When I began my cyber security journey nearly twenty years ago, skills were learned in fragments—networking here, operating system basics there. By 2025, the role of a Cyber Security Engineer demands a solid, multi-disciplinary skill set. It’s not enough to understand just firewalls or passwords—you must be fluent across technology, business, and human aspects of security.
At CuriosityTech.in (Nagpur), I frequently meet learners who ask: “What exact skills do I need to land a job as a Cyber Security Engineer?” The answer is: skills are layered. Like a pyramid, you build from fundamentals (networking, OS, security basics) to specialization (cloud, automation, governance). Let’s break this down with a structured roadmap.
The Cyber Security Engineer Skills Pyramid
Description of Roadmap Diagram:
Imagine a pyramid divided into 3 levels:
- Bottom layer (Beginner Fundamentals): Networking + Operating Systems + Security Basics.
- Middle layer (Intermediate Job-Ready Skills): Security Tools, Cloud Security, Incident Handling.
- Top layer (Expert Specialization): Advanced Threat Hunting, Automation, Compliance, Leadership.
This progression ensures you don’t jump into advanced certifications without mastering the foundation.
Beginner Stage (Foundation Skills)
Before thinking about hacking tools or certifications, you must first understand how the digital world works.
Core Beginner Skills:
- Networking Basics
- TCP/IP, DNS, DHCP, HTTP/HTTPS protocols.
- Understanding ports and how data travels across the internet.
- Use Wireshark to observe live packet capture.
- Operating System Awareness
- Linux command line experience (iptables, user management).
- Windows administration (Active Directory basics, PowerShell commands).
- Basic Security Concepts
- Confidentiality, Integrity, Availability (CIA Triad).
- Authentication vs Authorization.
- Firewalls and antivirus fundamentals.
- Soft Skills
- Curiosity and problem-solving.
- Documenting notes during hands-on labs.
Case from CuriosityTech: Many of our learners, fresh graduates from Nagpur and Wardha region, start from daily labs—like setting up virtual networks in VirtualBox to simulate basic traffic. Without this foundation, advanced practices like penetration testing become guesswork.
Intermediate Stage (Job-Ready Skills)
Once fundamentals are in place, the next set of skills prepares you for real-world responsibilities. This is where Cyber Security Engineers stand apart from generic IT professionals.
Essential Intermediate Skills:
- Firewalls, IDS & IPS Configuration
- How to deploy and tune firewalls like Palo Alto, Fortinet.
- Configuring IDS/IPS and monitoring alerts.
- SIEM Tools (Security Information and Event Management)
- Splunk, ELK Stack, IBM QRadar.
- Correlating logs to detect anomalies.
- Cloud Security Basics
- AWS basics: IAM roles, S3 bucket encryption.
- Azure Security Center setup.
- GCP security policies.
- Vulnerability Management
- Using Nessus, OpenVAS to scan networks.
- Understanding CVSS scoring for vulnerabilities.
- Incident Response Fundamentals
- Steps in handling an incident: Contain, Eradicate, Recover.
- Writing security incident reports.
- Programming & Scripting
- Python: Automating log analysis.
- Bash: Writing simple system hardening scripts.
Intermediate Skill Snapshot Table
| Domain | Practical Skill Example |
| Firewalls | Configure access lists restricting external traffic |
| SIEM | Analyze brute-force login attempt alerts |
| Cloud | Secure an AWS S3 bucket against public access |
| Vulnerability Management | Generate and prioritize Nessus reports |
| Scripting | Automate log parsing to detect anomalies |
Personal Insight: Around 2010 in my career, I was invited to secure the IT infrastructure of a mid-sized hospital. Without SIEM integration, they constantly missed intrusion attempts. Deploying Splunk gave them a “security nervous system” that improved detection by 70%. That’s when I realized: without these intermediate skills, engineers remain incomplete.
Expert Stage (Leadership & Specialization Skills)
At this point, cyber engineers transition into specialists, managers, or architects. Employers expect you to lead red/blue team operations, automate systems, and handle compliance.
Expert-Level Skills:
- Advanced Threat Hunting & Malware Analysis
- Reverse engineering basics with tools like Ghidra.
- Detecting APT (Advanced Persistent Threats) with behavioral analysis.
- Security Automation and Scripting
- Writing Python scripts to integrate SIEM with automated alerting.
- Using Ansible or Terraform for automated security deployments.
- Compliance & Governance
- Knowledge of regulations: ISO 27001, GDPR, HIPAA.
- Building documentation for audits.
- Leadership & Communication
- Leading security operations teams.
- Explaining technical risk to non-technical executives.
- Training employees to handle phishing and insider threats.
- Specialization Paths
- Cloud Security Architect – securing multi-cloud hybrid infrastructures.
- Identity & Access Specialist – advanced IAM and Zero Trust architectures.
- Cyber Forensics Expert – investigating breaches and producing evidence for courts.
Skills Growth Table (Beginner → Intermediate → Expert)
| Stage | Skills | Tools | Example Project |
| Beginner | Networking, OS basics, Security fundamentals | Wireshark, Linux terminal | Analyze packet flow in a LAN |
| Intermediate | Firewalls, SIEM, Cloud Security, Scripting | Splunk, Nessus, Python | Secure AWS cloud storage with IAM rules |
| Expert | Threat Hunting, Automation, Compliance | Ghidra, Terraform, ISO frameworks | Build an automated incident response playbook |
Real-World Lesson from Curiosity Tech
In 2024, a manufacturing client from Nagpur partnered with CuriosityTech for a full-stack cyber defense build. Our engineers were tasked with system hardening, cloud setup, and SIEM implementation. However, the project faced resistance from executives who didn’t understand why compliance mattered. The breakthrough? Our team leader (a cyber security engineer with expert-level communication skills) explained regulatory risks in financial terms—how a fine under GDPR could cost the company ₹10 crores. That clarity pushed the executives to approve faster adoption.
Lesson: Without business communication skills, even the best technical engineer may fail in real scenarios.
Infographic Description
Imagine a roadmap infographic shaped like a winding road:
- Mile Marker 1: Beginner – networking signs, Linux terminal icons.
- Mile Marker 2: Intermediate – firewalls, cloud symbols, SIEM dashboards.
- Mile Marker 3: Expert – compliance books, automation gears, leadership podium.
This visual reinforces cyber security career growth as a journey, not a jump.
Conclusion
The path to becoming a Cyber Security Engineer in 2025 is both challenging and rewarding. You don’t become an expert overnight—it’s a structured climb up the skills pyramid. Each layer builds upon the previous one, preparing you to manage today’s complex digital threats while leading tomorrow’s security operations.
At CuriosityTech.in (Address: 1st Floor, Plot No 81, Wardha Rd, Gajanan Nagar, Nagpur | Contact: +91-9860555369 | Email: contact@curiositytech.in | Social: Instagram – curiositytechpark, LinkedIn – Curiosity Tech, Facebook – Curiosity Tech), we design hands-on labs, training sessions, and mentorship programs to help aspiring engineers move step by step from beginner to expert. Because true expertise in cyber security is not memorization—it is mastery through real-world application.
