Highest paying job in cyber security

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13 of the Highest Paying Cybersecurity Jobs

By Indeed Editorial Team

January 10, 2022

Cybersecurity professionals are in increasingly high demand as technology companies have started paying more attention to creating safe information storage systems. The duties of cybersecurity professionals help tech companies make sure that their users and employees don’t have to worry about data breaches or cyberattacks. If you’re looking to enter the cybersecurity industry, there are many well-compensated roles you might enjoy. In this article, we outline the 13 highest-paying cybersecurity jobs to consider.

Top 13 cybersecurity jobs

Over the last 20 years, people across the globe have started relying on technology more throughout their daily lives. From content management systems to e-readers and phones, smart devices and software have become progressively more prominent. Most of the public uses platforms like social media applications and mobile devices that store their personal data within security systems. With this popularization, users have become more interested in how companies are handling and accessing their private information.

Companies have a duty to protect consumer data. Because of this, cybersecurity is now a large and lucrative industry with the potential for enormous growth over the coming years. While there are many roles to choose from within the industry, nearly all cybersecurity roles pay upwards of six figures because the industry is vital to our society’s standard of living. If you’re interested in joining the field, you may want to narrow your search by considering the top-paying roles.

Here are 13 of the highest-paying cybersecurity jobs For the most up-to-date salary information from Indeed, click on the salary link by each job title below:

1. Information security analyst

National average salary: $94,422 per year

Primary duties: Information security analysts are responsible for installing protective software like firewalls to computer networks. They plan, carry out and monitor security measures to ensure safety and protect data infrastructures. When cyberattacks or breaches occur, analysts work to understand errors in their systems. Security analysts can work in the public sector, as consultants or for private corporations.

Read more: Learn About Being an Information Security Analyst

2. Identity manager

National average salary: $95,607 per year

Primary duties: Identity managers create onsite and cloud network environments that are safe for both customers and employees to use. Their goal is to provide solutions that manage information effectively and prevent unauthorized access to identifying information. In some cases, identity managers work with developers to create systems that accurately verify a user’s identity when they try to access platforms. Identity management is an essential and growing field, as many technology users are interested in knowing how their personal information is stored, accessed and shared by companies.

3. Cloud consultant

National average salary: $108,202 per year

Primary duties: Cloud consultants are specialists who work with internet-based cloud storage systems. Clients contract them to examine data and determine which cloud solutions best meet their needs in terms of storage capacity and security measures. From there, cloud consultants implement these systems and are usually responsible for system maintenance. In addition, they sometimes serve to customize cloud systems by creating programming code.

4. Security engineer

National average salary: $108,387 per year

Primary duties: Security engineers help safeguard computer networks and systems. Similar to security analysts, they plan and establish security measures by engineering or developing them. Not only do they create security standards, but they also implement measures and test systems for vulnerabilities. Security engineers are some of the most detail-oriented and meticulous members of cybersecurity teams, as security mishaps often involve small, hard-to-notice coding mistakes.

5. Network security engineer

National average salary: $109,281 per year

Primary duties: Network security engineers are primarily responsible for maintaining a private network’s safety by planning, designing, optimizing and auditing network systems. They continually troubleshoot processes in order to improve network efficiency and protect information from bugs and breaches. Their work serves to monitor existing dangers and rid systems of these threats. A large part of a network security engineer’s work is ensuring a network’s sustainability so that it can rebound from mishaps like cyberattacks.

6. Cloud engineer

National average salary: $114,841 per year

Primary duties: Cloud engineers work side by side with other engineers to identify efficient cloud-based security solutions for different companies. They plan, design and develop cloud-based applications to ensure they comply with security guidelines. Additionally, cloud engineers are responsible for debugging such platforms to optimize them for success. Cloud engineers are problem solvers, software developers and system engineers.

7. Risk manager

National average salary: $118,222 per year

Primary duties: Cybersecurity risk managers analyze systems and cross-examine their findings against industry standards and regulatory guidelines to assess risk. They work to ensure that no sensitive information or business operations are compromised by auditing security documentation. In addition, risk managers sometimes work alongside other team members to develop and maintain security measures.

8. Penetration tester

National average salary: $119,142 per year

Primary duties: Penetration testers are like the ethical hackers of the cybersecurity industry. They serve as specialists and are responsible for simulating attempted breaches on computer and network security systems. Their work helps companies identify security vulnerabilities and weaknesses that may otherwise go unnoticed in order to prevent potential breaches. Penetration testers can act as freelance consultants for different clients or as part of an in-house cybersecurity team for a larger company.

9. Senior security consultant

National average salary: $129,251 per year

Primary duties: Senior security consultants perform internal research and analysis of security networks to identify a system’s current strengths and weaknesses. From their analyses, they then advise different information technology teams on solutions like new tools or techniques that can strengthen their security. Senior security consultants also collect data from active breaches or attacks to respond to them and create preventative measures against future mishaps.

10. Chief information officer

National average salary: $129,299 per year

Primary duties: Chief information officers (CIO) are executives who lead companies’ information technology and computer security systems. They assess security processes, research and implement software upgrades and manage team members, like development personnel, by directing them to comply with a company’s best practices. Additionally, CIOs sometimes oversee customer service platforms and consider how technology can create business value.

11. Application security engineer

National average salary: $130,809 per year

Primary duties: Application security engineers ensure that a company’s technological and software products safely and securely store information. They work closely with developers and product managers to plan, facilitate and support security releases. Application security managers also perform threat modeling tests, security reviews and dynamic tests that allow them to understand potential vulnerabilities within products. From here, they use that information to optimize a given product’s efficacy.

Related: 40 Application Security Interview Questions (With Examples)

12. Software architect

National average salary: $137,014 per year

Primary duties: Software architects are innovative leaders within companies who develop and launch new software or program features. They typically oversee and provide guidance to a team of programmers who design websites, programs or products. In addition, software architects are responsible for finding solutions to common challenges throughout the product development process. They are experts in software coding and design, which helps them streamline potential products for customer experiences.

Read more: Learn About Being a Software Architect

13. Director of information security

National average salary: $188,708 per year

Primary duties: Directors of information security design strategies for implementing effective technological security systems. They work in a similar capacity to CIOs, managing and overseeing many aspects of cybersecurity work within larger companies. Directors of information security often establish the infrastructure for security policies, set team goals and implement programming for vulnerability discovery in products. Directors are sometimes also responsible for hiring, reviewing and training employees to ensure teams are functioning as efficiently as possible.

Top 5 Cybersecurity Jobs That Will Pay $200,000 To $500,000 In 2020

A special report from the Editors at Cybersecurity Ventures

– Steve Morgan, Editor-in-Chief

Northport, N.Y. – Oct. 1, 2020

Bug bounty hunters and Fortune 500 CISOs top the list of highest compensated people in the cybersecurity industry.

Cybercrime will more than triple the number of job openings over the next 5 years. Cybersecurity Ventures predicts there will be 3.5 million unfilled cybersecurity positions by 2021, up from 1 million in 2014. The cybersecurity unemployment rate dropped to zero percent in 2016, and has remained there ever since.

So, which jobs pay the most in our industry? To answer that question for 2019, and beyond, the editors at Cybersecurity Ventures have vetted and synthesized information from a myriad of sources including the media, job boards, search firms, government statistics, and our own research.

Highest Paying Cybersecurity Jobs

A look at 5 positions that pay north of $200,000 per year in total annual compensation:

  • Freelance Bug Bounty Hunters – Zero-day exploits are predicted to rise from one-per-week in 2015 to one-per-day by 2021. Flaws in software code, which create vulnerabilities, have created a burgeoning bug bounty economy with big payouts to elite freelancer hackers. Some of them earn more than $500,000 a year. But, that’s a far cry from the average take home pay for most bug bounty hunters that are self-employed part timers with no guaranteed income.
  • Chief Information Security Officer – CISO compensation varies widely depending on the size and type of an organization. Fortune 500 corporations in big cities pay as much as $380,000 to $420,000 annually and more to their security head honchos. But a so-called CISO working for a mid-sized corporation is probably looking at a $150,000 to $200,000 salary.


  • Deputy CISO – There’s a lot of data published on the cybersecurity Sheriff’s compensation, but not so much for the emerging new position of Deputy. Large organizations are starting to put these people in place as part of their succession planning. Exactly how much they earn is hard to say, but they’re certainly aiming for a future CISO position and salary. A headhunter (name withheld) placing people in these positions informs the larger F500 are open to compensating in the $200,000 to $250,000 range.
  • Lead Software Security Engineer – For the top coders with leadership skills – a rare breed – salaries exceed $225,000. In some companies, this position pays more than it does to the CISO. Software plus ‘soft skills’ equals big pay for aspiring programmers with a senior management role in their sights.
  • Cybersecurity Sales Engineer – “What me, sales?” For cybersecurity pros that say “Yup” to that, it could mean a big bump in pay – by as much as 50 percent. Switching over from coding to giving demos is upward mobility for more and more people in our field that are raking in $200,000 a year. There’s nothing wrong with closing deals and getting your fair share – if you can handle the word ‘sales’ on your business card (you can always print up another one for DEF CON).

“If you know cybersecurity, then you have a guaranteed job – for life,” states Robert Herjavec, Founder and CEO of Herjavec Group, and Shark on ABC’s Shark Tank. With job security being a sure thing, the trick for many people in our industry is figuring out where the big money is in 2019 and beyond.

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