Career Overlap Transition record
RecordMove

Ethical hacker to ICT security administrator

An ethical hacker already meets 49% of what the ICT security administrator role asks for. The move turns on 13 required skills not yet in the profile.

Fig. 1 · Skill transfer ESCO v1.2.1 · directional
From ethical hacker
49 % overlap
Partial match
To ICT security administrator
29 You already bring
13 Still to learn
59 Skills in the target role2
Learning distance Substantial retraining

61.1/ 100

1 How much of what an ICT security administrator is expected to do is already part of an ethical hacker’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the ICT security administrator role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.

Why

Why this move works

An ICT security administrator role treats 12 of its required skills as things an ethical hacker already does. You would walk in with these on day one.

  • ICT network security risks
  • ICT safety
  • Internet of Things
  • cyber attack counter-measures
  • ethical hacking principles
  • identify ICT system weaknesses

What stands in the way is 13 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.

Table 2

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 29 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An ICT security administrator role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an ethical hacker background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area
  • already held computer forensics information and communication technologies (icts)
  • already held web application security threats information and communication technologies (icts)
  • already held ICT safety working with computers
  • already held ethical hacking principles information and communication technologies (icts)
  • already held operating systems information and communication technologies (icts)
  • already held identify ICT system weaknesses working with computers

All 29 carried skills, including the 12 the ICT security administrator role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you may need to learn

The 30 missing skills fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.

Skill to pick up Tier
01 information and communication technologies (icts) 4 required, 2 supplementary
  • still to learn database development tools required
  • still to learn mobile device management required
  • still to learn network standards required
  • still to learn system backup best practice required
  • optional, not held cloud monitoring and reporting optional
  • optional, not held cloud security and compliance optional
02 working with computers 3 required, 6 supplementary
  • still to learn attend to ICT systems quality required
  • still to learn maintain database security required
  • still to learn perform ICT troubleshooting required
  • optional, not held implement a virtual private network optional
  • optional, not held implement anti-virus software optional
  • optional, not held manage ICT virtualisation environments optional
  • optional, not held manage keys for data protection optional
  • optional, not held perform backups optional
  • optional, not held store digital data and systems optional
03 information skills 2 required, 2 supplementary
  • still to learn interpret technical texts required
  • still to learn ensure proper document management required
  • optional, not held implement cloud security and compliance optional
  • optional, not held manage database optional
04 assisting and caring 2 required, 1 supplementary
  • still to learn maintain ICT identity management required
  • still to learn apply company policies required
  • optional, not held protect personal data and privacy optional
05 communication, collaboration and creativity 1 required, 3 supplementary
  • still to learn manage ICT data architecture required
  • optional, not held respond to incidents in cloud optional
  • optional, not held build business relationships optional
  • optional, not held train employees optional
06 business, administration and law 1 required
  • still to learn quality assurance methodologies required

2 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries an ICT security administrator role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.

Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.

Appendix

Appendix · The rest of the record

All 29 skills that carry over
Skill Type
  • already held ICT network security risks knowledge
  • already held ICT safety skill
  • already held Internet of Things knowledge
  • already held cyber attack counter-measures knowledge
  • already held ethical hacking principles knowledge
  • already held identify ICT system weaknesses skill
  • already held internet governance knowledge
  • already held manage IT security compliances skill
  • already held operating systems knowledge
  • already held organisational resilience knowledge
  • already held security engineering knowledge
  • already held solve ICT system problems skill
  • already held ICT encryption knowledge
  • already held ICT infrastructure knowledge
  • already held ICT security legislation knowledge
  • already held ICT security standards knowledge
  • already held address problems critically skill
  • already held computer forensics knowledge
  • already held cyber security knowledge
  • already held execute ICT audits skill
  • already held execute software tests skill
  • already held implement ICT security policies skill
  • already held implement a firewall skill
  • already held information confidentiality knowledge
  • already held information security strategy knowledge
  • already held manage cloud data and storage skill
  • already held remove computer virus or malware from a computer skill
  • already held use scripting programming skill
  • already held web application security threats knowledge
The 2 learning areas not shown above
Skill to pick up Tier
07 management skills 2 supplementary
  • optional, not held assess ICT knowledge optional
  • optional, not held lead disaster recovery exercises optional
08 engineering, manufacturing and construction 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held telecom regulations optional
17 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
Skill to pick up Tier
  • optional, not held assess ICT knowledge optional
  • optional, not held cloud monitoring and reporting optional
  • optional, not held cloud security and compliance optional
  • optional, not held implement a virtual private network optional
  • optional, not held implement anti-virus software optional
  • optional, not held implement cloud security and compliance optional
  • optional, not held lead disaster recovery exercises optional
  • optional, not held manage ICT virtualisation environments optional
  • optional, not held manage keys for data protection optional
  • optional, not held perform backups optional
  • optional, not held respond to incidents in cloud optional
  • optional, not held telecom regulations optional
  • optional, not held build business relationships optional
  • optional, not held manage database optional
  • optional, not held protect personal data and privacy optional
  • optional, not held store digital data and systems optional
  • optional, not held train employees optional
45 held skills the ICT security administrator role does not ask for
Skill Type
  • not needed by the target role Aircrack (penetration testing tool) knowledge
  • not needed by the target role Backbox (penetration testing tool) knowledge
  • not needed by the target role BlackArch knowledge
  • not needed by the target role Cain and Abel (penetration testing tool) knowledge
  • not needed by the target role ICT system integration knowledge
  • not needed by the target role John The Ripper (penetration testing tool) knowledge
  • not needed by the target role Kali Linux knowledge
  • not needed by the target role Maltego knowledge
  • not needed by the target role Metasploit knowledge
  • not needed by the target role Nessus knowledge
  • not needed by the target role Nexpose knowledge
  • not needed by the target role OWASP ZAP knowledge
  • not needed by the target role Open source model knowledge
  • not needed by the target role Outsourcing model knowledge
  • not needed by the target role Parrot Security OS knowledge
  • not needed by the target role Samurai Web Testing Framework knowledge
  • not needed by the target role WhiteHat Sentinel knowledge
  • not needed by the target role Wireshark knowledge
  • not needed by the target role analyse the context of an organisation skill
  • not needed by the target role attack vectors knowledge
  • not needed by the target role building systems monitoring technology knowledge
  • not needed by the target role communicate with stakeholders skill
  • not needed by the target role computer programming knowledge
  • not needed by the target role conduct ICT code review skill
  • not needed by the target role define security policies skill
  • not needed by the target role develop code exploits skill
  • not needed by the target role engage with stakeholders skill
  • not needed by the target role ethics knowledge
  • not needed by the target role execute social engineering tests skill
  • not needed by the target role hybrid model knowledge
  • not needed by the target role identify ICT security risks skill
  • not needed by the target role implement ICT risk management skill
  • not needed by the target role legal requirements of ICT products knowledge
  • not needed by the target role levels of software testing knowledge
  • not needed by the target role maintain ICT server skill
  • not needed by the target role manage system security skill
  • not needed by the target role monitor system performance skill
  • not needed by the target role penetration testing tool knowledge
  • not needed by the target role perform ICT security testing skill
  • not needed by the target role perform project management skill

5 further entries not listed here

8 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice

Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.

Skill to pick up Tier
  • still to learn database development tools required
  • still to learn mobile device management required
  • still to learn network standards required
  • still to learn quality assurance methodologies required
  • still to learn system backup best practice required
  • optional, not held cloud monitoring and reporting optional
  • optional, not held cloud security and compliance optional
  • optional, not held telecom regulations optional
Index

Other moves recorded from ethical hacker

Full index of moves from ethical hacker

FAQ

Common questions about this move

Can an ethical hacker become an ICT security administrator?

Yes, and it is a substantial move. An ethical hacker already covers 49% of what an ICT security administrator is expected to do: 29 skills carry over, 12 of which the ICT security administrator role treats as required.

What skills does an ethical hacker need to become an ICT security administrator?

13 required skills are missing, plus 17 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information and communication technologies (icts). The single most important is attend to ICT systems quality.

How hard is the move from ethical hacker to ICT security administrator?

Its learning distance is 61.1 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.

Note

How this record was compiled

Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.