Cybersecurity Analyst: AI job impact
AI can summarize threat reports and help prepare tests or training. Risk acceptance, permissions and incident decisions need human authorization.
AI applicability
0.222 / 1
How applicable AI was to this occupation’s work in Microsoft’s study. This is an index, not a probability.
Observed activity coverage
52.7%
Share of work activities above the study’s usage threshold, weighted by importance. Not the share of workers using AI.
Mapped to Information Security Analysts. Offensive security and compliance specialties may have different responsibilities.
Microsoft v1.1 · U.S. Bing Copilot conversations, Jan–Sep 2024. These indicators do not predict job losses and do not change with your task selections. Measurement details
Your daily tasks
Set how often you do each task to update your task mix, plan and tool suggestions.
Frequency weights: occasionally 1, regularly 2, often 3. These shares do not represent working hours, time saved or job-loss risk.
AI roles are AI IDE List editorial assessments of O*NET tasks, not measured automation rates. Partial automation requires review.
Prepare security awareness training
Draft role-specific examples; verify the advice against approved security procedures.
Task source
O*NET original task statement (English)
Train users and promote security awareness to ensure system security and to improve server and network efficiency.
O*NET 31.0, task 5313 · Importance 3.81 / 5. View occupation tasks
Plan safeguards and recovery
Suggest threats and controls; assess actual assets, dependencies and recovery requirements.
Task source
O*NET original task statement (English)
Develop plans to safeguard computer files against accidental or unauthorized modification, destruction, or disclosure and to meet emergency data processing needs.
O*NET 31.0, task 5314 · Importance 4.40 / 5. View occupation tasks
Discuss access and security issues
Organize evidence and questions; resolve access needs with the system and data owners.
Task source
O*NET original task statement (English)
Confer with users to discuss issues such as computer data access needs, security violations, and programming changes.
O*NET 31.0, task 5315 · Importance 3.94 / 5. View occupation tasks
Review threat reports
Summarize source-linked advisories; confirm affected versions and relevance to the deployed environment.
Task source
O*NET original task statement (English)
Monitor current reports of computer viruses to determine when to update virus protection systems.
O*NET 31.0, task 5316 · Importance 4.23 / 5. View occupation tasks
Update security configurations
Draft a proposed configuration diff; review permissions and test it before authorization.
Task source
O*NET original task statement (English)
Modify computer security files to incorporate new software, correct errors, or change individual access status.
O*NET 31.0, task 5317 · Importance 4.10 / 5. View occupation tasks
Coordinate security implementation
Draft a change plan; agree responsibilities and maintenance windows with operators.
Task source
O*NET original task statement (English)
Coordinate implementation of computer system plan with establishment personnel and outside vendors.
O*NET 31.0, task 5318 · Importance 3.87 / 5. View occupation tasks
Review data access
Highlight unusual patterns; investigate context before changing or revoking access.
Task source
O*NET original task statement (English)
Monitor use of data files and regulate access to safeguard information in computer files.
O*NET 31.0, task 5319 · Importance 3.89 / 5. View occupation tasks
Assess risk and test controls
Propose test cases from a control objective; run authorized checks and retain evidence for each finding.
Task source
O*NET original task statement (English)
Perform risk assessments and execute tests of data processing system to ensure functioning of data processing activities and security measures.
O*NET 31.0, task 5320 · Importance 4.12 / 5. View occupation tasks
Your selections are saved in this browser. Sharing a link includes only the occupation and selected frequencies.
Your AI adaptation plan
Start with one recurring task. Test the output before expanding the workflow.
Verify AI-written documentation
For: Prepare security awareness training
- Prepare
- Supply approved source material, the intended reader and the required output format.
- Try
- Draft role-specific examples; verify the advice against approved security procedures.
- Verify
- Trace factual claims to the source and run any procedural examples.
Check evidence and uncertainty
For: Review threat reports
- Prepare
- Define the question and provide primary sources with publication dates.
- Try
- Summarize source-linked advisories; confirm affected versions and relevance to the deployed environment.
- Verify
- Open original sources, check scope and separate findings from assumptions.
Check whether tests detect failures
For: Assess risk and test controls
- Prepare
- Use a requirement and a known failing example, without showing the proposed implementation first.
- Try
- Propose test cases from a control objective; run authorized checks and retain evidence for each finding.
- Verify
- Confirm the tests fail on the broken example and pass on the corrected behavior.
Validate detections with evidence
Use a sanitized event sample to draft a detection. Test known benign and malicious cases, then document false positives and coverage gaps.
Skills and career outlook
Skills in the occupation data
Importance · 1–5- Reading Comprehension4.00 / 5
- Critical Thinking3.88 / 5
- Active Listening3.75 / 5
- Complex Problem Solving3.75 / 5
- Speaking3.62 / 5
Top O*NET essential and transferable skills by importance. Ratings describe occupational requirements, not future demand.
U.S. employment projection
+21.0%
Projected employment change, 2025–2035
Information security analysts
BLS projects total employment change from many factors. This is not an AI-specific forecast or a UK projection.
BLS employment projectionsWhat to keep evaluating
Threat descriptions and generated detections can be wrong or incomplete. Validate findings against evidence and test controls in an authorized environment.
Tools to try with your tasks
Matched to the tasks you selected. Test on a small example and compare output quality and review effort.
Claude Opus 5.5
ModelA model to evaluate on a small, verified example of this task. Compare quality and review effort before adopting it.
Try for: Prepare security awareness training; Review threat reports.
GPT-6 Astra
ModelA model to evaluate on a small, verified example of this task. Compare quality and review effort before adopting it.
Try for: Prepare security awareness training; Review threat reports.
Claude Code
ToolExplore a codebase and propose a bounded change with tests.
Try for: Prepare security awareness training; Assess risk and test controls.
Claude Code commandsGitHub Copilot
ToolDraft code, test cases and documentation alongside the code you are reviewing.
Try for: Prepare security awareness training; Assess risk and test controls.
Sources and limits
Matched occupation: Information Security Analysts (15-1212.00). Published research group: Information Security Analysts (SOC 15-1212).
- O*NET 31.0 · CC BY 4.0
- Working with AI, v1.1 · CC BY 4.0
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035 · U.S. government data
Microsoft’s study uses O*NET 29.0; the task descriptions here use O*NET 31.0. The original study score is preserved. Editorial suggestions are not results reported by these sources.
Read the methodology, attribution and update record