Top 15 Cybersecurity Interview Questions to Prepare for in 2022 (And How to Answer Them)

The demand for cybersecurity professionals continues to skyrocket. This article lists 15 important interview questions that can help you ace interviews for jobs in the cybersecurity domain.

With the demand for cybersecurity professionals on the rise, there is naturally intense competition as well. Landing a well-paying cybersecurity job in a leading company would require you to be well-qualified, have the right experience and certifications, and finally ace the interview.

Considering the nature of the job, interviewers will mostly ask questions that will give them an insight into your level of competence. Candidates are often expected to possess excellent domain knowledge. Nevertheless, the difficulty of the questions can depend on the role and its seniority.

Remember that memorizing cybersecurity theory does not automatically guarantee a successful interview. A good candidate also needs to showcase a passion for continuous learning, an understanding of the true nature of the job, and a high level of competence, especially in stressful situations.

See More: Career Path in Cybersecurity: How to Enter, Key Skills, Salary, and Job Description

Cybersecurity Interview Questions to Prepare for in 2022

Here is a list of the top 15 questions candidates can expect when they show up for an interview for a cybersecurity role, along with the appropriate answers.Â

Cybersecurity Interview Questions to Prepare for in 2022

First, let’s look at some subjective questions you may be asked. You might face these questions as the interviewer attempts to assess your general competence and suitability for the role you have applied for.

1. What do you find interesting about cybersecurity?

This simple question can identify strong candidates right off the bat. Frame your answer in a way that reflects your level of experience.

A beginner might get away with a simple answer, such as â€˜I find technology interesting’ or â€˜Detecting software bugs has always been something I enjoy’. However, experienced candidates need to be more specific. Try talking about what you find exciting at your job. Exhibiting a passion for the career path you want to take (or are already on), such as penetration testing or incident response, can get you a few brownie points too.

If you’re applying for a senior-level position, such as a chief information security officer (CISO), talk about the management skills that you’ve developed during your career. If you’re making a lateral shift from a different domain, talk about the common elements between cybersecurity and your current vertical. For instance, someone with a background in finance can speak about their proficiency in regulatory compliance, risk management, and attention to detail.

2. Why did you choose cybersecurity to build your career?

Through this question, the interviewer aims to gauge your priorities. Naturally, making money should not be your stated reason for choosing this career path. If that is indeed your reason, it needs to be phrased in a way that allows the interviewer to understand that financial gain is not the only motivator behind your interest in the role.

Talk about how cybersecurity is a grave issue in the post-pandemic corporate landscape and that you think you can make a positive difference by choosing this field. You can mention the shortage of strong candidates in the domain and how your skills can help protect the organization as well as give you hands-on experience and career growth.

3. Which qualities of yours make you a good candidate for a role in cybersecurity?

This question isn’t only about the qualities you possess; it is also about how you’ve exhibited these qualities in the past.

While the fact that you have always been passionate about technology and hacking since the age of ten is a good place to start, don’t dwell on it for more than a sentence or two. Instead, talk about the sought-after qualities in the cybersecurity domain, such as in-depth knowledge about cross-platform cybersecurity, a strong understanding of digital forensics, attention to detail, and problem-solving skills.

Regardless of your seniority, keep in mind that your interviewer is probably a seasoned cybersecurity professional as well. Talk about your top accomplishments and tie in a demonstration of your strongest qualities. Remember, even on-the-job anecdotes that showcase simple qualities such as curiosity and persistence can work here.

If you’re relatively new to the field, you can try demonstrating your qualities by talking about your home setup, the time when you discovered and fixed a glitch in a video game, or how you helped your aunt secure her email account. Try your best to ensure that these anecdotes are technically oriented and showcase the desirable qualities.

4. Do you think continuous learning is important in a cybersecurity career?

Your answer to any question related to â€˜continuous learning’ should show a positive attitude toward it. Career-long learning is an essential trait for the cybersecurity domain, and showing that you are aware and accepting of this fact is bound to work in your favor. Your answer should convince the interviewer that you are interested in security and technology. Exhibit that you are willing to continuously improve the skills required to secure organizational systems effectively.

Mention how you have been learning continuously to reach where you are today. Bring up the certifications you have obtained and the ones you plan to acquire soon. Share an anecdote that demonstrates your learning and observation skills. You can also mention how you plan to make it big in cybersecurity.

5. How have you secured your home setup?

The mark of a passionate cybersecurity professional is a secure home setup. This question is a great chance for candidates with less experience to exhibit an understanding of the basic issues that any system can face.

Take this opportunity to talk about the following measures:

Using a paid VPN service
Changing default router and account passwords
Enabling robust antivirus and anti-malware software
Using two-factor authentication on whatever service allows it
Relying on a reputable password manager
Creating secure backups often

6. You receive a â€˜Happy Birthday’ e-card from a friend as an email attachment on your birthday. What would you do?

Scenario-based questions are an easy way for interviewers to understand your critical thinking and problem-solving skills. If a specific scenario is unfamiliar, fall back on the basics and don’t hesitate to talk about doing your research and asking for help.

To answer this scenario-based question, mention that many risks need to be considered, such as:

Opening a malicious email is a risk in itself. Consider not opening the email and deleting it immediately.
If you use antivirus software or an email client with a high-security rating, leverage its features to scan the email and the attachment for viruses and other risks.
Email addresses are easy to spoof. Just because the email is marked from a friend does not mean it actually is. Consider checking with your friend over a call or text before proceeding.

Now, let’s look at some objective questions that may be asked.

The interviewer might field these questions to gauge your domain-specific knowledge. Naturally, this is not an exhaustive list: brush up on your theory while keeping the specific role that you are applying for in mind.

Pro tip: If a particular term or scenario seems unfamiliar, don’t try to bluff your way out of the situation. Instead, talk about the importance of continuous learning in cybersecurity and politely tell the interviewer that you will learn more about this term.

7. What is the primary goal of cybersecurity?

Securing organizational data is the primary goal of cybersecurity. This goal can be achieved by keeping in mind the three basic, interconnected principles of cybersecurity: confidentiality, integrity, and availability, commonly shortened to CIA. The â€˜CIA model’ helps organizations make decisions regarding cybersecurity. If any of these principles are violated, the likelihood of a security breach increases.

Confidentiality is the prevention of unauthorized access to enterprise data. Upholding this principle means ensuring that data is only accessed by the parties that are authorized to use it. When executed correctly, critical information remains safe from threats such as hacking.
Integrity is the assurance that information being accessed is correct and secure from any form of unauthorized access or alteration â€” intentional or otherwise. Changes, if any, should not lead to corruption or loss. Measures to reverse the effects of any undesirable incidents should be implemented.
Availability ensures that data is constantly accessible by authorized parties, even in the case of natural or human-made disasters.

8. What are the various sub-domains of cybersecurity?

Today, companies rely heavily on technology for almost every business process. Each workflow relies on a different system, and securing these varying IT architectures calls for specialized sub-domains of cybersecurity, such as:

Application security: Protects enterprise hardware and software against hackers, viruses, and other threats.Â
Cloud security: Safeguards data digitally stored in cloud environments such as AWS, Google Cloud, and Azure.
Data security: Creates robust systems that ensure data integrity during both transit and storage.
Network security: Protects enterprise networks against unauthorized access and other forms of disruption through measures such as VPN and firewall.
Identity management: Secures all employee- and vendor-facing systems by setting a specific access level for each individual and logging system activity.

9. What security issues have cybersecurity teams had to deal with due to remote work post-pandemic?

The post-pandemic security landscape is an interesting case study for cybersecurity professionals across the board. â€˜Work from home’ suddenly went from being an exception to becoming the norm. As a result, cybersecurity teams had to work overtime to figure out secure BYOD protocols, VPN access, remote desktop protocol (RDP) issues, and a host of other problems.

Many companies were unable to keep up with the queries and requests from employees who were not tech-savvy beyond what they needed for their daily tasks. This led to chinks in the security posture of organizations across the world, and attacks on systems subsequently rose. A February 2021 report by Atlas VPN pegs the global cost due to cybercrime at over $1 trillion in 2020 alone, with $945 billion lost due to security incidents and $45 billion spent on protective measures.

10. Can you talk about a few commonly encountered cybersecurity attacks?

You could explain some of the following attacks:

Malware: Malicious programs are designed to damage organizational systems, such as viruses, Trojans, spyware, worms, ransomware, and adware. These are easily mitigated through robust anti-malware and antivirus software and commonsense security best practices.
Denial-of-service (DoS): These attacks exploit systems or networks and prevent end-users from accessing them. In some cases, the target is overwhelmed with malicious traffic, while sometimes, a program is used to trigger a crash. While typical DoS attacks may not result in data theft, they can lead to significant losses due to unplanned downtime that needs to be addressed by IT professionals.
Domain name system (DNS) attacks: These attacks target the domain name system. Most attacks manipulate the DNS to prevent end-users from accessing websites. Weaknesses in DNS can also be exploited to redirect end users to spoofed, malicious pages. Finally, DNS protocol can be leveraged to steal sensitive data, i.e., DNS tunneling.
Cross-site scripting (XSS): This attack compromises applications and enables attackers to assume the target’s identity. The attacker then carries out actions that only the user should execute and accesses sensitive data and functions.
Phishing: Disguised emails trick the target into downloading malicious attachments, sharing sensitive information, or clicking on dangerous links.
Man-in-the-middle: Attackers insert themselves into an existing data transfer, allowing them to intercept sensitive information coming from either side.
Brute force: Attackers use programs or guesswork to determine the right combination of credentials and access sensitive data.
SQL injection: Attackers exploit vulnerabilities in web security to hijack queries made to a database by an application. The attacker can then view, steal, or delete this data and even modify it to influence application performance.
Session hijacking: Attackers target users and cause them to lose control of an ongoing online session to steal data.

11. How could we, as a company, improve internal cybersecurity?

A few measures that can improve the internal cybersecurity of an organization include:

Mandatory training: Teach web best practices to each employee and explain common cybersecurity threats and ways to spot them. Training tailored to the needs of specific teams is much more effective. For instance, social engineering scams are more likely to be used when attackers target higher management and finance teams. Naturally, the IT department needs the highest level of training possible.
Onboarding training: New employees, especially those joining remotely in the post-pandemic era, need to understand how the organization works to recognize when something is amiss. They should be encouraged to verify any sensitive requests before processing them, at least until they have a hang of day-to-day operations.
Hands-on training: Quiz answers don’t necessarily indicate how employees would actually behave during a cybersecurity event. Training initiatives designed to simulate real-life attack attempts (such as phishing emails sent by the cybersecurity team) can help both employees and the IT team prepare for the real deal.

Note: Before the interview, it is always a good idea to research the cybersecurity posture and recent developments of the specific company/industry that you are applying to.

12. Why is it essential to have a VPN connection for employees?

Virtual private networks (VPNs) establish encrypted connections between the company’s network and the employee’s device. When an employee connects to a VPN, the data from their device is transferred to the starting point of the â€˜VPN tunnel’, where it is encrypted. It is then transmitted to the end of the tunnel, usually, the company’s network, where the data is decrypted. The tunnel is similarly activated when the organizational network responds to the employee’s request for data.

VPNs are important because they help ensure the secure transfer of data between employees and the company and prevent illegitimate parties from intercepting sensitive communication.

13. What is the difference between penetration testing and vulnerability assessment?

Both penetration testing and vulnerability assessment help secure organizational networks.

Penetration testing, also known as pen-testing or ethical hacking, is the process of identifying vulnerabilities in an application, network, or other enterprise systems using the same methodology that an attacker would. The tester is also expected to fix these vulnerabilities before being exploited.

Vulnerability assessments analyze enterprise systems, applications, and networks at a higher level to define, detect, and prioritize vulnerabilities. Consultants also share recommendations for correcting the spotted vulnerabilities.

Think of vulnerability assessment as checking whether a safe is locked correctly. Penetration testing goes a step further and tries to crack open the safe the same way a thief would attempt to.

14. What is a botnet?

A botnet is an illegitimately created network of devices, where each device is hijacked to run bots. Threat actors use these networks to carry out various types of attacks without the knowledge or consent of the device owners. The creation of a botnet normally indicates the beginning of a larger attack that aims to take down systems, steal sensitive data, or distribute malware.

15. What is the difference between IDS and IPS solutions?

Intrusion detection systems, commonly known as IDS, monitor the traffic passing through organizational networks to detect signs that an attack is underway. IDS can give advanced signals that threat actors are trying to steal sensitive information or otherwise infiltrate the network using known attack vectors. An IDS system detects activities such as malware attacks, security policy violations, and port scanners by comparing the suspicious activity against familiar threat footprints.

Conversely, intrusion prevention systems, often shortened to IPS, are placed between the enterprise network and the internet at large, much like a firewall. If an approaching packet contains a known threat, the IPS will intercept and block it.

IDS is a monitoring system that does not modify network packets in any form. On the other hand, IPS is a control system that will block the delivery of malicious packets depending on their contents.Â

See More: Making It in InfoSec: 7 Skills To Keep Up-to-Date in 2021

Takeaway

At the most fundamental level, interviews for cybersecurity jobs are no different from any other interview. You just need to show up and be ready to talk about the importance of cybersecurity and why you’re the right person for the job.

Newer candidates shouldn’t be afraid of not knowing more advanced terms and scenarios. Just gain a general understanding of how the field operates and make sure your basics are strong. However, experienced professionals should come prepared to showcase a proven track record and a portfolio of certifications relevant to the role they are applying for.

As with an interview for any other role, soft skills such as strong communication and thinking outside the box can help you score brownie points. Naturally, a candidate who understands the practicalities of a job in the cybersecurity field will be better placed than someone solely with theoretical knowledge.

Finally, don’t forget the basics: show up on time, be well-groomed, talk about yourself confidently, and make sure your body language works in your favor.

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