Cybersecurity Analyst Salary Guide: How Much Can You Make?

As everything from our social lives to valuable company data moves online, cybersecurity has quickly become a critical priority for just about every organisation. 

If you have an interest in cybersecurity, this is good news. With cyber crime on the rise, it has caused a global loss of $6.1 trillion USD in 2021. In response, the world is projected to spend $267.3 billion USD by 2026 to fight cyber crime, which will herald widespread growth in cybersecurity jobs [1]. Skilled cybersecurity analysts are well-compensated for their work. 

Read on to learn about how much you can expect to earn as a cybersecurity analyst, as well as factors that can influence your salary. If you’re interested in starting or advancing your career in this field, we’ll discuss some ways you may be able to boost your earning potential.

What is an average cybersecurity analyst salary?

The average base salary for cybersecurity analysts in India is ₹5,50,000, according to Glassdoor [2]. This figure includes an average additional cash compensation, such as bonuses, at ₹50,000 per year. This is substantially higher than the average annual wage for all workers, ₹3,87,500 [3].

Cybersecurity analyst salaries by experience

In many industries, your level of experience can have a big impact on how much you earn. This is especially true in cybersecurity, where hands-on experience is just as valuable, if not more important, to companies than education. Here’s a look at how your average base salary (India) might change as you gain more experience, based on salary data from job site Payscale [3].

Cybersecurity salaries by company

How much money you can earn in cybersecurity also depends on the industry and company you work for. Here are some of the top companies in India that hire cybersecurity analysts and the average salary they offer, according to Payscale as of July 2023 [3]:

• Tata Consultancy Services: ₹4,25,000

• Wipro: ₹4,88,000

• EY: ₹4,04,521

Cybersecurity salaries by location

Where you live, and work can also have an impact on your salary. Average salaries in Gurugram, Pune, and Bangalore have average salaries higher than the national average [3]. On the other side of the coin, cities like Mumbai, and Ahmedabad have salaries lower than the national average. 

As you’re considering your options, remember that living in these larger cities is often more expensive, which can offset the higher salary. Many companies offer location-based salaries—salaries that take into account your location rather than the company location—for remote workers.

Cybersecurity salaries by skill

Earning a cybersecurity certification can be another way to boost your earning potential. Gaining in-demand skills is another way to make yourself a more competitive applicant, which could lead to a higher salary. The following skills correspond to an increase in salary [4]: 

• Splunk software: 103 per cent higher salary

• Security risk management: 19 per cent higher salary

• Security policies and procedures: 10 per cent higher salary

• Risk management/risk control: 5 per cent higher salary

Salaries for other job titles

As your cybersecurity career progresses, you may find opportunities to move into more advanced or specialised roles. According to Glassdoor, here are a few average annual salaries of other cybersecurity roles as of July 2023.

• Information security analyst: ₹6,00,000 

• Penetration tester: ₹5,14,239 

• Digital forensic examiner: ₹22,426 per month

• IT auditor: ₹8,65,043 

• Security systems administrator: ₹4,75,000 

• Security engineer: ₹8,14,792 

• Security architect: ₹21L 

• Cybersecurity manager: ₹26L 

• Ethical hacker: ₹51,251 per month

Job outlook for cybersecurity analysts

Cyber attacks continue to grow in frequency and complexity, and companies will need professionals with the latest cybersecurity skills to ensure data privacy, integrity, and availability.

India is anticipated to have a shortage of 1.5 million cybersecurity professionals by 2025, which represents a shortage of 43 per cent, according to a report from Michael Page India [5]. To further illustrate the opportunity for cybersecurity jobs, throughout the entire APAC region, 95 per cent of businesses aren’t securing their systems efficiently enough to keep bad actors at bay. According to the World Economic Forum 2020 Future of Jobs report, information security analysts are among the top 10 job roles increasing in demand across industries [6].

How to increase your cybersecurity salary

Now that you have a better idea of what you could expect to earn as a cybersecurity analyst, let’s take a look at how you might boost your salary, even for an entry-level analyst position.

 1. Learn new cybersecurity skills.

Companies are looking for professionals with robust cybersecurity skills to face evolving threats. Job listing site Payscale reports that the following skills are associated with the biggest salary increases for cybersecurity analysts [4]:

• Security risk management: Identify security risks and take steps to prevent harm

• Security policies and procedures: Understand best practices and systems for managing security risks

• Risk management/risk control: Minimise the organisation's exposure to cybersecurity threats and create systems of best practices 

• Forensics: When a cyber crime has occurred, forensics help track down the lost funds or the criminals themselves.

• Splunk: Operate this security information and event management system (SIEM) to respond to threats

2. Earn a certification or degree.

While you don’t necessarily need a degree to get a job in cybersecurity, earning one could help you find more job opportunities and get a bump in your salary. 

If you already have a degree or IT experience, earning a cybersecurity certification could translate into a bigger paycheck. Be sure to speak with your manager about options if you’re interested in pursuing a certification.

3. Negotiate your job offer.

Next time you’re offered a cybersecurity job, ask if the amount offered is open to negotiation. While there’s no guarantee that you’ll get what you ask for, you could be walking away from a bigger salary by not trying. 

Get started in cybersecurity

If you’re interested in a career in cybersecurity, the Google Cybersecurity Professional Certificate on Coursera is your gateway to exploring job titles like security analyst SOC (security operations center) analyst, and more. Upon completion, you’ll have exclusive access to a job platform with over 150 employees hiring for entry-level cybersecurity roles and other resources that will support you in your job search.