Updated April 8th, 2020
What does it mean to be a Cybersecurity Auditor?
In order to preserve the integrity of information security processes and procedures, organizations must employ several rounds of review and checks related to cybersecurity. Often these reviews come from an external or an internal security audit team. A Security Auditor plays the crucial role of monitoring the internal controls and risks of a company’s network. As the title suggests, the Security Auditor is responsible for devising and executing internal audit procedures, summarizing their findings, and generating reports to be reviewed by the organization’s executive team.
Security Auditors are perfectionists. From their perspective, little mistakes or unfilled actions can turn into big problems. The meticulous nature of Security Auditors instills a sense of confidence in the leadership team that no security stone has been left unturned.
Day in the Life
Security Auditors spend much of their time diligently searching for vulnerabilities and gaps within an organization’s security policies and procedures. Audits are an organization’s opportunities to meet compliance requirements and provide the opportunity to correct defects before any of the information systems are jeopardized.
Once they have designed a plan to investigate adherency related to the organization’s security policies, the auditors get to work. They accumulate data from logs and other sources, and scan networks for deficiencies by using automated software. They cover a lot of ground while working in teams.
Security Auditors aren’t there to make friends – they’re there to do their job. They’re supposed to be the outsiders so they can be as objective as possible. In spite of their unbiased view, Security Auditors don’t restrict themselves to total isolation. They make a dedicated effort to stay informed about the latest and most relevant policies and procedures in cybersecurity.
Most Valued Skills
Security Auditors have typically earned a degree in information technology, information systems, accounting, or business administration. It is imperative that auditors have also developed exceptional communication skills so they can translate the technical jargon directly to management
- Internal Auditing
- Information Systems
- Audit Planning
- Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX)
- Accounting
Recommended Certifications
Salary
CyberSeek reports that there are over 8,000 job openings for Security Auditors boasting an average salary of $98k per year and over 5,000 openings on LinkedIn. Based on current postings on Glassdoor, the salary ranges from $54k-$111k per year.
Related Titles
- Information Security Auditor
- Information Systems Auditor
- IA Auditor
- Cybersecurity Auditor
- IT Audit Manager
- IT Audit Consultant
- Senior IT Auditor
Doesn’t Sound Like You?
If security auditing doesn’t sound like the career path you want to explore, then please check out other roles here:
- Cybersecurity Architect
- Malware Analyst
- Incident Responder
- Penetration Tester
- SOC Analyst
- Threat Hunter
- Threat Intel Analyst
- Vulnerability Management Analyst
