CAREERS

JOB KIT

withSTEM
™

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INFORMATION
SECURITY
ANALYST
Discover fast-growing jobs and paths
into information security careers
 Think STEM.
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• x + • • + x
I
about data — whether
nformation security is all
ancial or health data.
it’s personal, business, fin
sec uri ty analyst means
Being an information
on how information is used,
you’ll be an expert
d or misused.
and how it can be harme
There are inf orm atio n security roles in every
finance, education, transp
industry sector: health, ked int
if someone hac
and much more (imagine
driverless car!).
l roles — there are plenty
These aren’t just technica
e es also. Working in
rol
of policy and governanc ld wo rk for
career. You cou
security is a very flexible
ion, bank, ins ure r, the
a charity, tech organisat
nt, or for a un ive rsity, like I do. Whatever
governme
-da y life will always be
you choose, your day-to
alw ays be challenged!
changing, and you’ll
not just one job, and it’s
Information security is hac ker ’. It’s
odie-w ear ing
the stereotype of the ‘ho
ad field and the re’s room for many perspectiv
a bro gen der s,
ersity — different
In fact, having more div
oun ds, abi lities and personalities
cultures, backgr
er security teams.
— is a massive asset to cyb
is abo ut problem-solving.
Information security
e way, so having a divers
We don’t all think the sam m is use ful : we
at a proble
group of people looking
ma ny dif fer ent vie wpoints as we can to
need as
Check out Ca
for more insights, inreerswithSTEM.com
form
advice about cyber ation, inspiration and
• • x + • • x FOREWORD
Could you be a
data detective?
Data drives our online world, and often our physical
world too. But where is this data held, and who is accessing it?
Have you got what it takes to protect it — and us —
from spies and scammers?
Dr Leonie Simpson
Senior Lecturer
Having a diverse group of
people looking at a problem
is useful: we need as many
different viewpoints as we can.”
achieve the best possible
outcome.
Information security is als
o hugely in-demand.
IMAGE: QUT
There are not enough peo
ple in Australia with the
skills to fill existing cyber
security jobs and employer
ort s
will be looking to hire 17,0
o a cybersecurity by 2026.
00 additional workers in
Not having enough people
employed in
information security wil
cyber
l have a real impact on
people’s lives. Just one we
activity would cost the Au
ek of disrupted digital
stralian economy
SOURCE: AUSTCYBER
a mind-boggling $7.5 bill
ion.
Information security is a
bit like health and safety
— we need to practise bas
information security ana
ic cyber safety. An
lyst understands what cou
not ld
happen if cyber criminals
government — infiltrated
— or even another countr
y’s
es.
data. And, if something like
this did happen, what our
response would be. Imagi
if a school or a hospital cou ne
ldn’t access any of their dat
a
— it could be pretty devast
ating.
You could be at the frontl
ine of defence, working
in
a highly paid, extremely
e
in-demand job. Intereste
d?
Read on to learn more abo
ut this exciting career.
Dr Leonie Simpson
Senior Lecturer
security careers!
3 INFORMATION SECURITY ANALYST
DEEP DIVE • x + • • + x • • x + • • x

Scams, skills and salaries

Get an insight into the world of information security

Job to-do list

Things to do today…
 Assess risks to security
es
 Determine any weakness
 Plan defence strategies myth
Buster!
 Stay up-to-date with best odie-wearing
#1
You’re likely to be a ho
practice through networking male hacker.
m in cyber security
There a diversity proble
and research
’s
ina ry people are just
— but women and non-b
hly sought after by
 Train staff and help them as qualified and are hig
employers.
y
stay up-to-date with securit false
best practices
y
 Report to the chief securit
officer on the organisation’s
cyber security ‘posture’ or #2 You need to know
how to code.
readiness and capability Your job will involve ins
talling
software like firewa lls an
 Install software such as
d
data encry ption software
. So
firewalls and data encryption
you need to be intereste
d in
technology, but you don’t
need
programs to be a developer.

false

#3 You’ll work alone

at your desk.
Teamwork is a huge part
of the job — training staff,
thought leadership within
your organisation and
networking to stay on top
of security trends are all
critical skills.
false
IMAGES: SHUTTERSTOCK

CAREERSwithSTEM.com 4

Get Qualified
✔ Option #1: Do an IT, ee
engineering or science degr
and specialise.
gree
✔ Option #2: Do any de
and then do a postgraduate
degree in cyber security.
✔ Option #3: Study a
certificate or short courses
through TAFE or uni.
✔ Option #4:
Do a cyber security
boot camp course.
In the bank
at a job as an INFORMA
TION
wh
If you are budgeting ying, take a look at these numbers
SECURITY AN ALYST is pa
Graduate Information Security Analyst A few years on the clock
$59K AU$82,459 / year
Graduate Information Security Manager A few years on the clock
$96K AU$128,074 / year
I’VE BEEN SCAMMED
S cams as simple as a phishing
hedge fund (a type of investm
was fooled into clicking a fake
can have huge consequences
ent fund) folded after one of
. One Australian
the directors
Zoom link. The link allowed
soft ware that enabled them hackers to install
to take control of the compan
biggest client pulled out of y’s email, their
the business and they lost a
A ransomware attack on the $16 mill ion investment.
Lion dair y and drinks busines
production at Lion’s brewer s shu t down
ies and milk production plan
Australia’s largest beer bre ts. The com pany is
wer and one of the top five dair
In 2015, Fiat Chr ysler recalle y pro ces sor s.
d 1.4 million cars after securit
revealed a flaw in the interne y researchers
t-connected entertainment
hackers to control the brakes system allowed
, speed, steering, seatbelts,
The Australian government’s air con and radio.
ScamWatch website logged
$176 million lost as a result more than
of scams in 2020. The top thre
lost were investment scams, e sca ms by amount
dating and romance, and fals
frequently reported scams e billi ng. The most
were phishing, threats to life,
identity theft. arrest or other and
LEARN THE LINGO
Cryptography: Techniques
to keep information secure
scrambling techniques and by using codes,
keys.
Network security: Rules and
set-ups designed to protect
from hacks. Networked dev
ices can include drones, frid
networked devices
or even vehicles. ges, TVs, road signs,
Phishing: An attempt to get
you to provide information tha
cyber crimes like banking det t can be used for
ails, personal information or
passwords.
About YOU! and
coding
✔ Interest in og y
tech nol
er
✔ Team play
m m u n icator
✔ Good co ving
r problem-sol
✔ Passion fo
l thinker
✔ Analytica
ntion
✔ Good atte
to detail
Avg. Base Salary (AUD) $132K
Avg. Base Salary (AUD) $178K
SOURCE: SALARIES ACCORDING TO PAYSCALE.COM
5 INFORMATION SECURITY ANALYST
REAL PEOPLE • x + • • + x • • x + • • x

Keeping the
hackers out Ray Ang designs sm
businesses keep their art solutions that help
information safe on th
e web

ray ang
senior consultant

W
acy is a dream job for
orking in data trust and priv
Ang takes a human
computer wizards, but Ray
peo ple’s information online.
approach to protecting
vy online is my ultimate
“Helping people to stay sav e
to get everyone on the same pag
motivation,” says Ray. “I aim
tion.”
when it comes to data protec at I aim to get everyone on
ior con sult ant in data trust and privacy
Ray works as a sen sec urit y
PwC Australia, a role which
involves designi ng cyb er
put
the same page when it comes
t bus ines ses and government organisations can to data protection.”
solutions tha
of a mou se.
into action with a few clicks en,
Rat her tha n spe ndin g her day glued to a computer scre
nts and brainstorming sma rt “Design thinking ensures tha
Ray is busy meeting with clie and fit for the client,” says Ray
t solutions are human-centred
ues . . “That has followed me eve
solutions with her colleag s r since
see our clients happy with the solution I did that subject at uni.”
“It’s so rewarding to ere nce to A key to Ray’s success was
“It can make a big diff
that we provide,” says Ray. uni as a digital intern at Aus
gaining work experience dur
ing
society.” tralian petcare company Pet
and at Accenture in her hom Clo ud
e country, Malaysia. These
cyber security
Moving from technology totems for her Information
internships not only helped
Ray build her resume while
but also gave her experience studying,
tion sys working in different countri
When Ray majored in informa in es.
she hadn’t considered working Ray’s advice to budding dat
Technology degree at QUT, thin king , step outside your comfort zon
a trust and privacy experts
is to
during a unit about design e and try new things, even if
data trust and privacy. But ch to don’t think you’re capable. you
one-size-fits-all approa
Ray learned that there is no that “Be open minded,” she say
tion s for different users, a lesson s. “Do what you cannot do,
developing digital solu you know what you can do.” so that
. – Gemma Conroy
is central in her current role

Bachelor of Information Technology Intern, Intern,

(Information Systems), QUT PetCloud Accenture

Intern, PwC Consultant, Data Governance Senior Consultant,

and Risk Management, PwC Data Trust and Privacy, PwC

CAREERSwithSTEM.com 6
 A day in the life of a…

Business Analyst,
TechnologyOne
BUSINESS ANALYST
A double degree in business and Information Technology
landed Emily Entwistle a sweet gig as an analyst

Analyst, TechnologyOne
is one of the best
aking people’s lives easier
siness analyst, says

Graduate Business
things about being a bu
Emily Entwist le.
can be a real point of
“Small software problems how
“Being able to understand
frustration,” says Emily. ing.”
customers is really fulfill
we can improve things for
ne, Emily makes
In her role at TechnologyO
ls eas ier for customers to
management software too ys
urity analysts develop wa
use. While information sec ess an aly sts
t hackers, busin
to protect systems agains ess
findin g solutions to meet busin
like Emily focus on sim ila r ski ll set and
draw on a
requirements. Both roles as po ssi ble .
as secure
involve making software

Intern, Technical Business

find out what

Anlayst, Deloitte Digital

ver
“The an aly tic al an d cri tical thinking skills crosso
pathways there are.”
ho w
o have to understand
a lot,” says Emily. “You als
the software.”
people are going to use
ere sted in all things business
While Emily was int
bined degree in Business
in high school, doing a com Here’s what a typical day
ology at QU T sparked her looks like:
and Information Techn esses.
solve problems for busin 9:15am
interest in using tech to up s at un i, suc h as
ferent gro I start the day with a stand-u
She says that joining dif her for m car eer- p meeting with my team
gy, hel ped to talk about what we’re wor
QU T Women in Technolo king on.
building connections. 10:30am
out what pat hways there
“Get out there and find There’s no such thing as a typ
what I tried to do, and it ical day! A lot of it
are,” says Emily. “That’s depends on software release
cycles. I could be working
worked out pretty well!” on research tasks or looking
through customer cases

Technology (Management/Computer Science), QUT

Bachelor of Business/Bachelor of Information
that have been raised.
12:15pm
IMAGE: SHUTTERSTOCK

I jump on call with a custom

er to do some usability
testing, which involves walking
them through the
software. We work through diff
erent scenarios and I
capture their feedback along
the way.

2:00pm
is with some QUT
Join another meeting! This one
abo ut the projects
capstone students to talk
they’re working on with us.

3:45pm
logyOne’s User
I record a webinar for Techno
is a series of seminars where
Connect, which
latest features
customers can learn about the
and updates.
5:30pm
is a pretty common
I like to go bouldering, which
t be all of the
hobby for tech people. It mus
! – Gemma Conroy
problem solving and planning

7 INFORMATION SECURITY ANALYST

• x + • • + x • • x + • • x

Get the job!

ecklist
Electives ch l electives?
h schoo
Choosing hig will help you get
ts
These subjec nd cyber security
ou
your head ar r your future:
Watch, stalk and puzzle your skills fo
way ✔ Maths
into this amazing career area ✔ Dig al te
it chnologies
✔ English
inking,
(analytical thdetail)
atte n tion to
JUST FOR CLASS
ts and schools
Activities for single studen Choose is
Directorate’s interactive career if yoth
#1
Explore the Australian Signals u are…
get exp erience with different
CyberEXP program and lyst
> Interested in codin
g and technology
etration tester, malware ana
cyber security roles like pen > A tea m player
ly/2YBw3eu
and incident responder. bit. > A great commun
icator
y Challenges – realistic learning > Have a passion for

#2
Take the Schools Cyber Securit work problem-solvi ng
coding, cyber security and team
modules that up your skills in alle nges > An analy tical th
.edu.au/projects/cyber-ch inker
in a series of fun challenges. aca > Great with small
zle, part details
Flag (CTF) challenges. Part puz

#3
Test your skills in Capture the r wits against each
s see teams pit thei
pizza party, these competition
ertake fun ethical
other to decipher clues and und
hac king activities.
hacking and counter
: capture.tf SOCIAL STUFF
• Western Australia’s WACTF
er-challenges
• AustCyber: bit.ly/austcyb ipan
italcareers.csiro.au/en/CTa • Join the nearly 4M people
• CSIRO’s CyberTaipan: dig com
on
regionalcyberchallen ge. YouTube who watched BBC’s
• Regional Cyber Challenge: on the Scammers bit.ly/3oGH
Spying

IMAGE: SHUTTERSTOCK
XhO
• Read ALL about cyber sec
urity
careers in Careers with STEM:
Cyber
Security mag bit.ly/CyberMa
g
• Check out these 20+ cyber
security
career profiles bit.ly/CwSTEM
cyber
• Follow @auscompacadem
y
and get great coding tips

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