What Do Security Engineers Actually Do? A Day in the Life
What would you say you do here?
Security engineeers are tasked with safeguarding our networks and data from the clutches of cybervillains. But what does their day-to-day life actually entail? We take a light-hearted and informative journey into the life of a security engineer, based on anonymous answers and tales from those working in the field (linked at the bottom).
The Daily Grind
Morning Ritual: Alerts and emails (also, coffee): A security engineer's day typically begins with checking alerts and emails for critical incidents, scanning reports from tools and dashboards, or addressing tickets that have come through overnight. Fueled by their passion and an undying love for caffeine, they're ready to tackle the day's challenges.
Meetings, diplomacy and advising colleagues: Security engineers engage in meetings and consultations with different departments, playing the role of diplomat as they advocate for better security practices across the company. This includes adherence to guidelines or aligning with industry standards, while also tackling unsolicited inquiries from curious coworkers.
The Technical Arsenal
Managing cybersecurity tools and policies: Security engineers are responsible for implementing, maintaining, and monitoring the suite of cybersecurity tools that protect the organization's assets. They thwart cyber threats by adjusting firewalls, creating policies, and managing credentials.
Penetration testing: The thrilling world of penetration testing involves using specialized software to exploit vulnerabilities in systems. Though it's not necessarily the highest-paid skill in cyber, penetration testing experience is invaluable for understanding an organization's security risks and weaknesses.
Forensics and incident response: (i.e., digital detective work: Security engineers must investigate potential incidents and respond to any breaches. This crucial role involves examining logs, performing forensic analysis, gathering information, executing a response, and mitigating any risk or damage.
Staying ahead - working on new technologies: With the ever-evolving cybersecurity landscape, security engineers are constantly learning and adapting to new technologies. They may develop custom tooling and solutions, adopt and integrate innovative strategies, and stay up-to-date with relevant industry certifications.
The Human Aspect
Building relationships and fostering communication: Security engineers must forge productive relationships with other teams in the organization to ensure information security best practices are followed. By advising on the implementation of secure systems, they help improve the organization's security posture and effectively communicate the importance of cyber safety.
Professional development: staying informed and networking: To be successful, security engineers must stay informed about the latest threats, news, and trends in information security. Networking with peers, attending conferences, and participating in online forums are essential elements of their professional development.
The love-hate relationship with visibility: The work is often challenging, and security engineers can find themselves grappling with the frustrating reality - the more effective they are at their jobs, the less visible they become to management. Despite this, the opportunity to protect sensitive data and maintain the cyber safety of an organization can be an incredibly rewarding experience.
When Shit Hits the Fan: Incident Response
Preparation is key: Effective incident management and response are crucial components of a security engineer's role. To stay ahead of cyber threats, organizations need a well-planned and documented incident response plan, outlining the steps to be taken when an incident occurs. Security engineers play a vital role in developing, updating, and testing these plans, ensuring they remain relevant and efficient in the face of evolving threats.
Detecting and analyzing incidents: Upon identifying a potential security incident, security engineers work closely with analysts and other team members to gather relevant data, analyze logs, and determine the scope and severity of the breach. This analysis enables them to assess the risk and prioritize their response accordingly.
Containing and eradicating the threat: Once the incident is understood, security engineers focus on containing the attack, isolating affected systems, and preventing the threat from spreading further. They work meticulously to eliminate any malicious elements from the network and restore systems to their normal state, all while ensuring minimal disruption to the organization's operations.
Recovery and post-incident analysis: After the threat has been neutralized, security engineers help organizations recover from the incident by restoring systems, validating the integrity of data, and confirming the security of the network. The recovery process may involve implementing additional security measures to address vulnerabilities and prevent future incidents. Following the recovery, a post-incident analysis is conducted to identify lessons learned, refine the response plan, and share insights with relevant stakeholders.
What's your experience?
In the ever-changing landscape of technology and cybersecurity, security engineers balance the rapid pace of innovation with the crucial task of securing networks and systems. Their daily responsibilities encompass a broad range of activities, from incident response and managing cybersecurity tools to fostering interdepartmental relationships and ongoing professional development. The work they do may not always be visible to those outside the field, but the value they bring to organizations is immense.
Does this reflect your experience in security engineering? What have we forgotten? We'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.
Sources used for this article:
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26056136
https://www.quora.com/What-is-it-like-to-be-a-security-engineer