IT security is an emerging discipline and the professionals from around the globe are being summoned by the business owners and employers for the security and encryption based services these provide. Cryptography serves the same purpose which not only strengthen the overall IT security but also make sure that the delicate information being tunneled from hand to hand stays in fact encrypted and secured. Cryptographers are the professionals who provide their diligent services for the encryption of consumer data/information which can be personal, financial or corporation based and secure the overall integrity of the consumer & business relations.
Cryptographers if you are still startling are the professionals who develop ciphers, algorithms and potential security systems that not only make the world of IT secure but more manageable and interpreted via dedicated links. There are various types of cryptographers, the professionals who develop the algorithm, others who parse it and so on. But the main objective of these professionals is to produce/develop the security systems which can perform encryption of the valuable data of the customers, cloud based technology which retains the data/information and parsing of the information using the secured systems.
These professionals make sure that the data which is encrypted stay secure readable and accessible by the user carrying the key. For this to happen extensive testing is done by the professionals over data security and safety mechanisms. As you have now gathered the foundation knowledge of what cryptographers do, it is time to move onto the later aspects of this article narrating various responsibilities of cryptographers in detail.
Food for thought, it is recommended that you undertake the online information security training from proper channels and spend your time and energy into something productive and useful. If you are wondering about the current demand of these professionals then you might be shocked to know that every IT based industry and business taking on online transaction and running b2b enterprises require the services of such professionals. If you want to pursue this course as your ultimate goal then this would do you some solid good, believe it or not these professionals not only earn more but also have suited themselves to a bright career.
Job responsibilities of cryptographers
Cryptographers are required to have the extensive knowledge of various security and encryption based skills. Although on the other hand, following detailed aspect of various job responsibilities required from these professionals is as under;
- Analyze, detect and provide with corrective action in correspondence with the anomalies or weaknesses within the cryptographic systems
- Test the various cryptography based models which they have prepared for the sake of reliability and accuracy
- Make sure that the financial data is properly encrypted and is laced with the best of the encryption definitions available and can only be retrieved or accessed by the authorized users
- Develop, update and modify the current methods of cryptography to the best of the standards to increase the potential safety of data and facilitate the customers to the fullest
- Limit the exposure of the dedicated cyber systems from the access of unauthorized personnel and develop security measures in case a breach persists
- Should have extensive knowledge of coding, programming, using cryptography & encryption based systems to contain the data and to make sure that it is secured at all times
- Professionals must have extensive skills that can be used to not only encrypt the data but also decrypt it when time demands. As a matter of speaking you should be able to attend to the matter on both ends
Requirements to become a cryptographer
Various settings such as the active knowledge of current cryptography related systems, work experience, educational background as well as the hard and soft skills are required to become a cryptographer. The requirement setting starts from the education background, as these professionals have to extensively deal with data they must attend something specific for their graduation. Computer science and mathematics consecutively serve as the right subjects for this professional.
Having a bachelors in computer science would confirm that the individual in fact has provided with the validation of the skills that they possess. But on the other hand having some kind of educational background in mathematics would help you look great and viable for the current job that you are applying against. Algorithms, mathematical formulas and relations are an asset to cryptographers and should be pursued by the professionals looking after a particular job.
Hard Skills required for cryptographers
you are an IT professional looking forward to work as a cryptanalyst then there are a few skills that you need to master. Some of them include computer architecture, data structures, algorithms as well as mathematical knowledge is required. Use of C, C++, Python. Java along with other programming languages is paramount for the cryptanalysts. Principle of the symmetric and the unsymmetrical cryptography are also needed along the encryption systems and their knowledge as well as the knowledge of key exchange and digital signatures.
Apart from having all these hard skills a few soft skills such as collaborative approach and excellent communication stream is required of the professionals to better resonate with the professionals from development, security or other IT sections
The bottom-line is that the cryptographers although earn decently but at first must present the employers with a dedicated portfolio using which they can raise the bar for the rest of the professionals applying for the same job. All the hard skills mentioned above are in reality a stream to provide you with a direction to flow in pertaining to this specific profession. But what you must practice the most is the algorithm based skills and potential knowledge of data structures as this is what you mainly require to excel in the field as a cryptographer.
If you are worried about the extensive problems that you may face in pursuit of this profession or how should you conduct your business then it is recommended that you read OWASP Threats Fundamentals. Doing so will fill you in with all the nitty gritty details such as what to do and what to avoid being a cryptographer and serving the IT realm the best you can.