Cybersecurity Jobs Across 6 Different Industries

Table of Contents

• Cybersecurity in 6 Different Industries
• 1. Government
• 2. Healthcare
• 3. Banking & Finance
• 4. Manufacturing
• 5. Retail
• 6. Tech startup
• Hiring Trends in Cybersecurity
• Cybersecurity Salaries in Different Industries
• Becoming a Cybersecurity Professional after Lighthouse Labs

With a rise in cyber attacks, cybersecurity professionals are now in demand across a variety of industries, including healthcare, finance, government, and more. Dora Juhasz, a Senior Career Services Advisor at Lighthouse Labs, walks us through the six top industries for cybersecurity professionals. Learn more about the typical cybersecurity job titles and types of cybersecurity work associated with these industries. Plus, find out how tech beginners can launch their cybersecurity careers by enrolling in the Cybersecurity Bootcamp at Lighthouse Labs!

Meet the Expert: Dora Juhasz, Senior Career Services Advisor with Lighthouse Labs

• Dora is a Career Practitioner, experienced in HR and recruitment prior to moving into the education sector.  
• Dora is a Senior Career Services Advisor with Lighthouse Labs, where she works with bootcamp graduates, strengthening relationships, offering coaching and support for job seekers, and advising on job search best practices. Dora also keeps up with labor market trends and passes along her years of recruitment insider tips to the graduates so they can get hired faster.

Cybersecurity in 6 Different Industries

Critical infrastructure (such as finance, healthcare, transportation, and energy), state institutions, and political systems are the main targets for many cybercriminals, so there is a strong need for cybersecurity professionals across industries. Here are the six biggest industries that are actively seeking cybersecurity professionals.

1. Government

Government agencies like Canada’s Communications Security Establishment often hire for cybersecurity roles to protect civic agencies and defend highly confidential information from cyber attacks. 

Typical job titles: IT Security Analyst, IT Security Officer, Intelligence Officer, Network Exploitation Analyst

Examples of cybersecurity in government roles:

• Phishing — The impact of this is identity theft, financial losses, and disruptions in public service.
• Spear phishing — These attacks include stolen information, identity theft, vulnerability to other cyber attacks, and system disruptions.
• Insider threats — The impact of insider threats includes depleted public resources, compromised integrity, and mistrust among the public and others who work for the agency.
• State-sponsored warfare — These threats compromise the government entity’s ability to defend itself on the ground or in a cyber war.
• Ransomware — Ransomware blocks access to government networks or files, and may include stolen or wiped files, system disruptions and information leaks, devastating financial losses, and dangerous precedents. 
• Espionage — Spying jeopardizes national security and reduces the military’s effectiveness at defending the country.

2. Healthcare

With so much confidential patient and care information, the healthcare industry must have robust cybersecurity measures in place. The rise in cyber threats has triggered an increased demand for cybersecurity positions in healthcare. 

Typical job titles: Incident Responders (Blue Team), Threat Hunters (Red Team), Compliance & Governance Officers, Risk Assessment & Management Roles (such as Security Analysts)

Examples of cybersecurity in healthcare roles: 

• Phishing — Phishing can mean credential theft, malware attacks, financial losses, and data breaches.
• Spear phishing — This causes identity theft, financial losses, and data breaches.
• Insider threats — These threats can cause data breaches, financial losses, and regulatory penalties.
• IoT attacks — These attacks cause data breaches, financial losses, and disruption of patient care.
• Ransomware — The impact is patient identity theft, financial losses, reputational damage, disruptions in care, and increases in patient mortality risk.

3. Banking & Finance

There are four main roles of security within a bank: risk management, compliance, incident response, and security awareness. Security professionals contribute to the overall resilience, integrity, and trustworthiness of banking operations, ensuring the confidentiality, availability, and integrity of financial services and transactions. As financial institutions embrace technology, they confront many evolving threats that jeopardize the security of financial assets. 

Typical job titles: Cybersecurity Engineer, Cybersecurity Incident Responder, Penetration Tester, IT Security Specialist, Intelligence Analyst

Examples of cybersecurity in banking and finance roles: 

• Phishing — These attacks pose a significant risk to both banks and their customers, leading to data breaches, financial losses, and reputational damage.
• Malware attacks — These attacks can result in unauthorized access to accounts, fraudulent transactions, and disruption of banking services.
• Ransomware — The impact of these attacks are significant financial losses, operational disruptions, and reputational harm.
• Insider threats — Data breaches, financial losses, and mistrust among the public and others who work for the agency are the impact of insider threats.
• Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs) — These attacks can result in devastating consequences, including unauthorized access to sensitive financial data, intellectual property theft, and compromise of critical infrastructure.

4. Manufacturing

Due to the complex and interconnected nature of the supply chain, the valuable intellectual property, and the sensitive data it holds, the consequences of a successful cyberattack on a manufacturing company can be severe, leading to significant financial losses or damage to reputation. This means that this industry needs teams of cyber professionals to prevent and defend companies from attacks.

Typical job titles: Cybersecurity Specialist, Cybersecurity Risk Advisor, Product Security IR Analyst, Cybersecurity Analyst

Examples of cybersecurity in manufacturing roles: 

• Phishing — The impact of this includes financial losses, data breaches, reputational harm, and destruction of materials and equipment.
• Ransomware — The impact of these attacks are significant financial losses, data breaches, operational disruptions, and reputational harm.
• Intellectual property theft — Besides the financial loss that could result from intellectual property being stolen, the attack could also have a devastating effect on a company’s reputation.
• Supply chain attacks — The impact of supply chain attacks includes devastating corporate revenue, data breaches and disclosure, operational disruptions, and reputational damage, specifically severing vendor relationships.
• IoT attacks — These attacks cause data breaches and financial losses, and disrupt operations.

5. Retail

Retailers collect, process, and store large amounts of customer data, including credit card numbers. To protect themselves and their customers, retailers must be aware of these threats. They must have a good security team who can understand and think like threat actors to anticipate possible attacks. 

Typical job titles: Systems & Infrastructure Engineer, Risk Expert, Incident Response Engineer, Security Operations Centre (SOC) Analyst, Identity Technical Lead

Examples of cybersecurity in retail roles: 

• Phishing — Phishing’s impact in the retail space may include financial losses, data breaches, reputational harm, and destruction of materials and equipment.
• Ransomware — The impact of these attacks are significant financial losses, data breaches, operational disruptions, and reputational harm.
• IoT attacks — These attacks cause data breaches and financial losses, and disrupt operations.
• Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs) — These attacks can result in devastating consequences, including unauthorized access to sensitive financial data, intellectual property theft, and compromise of critical infrastructure.

6. Tech startup

While it’s not as common for startups to have dedicated cybersecurity teams as they build out their product or service, there are opportunities for new cyber professionals to gain hands-on experience. Cybersecurity tasks are typically coupled with other departments, such as IT. 

Typical job titles: Cybersecurity Intern; IT Specialist

Examples of cybersecurity in startup roles: 

• Malware attacks — They can result in unauthorized access to accounts, fraudulent transactions, and disruption of banking services.
• Ransomware — The impact of these attacks are financial losses, data breaches, operational disruptions, and reputational harm.
• Phishing — The impact of phishing includes financial losses, data breaches, and reputational harm.

Hiring Trends in Cybersecurity

Is there a “best” industry or sector to work in for cybersecurity?

According to AT&T, the industries with the greatest need for cybersecurity professionals are e-commerce, finance, healthcare, manufacturing, and government. They also found that the industries with the largest cybersecurity budgets are banking, manufacturing, professional services, and federal governments. According to statistical reports, tech and healthcare are also big spenders on cybersecurity.

In terms of job outlook, tech, healthcare, banking, manufacturing, professional services, and federal governments spend the most on personnel and tools. Based on the latest market research, the industries most at risk for security breaches are online retail, finance, and healthcare.

Overall, though, the best industry for your cybersecurity skills will vary based on your goals, experience, and preferences. 

Are there any overlooked industries that need cybersecurity professionals? 

Cybersecurity positions within healthcare and manufacturing may be overlooked by today’s professionals. 

Some may associate medical professionals like doctors, nurses, and even the technicians who run and maintain the machines with healthcare. However, the software and devices in hospitals tend to be dated, which leaves them vulnerable to cyber attacks. The healthcare industry also has access to copious amounts of information about their patients which makes them a prime target for bad actors, especially when coupled with the vulnerabilities present.

The manufacturing industry is also a prime target not only for financial gain but for its ability to disrupt critical infrastructure. These targets can have devastating impacts on communities as it could mean food, water, or energy shortages. As manufacturers deploy automation and cloud-based technologies to bridge the gap between IT and OT networks, they become more at risk for cyber attacks. 

Which industries have Lighthouse Labs Cybersecurity Bootcamp grads gone to work in?

Lighthouse Labs Cybersecurity Bootcamp grads work across many different industries, including BFSI, entertainment, education, healthcare, telecommunications, government, energy, military, tech, and more!

Cybersecurity Salaries in Different Industries

There are slight differences in salary ranges for the different sectors. The main factors contributing to variations in pay include company size, location, experience, and specialization. 

• Cybersecurity Analysts in Canada make from $85,000 to $144,176. 
• Penetration Testers in Canada make from $121,003 to $172,500.
• Incident Responders in Canada make from $113,000 to $163,421.
• Intelligence Analysts in Canada make from $75,795 to $138,220.

Can a cybersecurity professional work in different sectors or is it better for professionals to specialize in the needs of a single sector?

Cybersecurity professionals can work in any sector, but if you are just entering the cybersecurity field for the first time, you may want to consider looking at industries you’ve worked in previously. 

For example:

• A recent Lighthouse Labs grad, Matt, used his previous experience in BFSI to land his first cybersecurity job as a Senior Compliance Specialist at Neo Financial, where he manages regulatory compliance and contributes to strategic projects. 
• Ivan, another recent bootcamp graduate, leveraged his experience in criminal justice to land his first cybersecurity role for the Calgary Police Service.

When interviewing for a cybersecurity position, should bootcamp grads expect different things depending on the sector they’re trying to work in?

Yes, there are some specific things graduates need to know and prepare for during interviews. They should still make sure to prepare and practice for the typical behavioural interview questions and technical questions. 

Technical questions are designed to assess specific knowledge and skills related to technical aspects of a particular job, like programming languages, software tools, algorithms, and cyber-specific industry knowledge. Bootcamp graduates may be asked security design interview questions, which are becoming more common. These questions are open-ended and look for a candidate’s baseline knowledge of cybersecurity, which will showcase problem-solving and communication skills. 

It’s critical for graduates to make sure they’re doing their homework on the particular specialization they want to pursue as they will be asked to elaborate on their knowledge during cybersecurity interviews. Bootcamp grads should also expect different experiences and requirements depending on the sector they’re trying to break into, as they may have unique priorities and regulatory requirements that can influence the interview process. For example, in the government sector, grads may need to discuss their ability to obtain security clearances and they may focus on your trustworthiness. Tech companies have a major focus on innovation, so grads need to be prepared to discuss their projects or specific scenarios where they’ve applied novel solutions to challenges. Those interested in working in the financial sector should have regulatory knowledge with a focus on risk management and compliance.

Becoming a Cybersecurity Professional after Lighthouse Labs

Lighthouse Labs offers a comprehensive Cybersecurity Bootcamp curriculum designed to provide students with the practical, hands-on skills that employers demand. Learners gain technical expertise essential for entry-level roles, including encryption, malware analysis, digital forensics, network security, Wi-Fi monitoring, and more.

Beyond technical skills, Lighthouse Labs emphasizes adaptability and problem-solving. Our program prepares students to approach challenges with both logical and creative thinking, effectively communicate complex technical issues to non-technical stakeholders, collaborate within diverse teams, and keep pace with the rapidly evolving cybersecurity landscape. These capabilities enable our graduates to apply their technical knowledge and excel in any sector.

Students develop these skills through hands-on learning, real-world assignments and projects, individual and group work, and the immersive, intensive environment of the bootcamp.

How does Lighthouse Labs prepare cybersecurity students for the job search?

Career Services at Lighthouse Labs supports our students and grads with a variety of programs and services, such as workshops, coaching, activities, and events that support a student’s transition from education to the world of work. From resume and cover letter development, enhancement of interviewing techniques, career strategy, and networking skills, Lighthouse Labs’ Career Services provides high-impact services and expertise to assist grads with their job search techniques and making informed decisions based on current recruitment practices and industry trends.

Find out more and read Lighthouse Labs reviews on Course Report. This article was produced by the Course Report team in partnership with Lighthouse Labs.