Which certification for go for?

JediMaster1

I am working in a service based company in the area of Production support & maintenance of a telecom application. After 3 years of experience now, I want to switch to the field of network/app security. I have good experience with Open systems (C,C++,Unix. shell scripting etc) but none which deals with security.
I came to know about the Security+ and GSEC certifications, so was wondering which one would be the best in order to help me switch my career path.
Suggestions about any other certifcations are welcome.

paul78

Hello and welcome to TE.

Is your goal to develop network security software? What's what I surmised from your description.

Based on your short description, I would not think that either would be applicable. You may want to consider the ISC2 CSSLP instead - https://www.isc2.org/csslp/default.aspx

JediMaster1

Thanks paul78
Maybe my description is not clear enough, I am not looking for security software development. I am specially keen on learning the ways malware/virus hit networks and/or applications and how to handle such attacks (the correct term can be intrusion detection and handling). The long-term goal is to get in forensics.
I guess there would be some more suggestions based on the above

vinbuck

Learn networking first...I know too many security types that are completely lost within a network diagram because they only have a very basic level of understanding about networking. The really great network security people (and the most highly paid) that I know also know advanced routing / switching as well as any senior network engineer.

Grab a CCNA and then look at branching out into either a CCNA sec or other security certification.

JediMaster1

Hi vinbuck, I was more inclined towards vendor neutral certifications.
However, I think your suggestion for grabbing CCNA and then a security certifcation would be a better choice.

vinbuck

CCNA, while vendor focused in some respcts, is the best network foundation curriculum out there anywhere. The foundation you learn in CCNA will easily translate to multiple vendors and will give you a good understanding of the OSI layers beyond just a textbook definition.

JediMaster1

Thanks vinbuck.
After CCNA, what could be the best choice for security certification?

Master Of Puppets

vinbuck wrote: »

Learn networking first...I know too many security types that are completely lost within a network diagram because they only have a very basic level of understanding about networking. The really great network security people (and the most highly paid) that I know also know advanced routing / switching as well as any senior network engineer.

Grab a CCNA and then look at branching out into either a CCNA sec or other security certification.

Amen to that. To be in security you have to know the ins and outs of how things work. How else are you going to protect them? If you are in network security, for instance, you should know how networks work better than the network admins IMO(we are talking about real sec pros). Security is no joke, it's not like in the movies.

I second the idea of going the Cisco track, regardless of the fact that it is vendor specific. You are going to learn a great deal.

instant000

Of course, none of this matters if you put the root credentials on a Post-It stuck to your monitor, or you like to click on links in e-mails. (It's low-level things like this that cause more issues than anything else.)

SephStorm

After CCNA, look into the SANS Forensics Ciriculim to lean Malware analysis and forensics.

http://www.sans.org/media/security-training/roadmap.pdf

As an alternative you can look at CREA, Certified Computer Forensics Examiner (CCFE) or CMI (Certified Malware Investigator)
Certified Reverse Engineering Analyst (CREA)
» CMI – Certified Malware Investigator : Malware Forensics Certification Training

Heres an article I came across.

Everything you need to become a successful Malware analyst | ITknowledge24.com Blog

JediMaster1

Thanks guys for the suggestions.
Its pretty much clear now that I need to go for CCNA first, before opting for any security certification.

SephStorm,
Thanks for the informative links.

N2IT

I think the CCNA would be the best one to get at this point. Very respected and widely applicable. Unless you want to focus more on systems and operating systems, then you could go that route.

biosdisk

I made the mistake early on in my career trying to avoid Cisco because it wasn't vendor neutral and that was a huge mistake. Now I'm trying to rush learn all of the Cisco stuff since its where the moneys at. Cisco isn't going anywhere and Cisco certs are a lot more in depth in even most of the vendor neutral network training then most other networking certs out there. Go to careerbuilder or indeed and do a search for different certs. The ones that are on the most listings are the ones to go for. Or if you're going into the DoD line of work then look at the DoD 8570 chart to know which ones to tackle.

ChooseLife

Forget the certs, go for the knowledge.

JediMaster1

Here's one small complication.
I'm getting an offer for security related testing if I am able to complete any Security+ certification in next 2 months.

So I need to know if I opt for CCNA after Security+, is there any drawback?

Master Of Puppets

What do you mean by security related testing? Very likely, going for the CCNA after that won't be a mistake.

biosdisk

CCNA is a great idea before or after any cert, but I would recommend going for the two exam CCENT1/2 path instead of CCNA 640-802. I just got my CCNA 640-802 RS today and I'd have to say it was probably one of the hardest certs I have taken. It was probably really difficult because I only studied for a week and wasn't 100% ready to take the test, and didn't want to have to reschedule it, but I have a whole new respect for Cisco certs.