What Kind of Math is Used in Cybersecurity?

Most entry-level and mid-level cybersecurity positions like cybersecurity analyst aren’t math intensive. There’s a lot of graphs and data analysis, but the required math isn’t particularly advanced. If you can handle basic programming and problem solving, you can thrive. Here’s what you need to get there. INTERESTED IN BECOMING A CYBERSECURITY ANALYST? layer A cybersecurity analyst scours a company’s programs, applications, security systems, networks, and more to identify any defects or flaws that could leave this information vulnerable. Learn more about why this role is an excellent launchpad for loftier career goals with job titles like cybersecurity architect, solutions implementation engineer, and cybersecurity engineer. Binary Number Theory Binary math powers everything a computer does, from creating and routing IP addresses to running a security client’s operating system. It’s a mathematical language that uses only the values “0” and “1” in combination. Computer networks “speak” in binary, so cybersecurity professionals need to understand how it works. Fortunately, most computer science courses introduce students to binary as part of the curriculum. Boolean Algebra Boolean algebra is used extensively in computer programming. It’s a kind of algebra that describes logical operations using two values, “true” (represented by the digit 0) and “false” (represented by the digit 1). Boolean algebra manipulates those values using the logical function AND and OR. Unlike other forms of algebra, Boolean doesn’t involve any numerical calculations. The answer is either “yes” or “no,” which is why it’s been so useful in computer coding. Most cybersecurity training programs, including edX’s Cybersecurity Fundamentals MicroBachelor’s program from NYUx, require you to have some knowledge of programming languages like Python or Java.