP
      2. CISM
      3. Cisco
      4. CCIE Security
      5. CCNA

3. Demanding Skills for Network Security Engineer

1. 1. Network Architecture.
   2. Firewall
   3. VPN (Virtual Private Network)
   4. CCNA
   5. Switching
   6. Troubleshooting various network problems
   7. Routing
   8. WAN & LAN

• Cyber Security Engineer

These professionals are responsible for designing, implementing, and developing security solutions and management policies for Hardware & Software to protect a network, information, and IT assets. 

Cyber Security Engineers are also recognized as Data security engineers, IT security engineers, or Web security engineers. 

They combine their skills of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering to understand cyberspace and find solutions. Along with designing, they continuously test and upgrade the systems for better security from new attacks.

1. Salary of Cyber Security Engineer

A cyber security engineer has an average salary of ₹6.0 LPA, lying in the range of ₹3.1 LPA to ₹18.0 LPA. The estimation is based on the 679 salaries by AmbitionBox.

Multiple companies, like TCS, Wipro, HCLTech, FICO, etc., have different cyber
security salaries.

2. Eligibility for Cyber Security Engineer

1. 1. 1. Bachelor’s degree in CS, IT, or equivalent field.
      2. 2 years of experience in cyber security with related terms.
      3. Professional Certifications.
      4. Knowledge of languages like Java, C++, Ruby, R, or Node

3. Demanding Skills for Cyber Security Engineer

1. 1. Java 
   2. Linux
   3. Communication Skills
   4. Network Security
   5. SIEM
   6. Software Troubleshooting
   7. Ruby
   8. Python  

• Information Security Manager

These technically skilled professionals use their knowledge to safeguard the information, network, and database from malicious attacks, viruses, and other security breaches.  They identify the vulnerable information areas with a close look for a strong password, anti-virus software, and firewall.

They manage all team members with security training and organizing tasks.

Information security Manager is also recognized as an IT Security Manager and Information System Security Manager.

1. Salary of Information Security Manager

An Information Security Manager has an average salary of ₹18.0 LPA, ranging between ₹8.0 LPA to ₹36.0 LPA, an estimation based on 900 salaries by AmbitionBox. Multiple companies, like TCS, Infosys, Standard Chartered Bank, Capgemini, etc., provide different wages per the candidate’s standard.

Table showing estimated salaries (by AmbitionBox) of different designations of Information Security Manager

Designation	Average Salary	Salary Range
Information Security Engineer	₹7.5 LPA	₹3.1 LPA – ₹21.6 LPA
Information Security Analyst	₹5.5 LPA	₹3.0 LPA – ₹13.22 LPA
Information Security Consultant	₹8.0 LPA	₹3.1 LPA – ₹22.0 LPA

2. Eligibility for Information Security Manager

• • Bachelor’s degree in CS, IT, or Information Security.
  • Working experience with some company.
  • Professional Certifications and Masters Degree (optional). The various certifications are:
    • CISSP (Certified Information System Security Professional)
    • SSCP (System Security Certified Practitioner)
    • CCSP (Certified Cloud Security Professional)

3. Demanding Skills for Information Security Manager

• • ISO-27001
  • Risk Management
  • Security Management
  • Information Security
  • Cisa
  • ISMA
  • Cissp
  • Auditing

• Application Security Engineer

Every other organization and company is using applications for their functioning and connection. The Application Security Engineer plays a crucial role in designing a secure environment for an application. They are not the developers but actively participate in the whole SDLC process. 

An application Security Engineer is a professional who develops a secure environment for developing each module of an application. They maintain software security through authentication, authorization, encryption, logging, and application security testing. 

They test the source code using various testing techniques like email testing, mobile testing, interactive testing, static AppSec testing, and more.

1. Salary of Application Security Engineer

An Application Security Engineer has an average salary of ₹6.4 LPA, ranging between ₹4.0 LPA to ₹22.9 LPA, an estimation based on 156 salaries by AmbitionBox. Multiple companies like Cisco, Coupa Software Inc, AppDirect, Wirecard, Atos, etc., pay different wages.

The average salary of a senior Application Security Engineer is ₹11 LPA, ranging between ₹5.3 LPA and ₹30.0 LPA. 

2. Eligibility for Application Security Engineer

• • Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science.
  • Working Experience.
  • Professional Certifications like:
    • CISSP (Certified System Security Professional)
    • CISA (Certified Information System Auditor)
    • CHFI (Certified Hacking Forensics Investigator)

3. Demanding Skills for Application Security Engineer

• • Python
  • Penetration Testing
  • OWASP
  • Agile
  • Coding
  • SQL
  • Javascript
  • Linux
  • AWS
  • Application Security

• Cyber Security Analyst

Cyber Security Analyst is a highly professional individual proficient in Network and Infrastructure security. He protects an organization’s online data, applications, and digital assets by detecting attacks, viruses, or security breaches.

This job includes keeping an eye on the latest security attacks and vulnerable areas. He identifies the security breaches, triggers a security alert, and responds with mitigation factors. 

This working profile has an excellent cyber security salary, and multiple good companies like HCLTech, Capgemini, TCS, Wipro, etc., are paying a fantastic amount to freshers and experienced professionals.

1. Salary of Cyber Security Analyst

Cyber Security Analyst has an average salary of ₹5 LPA, ranging between  ₹3 LPA and  ₹10 LPA, an estimation based on 4.7k salaries by AmbitionBox. The other similar designations of cyber security analysts are as follows:

Designation	Average Salary	Salary Range
Security Analyst	₹5.1 LPA	₹3.1 LPA –  ₹10.0 LPA
Senior Security Analyst	₹9.5 LPA	₹4.9 LPA –  ₹17.9 LPA

2. Eligibility for Cyber Security Analyst

• • Bachelor’s degree in CS, IT, Security, or equivalent subjects.
  • Experience in general IT roles.
  • Some professional certifications like:
    • CISSP
    • CISA
    • Security+
    • CEH

3. Demanding Skills for Cyber Security Analyst

• • Security Analyst
  • Information Security
  • SIEM
  • Python
  • Network Security
  • Networking
  • Firewall
  • Windows

Hierarchy of Cyber Security Salary

Cyber Security is becoming popular, and its demand is continuously growing with more dependencies on the Internet. The cyber security salary differs for freshers or entry-level, and the wage increases with multiple experiences. Let’s check out the salary of a fresher and more experienced cyber security expert.

1. Fresher Payscale

A fresher’s average cyber security salary is ₹3.0 LPA, ranging between ₹2.0 LPA to ₹4.0 LPA. The estimation is based on 4 salaries by AmbitionBox.

The fresher salary of highly paid cyber security jobs are as follows:

S. no	Job Title	Average Salary	Salary Range
1.	Cyber Security Analyst (freshers)	₹4 LPA	₹2.1 LPA – ₹7.0 LPA
2.	Application Security Engineer (minimum 1 year experience)	₹5.8 LPA	₹3.8 LPA – ₹8.0 LPA
3.	Information Security Manager (minimum 6 years experience)	₹11.7 LPA	₹5.6 LPA – ₹20.0 LPA
4.	Cyber Security Engineer (Minimum 1 year experience)	₹4 LPA	₹3.0 LPA – ₹8.0 LPA
5.	Network Security Engineer (Minimum 2 years experience)	₹4.2 LPA	₹2.4 LPA – ₹7.7 LPA

All data is as per prediction based on salaries shared by different people on AmbitionBox.

2. Experienced Payscale

With experience, the cyber security salary of skilled individuals increases with no defined limits. The average salary of experienced cyber security professionals is ₹6 LPA, ranging between ₹2.0 LPA to ₹26.9 LPA. The estimation is based on the 77 salaries on AmbitionBox. 

I am listing the average salary (as per AmbitionBox) of some of the highest paying designations of cyber security experts with experience of more than 5 years.

S.No.	Job Title	Average Salary	Salary Range
	Cyber Security Analyst	₹6.9 LPA	₹4.0 LPA – ₹11.3 LPA
	Application Security Engineer	₹14.0 LPA	₹4.5 LPA – ₹33.3 LPA
	Information Security Manager (10 years of experience)	₹17.0 LPA	₹7.7 LPA – ₹32.7 LPA
	Cyber Security Engineer	₹7.5 LPA	₹4.0 LPA – ₹19.5 LPA
	Network Security Engineer	₹6.3 LPA	₹3.3 LPA – ₹11.8 LPA

Factors Influencing Cyber Security Salary

The average salary of a Cyber Security aspirant is ₹6.0 LPA, but the salary figure depends on various distinguishing factors. Multiple factors help in increasing or decreasing the wages of an individual. Two similar people can get different salaries as per location or company. Some of the elements are as follows:

1. Cyber Security Salary based on Location

Location is one of the prime factors in deciding your salary. If you are in metro cities of India, you will get a much higher amount than those working from y cities. Similarly, you will get an even higher salary if you work in developed countries like America, Canada, etc.

I am listing the cyber security salaries in some of the big cities of India. 

S.No	City (Location)	Average Salary
	Bangalore	₹5,50,000 per year
	Gurugram	₹6,24,508 per year
	Chennai	₹5,00,000 per year
	Mumbai	₹4,60,304 per year
	Pune	₹5,00,000 per year

The average salary is based on the estimation by GlassDoor.

2. Cyber Security Salary based on Experience

Another factor that influences cyber security salary is work experience. Experience plays a unique role in determining your salary. Pay is directly proportional to the working years of experience. The operational experience in the industry is summarized in the following points:

• Entry-Level Salary

The average salary of an entry-level or fresher in cyber security is  ₹3.0 LPA, lying between the range of  ₹2.0 LPA to  ₹4.0 LPA. The estimation is based on the information by AmbitionBox. 

There are more than 100 entry-level cyber security jobs on LinkedIn and multiple jobs on other job portals.

• Early-Career Level Salary

The early-career level is the one who has an experience of fewer than 5 years. Their average salary is  ₹6.6 LPA, with the lowest salary being ₹2.8 LPA and the highest salary being ₹10.0 LPA (data collected by AmbitionBox)

• Mid-Career Level Salary

You will be at this level when you have an experience of 5 to 9 years in the industry. They are very skilled professional security experts. The average salary of a mid-career level cyber security professional is  ₹15.4 LPA – ₹20 LPA. 

• Senior Level Salary

The ones having an experience of more than 10 years are considered senior cyber security experts. The senior level h
as no bounds on salary, and an average wage is more than  ₹25 LPA. 

3. Cyber Security Salary based on Skills and Degree

Degrees help in increasing the cyber security salary as degree holders are professional and only need ways to implement learning. If you’re a Computer Science or Information Technology engineer, you can draw a good amount of money. 

Having professional certification adds stars to your resume. Along with a degree, you need both technical and non-technical skills to have a handsome pay scale. 

1. Technical Skills

   1. Information Security
   2. Python and other programming languages
   3. Networking
   4. DevOps
   5. Infrastructure and Operating System
   6. Hardware and software

2. Non-Technical Skills

   1. Team Player
   2. Communication skills
   3. Team leader
   4. Presentation skills
   5. Problem solving

4. Cyber Security Salary based on Work Profile/ Job Designation

At the initial stage, an individual starts at the junior level as a cyber security professional. Cyber security aspirants have several work profiles: Network Security engineers, Cyber Security engineers, Information Security Managers, Application Security engineers, Cyber Security Analysts, ethical hackers, and more. These all are the highest paying cyber security jobs. 

The type of job decides the salary and responsibilities. According to interest, one can choose among the various job profiles.

5. Cyber Security Salary based on Company

Big companies pay more to their employees as they have big projects and more profit margins. A cyber security expert in an MNC or big company will have more income as big companies spend more to secure their highly confidential data and IT assets. 

I am presenting the salaries of some of the top cyber security companies.

Company	Experience in years	Average Salary	Salary Range
Wipro	3-14	₹ 9.4 LPA	₹ 2.8 LPA –  ₹ 17.0 LPA
Infosys	0-3	₹ 4.8 LPA	₹ 4 LPA –  ₹ 7 LPA
Aujas Networks	4-6	₹ 14 LPA	₹ 10 LPA –  ₹ 16 LPA
TCS	1-4	₹ 4 LPA	₹ 3.8 LPA –  ₹ 4.2 LPA
HCLTech	2	₹ 5.2 LPA	₹ 4.5 LPA –  ₹ 6 LPA

Tips to Become Cyber Security Expert

I hope you get an idea of cyber security professionals’ jobs and emoluments with all the industry’s hikes and demands. The demand for skilled cyber security professionals is increasing with more use of the internet. Cyber security job is for the one who loves problem-solving and keeps updated with the latest security attacks. 

Here is a  list of all the requirements to be a skilled and highly qualified cyber security expert. 

1. Education

Grab a bachelor’s degree in Cyber Security, Computer science, Information technology, or its equivalent fields to be an excellent and well-recognized cyber security expert. 

You can also do online cyber security degree courses from affiliated and good online institutes.

2. Certificate

Certificates make it easy to have a cyber security job in a good company; as per Burning Glass’ cyber security hiring report, 60% of companies ask for cyber security certifications. Even other jobs also demand professional certifications. 

The best certificates of cyber security are as follows:

1. Certified Ethical Hacker
2. CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professionals)
3. CISA (Certified Information Systems Auditor)
4. Network+
5. Security+
6. LPT (Licensed Penetration Testing)

3. Experience and Internship

You can start your career with some internship to have work exposure and to know the industry’s work culture. If you have already worked on some IT posts, you can start your career with a company after having cyber security certifications. 

Freshers are mostly not allowed to work as cyber security experts as this job deals with important job roles and responsibilities. 

But cyber security analysts can start their career directly after completing a bachelor’s degree as a fresher.

4. Networking

To grow in any field, it is a must to have contacts so that you have recommendations and information about vacancies. You can make connections through LinkedIn or with your friends.

Conclusion

Cyber Security salary has no bounds for skilled and highly experienced professionals; there is a huge gap between industry demand and qualified professionals. Cyber security is the right choice if you want a career with new daily challenges and love problem-solving. 

Per Purple Security study, there were 30,000 cyber attacks every day in 2018, and by 2021 every organization will be targeted by attackers every 11 sec.

I hope you take an image of cyber security salary in India. Today, government, private, and public organizations want to secure their online data and other digital assets. To be a Cyber Security Expert, you only need relevant skills and updates to get an excellent cyber security salary. Click know more about Cyber Security.

Frequently Asked Question’s

1. Is cyber security high paying?

With digitization, cyber security salary is undoubtedly increased and are continuously growing with the increased gap in industry demand and supply of skilled professionals. A Cyber security analyst has an average salary of ₹5 LPA, ranging between  ₹3 LPA and  ₹10 LPA, an estimation based on 4.7k salaries by AmbitionBox. 

Some cyber security jobs are even paid higher than most IT jobs. You can easily make a six-figure cyber security salary with good experience and problem-solving skills. Ethical hackers have a huge demand, impressive package, and additional benefits. Cyber security salary is affected by several factors, including location, company, job title, and experience.

2. What is the starting salary of cyber security?

The starting cyber security salary is not bounded and depends on the company and your job role. You can easily get a handsome salary if you are a skilled and experienced cyber security expert. 

Different job roles have different cyber security salary like:

Job Role	Starting Cyber Security Salary
Network security engineer	₹ 3.0 LPA
Cyber security analyst	₹3 LPA
Cyber security engineer	₹3.1 LPA
Information security manager	₹8.0 LPA
Application security engineer	₹4.0 LPA

There is a good demand for cyber security experts, and some of its jobs pay an impressive initial cyber security salary. If you have problem-solving skills and keep updated with new arising attacks, you have a good opportunity in the cyber security field.

3. Is cyber security a good career?

Yes, cyber security is a promising career, and anyone can start working as a cyber security professional after having a bachelor’s degree in CS or IT. The industry is paying an excellent cyber security salary. 

Companies demand experts who can safeguard their online functioning from unauthorized access, malicious attacks, phishing, and other online attacks. 

Cyber security is a field of new challenges every day. Cyber security professionals are the individuals who use their knowledge to provide a secure environment for data, money transactions, software and hardware, and network.

The average cyber security salary is  ₹6.0 LPA, which is a considerable amount to start as a fresher.

4. What is the monthly income of cyber security?

The average monthly cyber security salary is ₹ 45,597 – ₹ 46,678. The starting monthly cyber security salary is ₹16,666.66, as estimated by AmbitionBox. 

Multiple factors decide a cyber security salary. According to Glassdoor, the monthly cyber security salary is  ₹50,000. Different companies and job profiles significantly affect individual salaries. Cyber security specialists play a crucial role in helping organizations to protect their data, network, applications, and other online means. The highest monthly cyber security salary is  ₹216,666.

If you have more certifications and experience, your salary increases to an extended limit, and cyber security is a growing career with many opportunities.

5. Is a cyber security job stressful?

Cyber security job is for the one who enjoys solving new and challenging problems. It is not stressful and is an entirely different job profile. The exciting thing about cyber security is that you will have new tasks and not get bored. 

Cyber security is a different profile, where experts need to be updated with the new attacks and how an attacker can attack or breach the security. Every time, cyber security specialists need to be in an alert mode to synchronize with the team members.

Along with job responsibilities, there is an excellent cyber security salary. As per Payscale, the average cyber security salary is ₹602,220.

6. Does cyber security use math?

At a broad level, its answer is NO; no complex mathematics is involved in a cyber security job. It is a technical field that uses concepts of Computer Science.

At the entry-level, you will use basic math to solve problems you already use in your everyday life. Mathematics helps solve real-world problems and is the base to code for computer understanding. 

If you have basic knowledge of mathematics, then the cyber security salary also increases, making it easy to get a job. If you are more skilled, there are more chances of a higher cyber security salary.

7. Does cybersecurity require coding?

No, not really. Coding is not mandatory for getting entry into the cyber security field. At the initial level, you can easily start your career with cyber security terminologies and Computer science knowledge. But, with experience and at senior posts having good coding and programming knowledge helps to grow your career and make deep success roots.

Coding is one of many required skills for most IT jobs, and in the case of cyber security, if you have basic knowledge of writing code, this helps enhance your cyber security salary. The essential requirement is a problem-solving attitude.

8. Which degree is best for cyber security?

Cyber security is a computer science discipline and a technical job requiring a degree in Computer Science or Information Technology for any cyber security designation. An aspirant can take various cyber security courses from different online and offline institutions.

You can have a degree in the following disciple to have a career in cyber security:

• CS
• Networking
• Database Management
• Cloud computing
• IT
• Computer Hardware Engineering

To earn an excellent cyber security salary and position, grab certifications by working on soft and hard skills. 

Expert cyber security professionals have multiple opportunities and a good career path. As per GlassDoor, the initial cyber security salary is ₹774k annually.

9. How many hours do cyber security work?

The working hours depend on the job profile, company, and team members. Cyber security is a busy and full-time job. On average, a cyber security analyst works 30 to 40 hours weekly. Even after office hours, he works through calls. 

In emergencies, you need to work more. It is not a tough job; professionals work from 9 AM to 5 PM, 5 days a week. If a cyber security expert works with a small organization and is the only security expert, then working hours may differ.

With that, the cyber security salary also motivates employees to work, as companies have a handsome salary.

10. What are the skills required for cyber security?

To enter the field of cyber security, you need to have a degree in Information Technology or Computer Science. Cyber security salary is effected by both technical and non-technical skills.

The technical skills are as follows:

• Information Security
• Python and other programming languages
• Networking
• DevOps
• Infrastructure and Operating System
• Hardware and software

Non-technical skills are as follows:

• Team Player
• Communication skills
• Team leader
• Presentation skills
• Problem-solving

Cyber security is a demanding career. You can effortlessly learn cyber security through online courses from the best institute like US. Adding skills to the knowledge base means an individual has more cyber security salary with a good company.