What is the salary of a cybersecurity engineer?

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What is the salary of an industrial cybersecurity engineer?

It is difficult to generalize because a salary can vary depending on the size of the company, its field of specialization, the country in which it operates, the level of expertise of the engineer.
If we are to generalize, an industrial cybersecurity engineer, at the beginning of his or her career, can expect a salary in France of between €2,500 gross and €5,833 gross per month, the equivalent of an average salary of €4,167 gross per month.

A few examples, to give a comparison on the different salaries in euros, gross per month, of different computer engineers:

  • Information Systems Engineer, junior 2500€ and expert 5800€ ;
  • Software engineer, junior 2600€ and expert 5400€ ;
  • Industrial computer engineer, junior 2700€ and expert 5900€ ;
  • Computer engineer, junior 3100€ and expert 7000€ ;
  • Cybersecurity engineer, junior 3200€ and expert 7000€ ;
  • System and network engineer, junior 3200€ and expert 6700€.

What are the salaries of other types of engineers?

It can be seen that theIT and cybersecurity engineer is in the high average compared to another type of engineer. Therefore, the industry and experience are key in assessing the salary range in which the employee falls.

The IESF (Engineers and Scientists of France) offers us a survey on gross salaries per year in 2020 in the field of :

  • Agriculture, junior 35 798€ and expert 90 000€ ;
  • Transport industries, junior 41 035€ and expert 95 000€ ;
  • Energies, 40 054€ junior and 100 209€ expert ;
  • Building and construction, 40 000€ junior and 101 000€ expert;
  • Telecommunications, 42 000€ junior and 90 400€ expert;
  • Banking, insurance and finance, 50 000€ junior and 95 000€ expert;
  • The council, 43 000€ junior and 92 000€ expert ;
  • or research and teaching, 32 550€ junior and 60 369€ expert.

Does the cybersecurity business pay?

Absolutely, the cybersecurity environment is lucrative, especially if you consider that the salary evolves as the engineer gains experience. There are many professional development opportunities and sectors.

Also, professionals average salaries between 3 000 and 3 300 € for a beginner and between 3 750 and 5 800 € for a senior profile.

In the case of a freelance or self employed professional, the fees can go up to 600 € per day.

For comparison, the minimum growth wage (Smic) announced by the government is €10.57 gross per hour, or €1,603.12 per month and €19,237 per year.

Why be an engineer in cybersecurity?

The cybersecurity engineer has a vital role in protecting against cyber threats. As such, cybersecurity is a profession of the future. All the information of the contemporary company is digitalized, the information systems are now dematerialized. These new practices have led to the development of what is known as cyber-maliciousness, which are digital acts aimed at gathering information, infiltrating a computer system, modifying data for illegal use: identity theft, espionage, information trafficking, or hacking.
To this end, cybersecurity and information security units have developed within companies. They have become strategic axes for economic development and are sometimes an integral part of a business model. For example, production lines on an industrial scale are sometimes entirely digitalized and jobs transformed by digital technology. This sector is therefore buoyant and the job market is constantly growing.

Is there any training to become a security engineer?

Absolutely, engineering schools offer degrees to become a security engineer. In particular, through a bachelor’s degree or a specialized master’s degree, which allow students to specialize in cybersecurity.

Schools of computer science, business, or universities offer degree courses in cybersecurity. However, these courses are further away from the scientific and technical expertise of an engineering education.

Does the ECE propose a curriculum to be a cybersecurity engineer?

Yes, ECE proposes to become a cybersecurity engineer through several degree courses:

  • A Digital Bachelor’s degree aimed at a 3-year degree
  • And a specialized Master’s degree (Msc) Manager of Cybersecurity aimed at Bac+5.

Learn more about cybersecurity training

Updated 2 January 2024