In the context of cybersecurity, cybersecurity engineer has become increasingly popular profession. To be a cyber security engineer has become a career pursuit for many people.

However, a qualified cybersecurity engineer must be proficient in one or more programming languages. As one of the necessary functional tools for cybersecurity engineers, programming language is often used to solve security problems. Knowing multiple programming languages will help you a lot in your career.

So, what programming languages should a cyber security engineer be familiar with?

Python

For now, python is the most popular programming language in the world, because it can almost do anything, such as: web development, web crawler, artificial intelligence, data analysis and etc. At the same time, python is also the easiest of all programming languages [Startacybercareer.com. 2022].

• Popularity, python is currently among the most popular programming languages and one of the fastest growing.
• Python has a very simple and readable syntax, which makes it easy to learn and use, perfect for quick scripts.
• Python includes a number of libraries, providing a massive amount of built-in functionality since python is open source.

So, basic on the benefits above, cybersecurity teams can get up to speed quickly, form quickly, and developed quickly [Startacybercareer.com. 2022].

C&C++

C is the original language that was created in 1970s, C++ is improvement of C that was created in 1985 [SecurityMadeSimple. 2022]. In the cybersecurity community, C and C++ are relatively important as the most basic programming languages that provide access the underlying IT infrastructure, such as CPU and RAM. Hackers can easily exploit such infrastructure if not well protected [SecurityMadeSimple. 2022].

Although C and C++ are basic languages for cyber security community, but these languages are notoriously difficult for beginner. Many security features are provided in C++, people need to invest a lot of time and experience to master that [SecurityMadeSimple. 2022].

JavaScript

JavaScript is a very useful programming language especially for web development. The advent of JavaScript allows developers to enrich the content of website, realize the dynamic and interactive between web pages.

The weakness of JavaScript is that the scripting language code can be viewed by other users, making the code vulnerable to cyberattacks. JavaScript enables cybersecurity experts to develop secure site and user interfaces to prevent cyberattacks [How To and Hacks. 2022], and allows programmers to work with cookies, carry out cross-site scripting(XSS) and manipulate event handlers [How To and Hacks. 2022].

Structured Query Language

Structured Query Language(SQL) is a language designed to manipulate and manage data in database. SQL injection is a kind of cyber security attack by writing dangerous SQL statement, the attacker makes database perform unexpected and undesired things [ Rapid7. 2022]. It is a popular attack method, but by taking appropriate precautions such as ensuring data encryption, securing and testing Web applications, and updating patches [ Rapid7. 2022]. These methods can effectively protect data secure.

Conclusion

Programming languages are not only used in app development and system programming, but also be used in web development, machine learning etc. Since these are all web-based and cross-platform, cyber security becomes especially important, and programming language can help to create a secure and safe environment [How To and Hacks. 2022].

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Reference:

Online Security News, Reviews, How To and Hacks. 2022. The Best Programming Languages for Cybersecurity in 2022. [online] Available at: <https://securitygladiators.com/cybersecurity/programming-language/#6_JavaScript> [Accessed 19 September 2022].

Rapid7. 2022. What is SQL Injection? Attack Examples & Prevention | Rapid7. [online] Available at: <https://www.rapid7.com/fundamentals/sql-injection-attacks/> [Accessed 19 September 2022].

Startacybercareer.com. 2022. 5 Big Reasons Python is Useful in Cybersecurity – StartaCyberCareer.com. [online] Available at: <https://startacybercareer.com/python-useful-for-cyber-security/> [Accessed 19 September 2022].

SecurityMadeSimple. 2022. Is C++ good for Cybersecurity? — SecurityMadeSimple. [online] Available at: <https://www.securitymadesimple.org/cybersecurity-blog/is-c-good-for-cybersecurity> [Accessed 19 September 2022].