Best Cybersecurity Certifications (with Salaries)

In Fortinet's 2025 Global Cybersecurity Skills Gap Report, 89% of IT decision-makers said they prefer to hire candidates with certifications. The biggest reasons given were that certs validate cybersecurity knowledge (67%), show that skills are current (61%), and indicate familiarity with key vendor tools (56%). But the pay that comes with each certification varies widely: for the top 10 security certs below, average U.S. salaries range from $102,333 for CompTIA Security+ to $203,597 for AWS Certified Security - Specialty.

We ranked every certification on the same salary data to keep things consistent. Each entry also covers the exam cost, the experience you'll want before testing, and where the cert fits in a cybersecurity career.

How we ranked them: Salaries are U.S. averages reported by certification holders in Skillsoft's latest IT Skills and Salary Survey (2,217 respondents). Job-posting demand comes from CyberSeek and exam costs from the certifying bodies. Keep in mind that salaries reflect holders' experience and positions, not the certification alone; the typical CISSP holder in the survey was 44, and most were managers.

Salary sources: Skillsoft's top-paying certifications and CompTIA certification reports from its latest IT Skills and Salary survey.

The 10 Best Cybersecurity Certifications

1. AWS Certified Security - Specialty

   This AWS credential topped Skillsoft's entire U.S. list of high-paying certifications, not just cybersecurity. It validates your ability to secure data and workloads in AWS, including security controls, AWS security services and incident response.

   Its average salary jumped from $166,449 in the previous survey. The typical holder works as a security engineer or analyst, and CISSP is the most common second certification held.

   • Avg. salary: $203,597
   • Exam cost: $300 (65 questions, 170 minutes)
   • Recommended experience: 5 years in IT security, including 2 securing AWS workloads
   • Worth knowing: the only vendor-specific certification on this list

2. CCSP - Certified Cloud Security Professional

   ISC2's CCSP is the vendor-neutral alternative for cloud security. It covers six domains, from cloud architecture and data security to legal, risk and compliance, so it isn't tied to a single cloud provider.

   If you don't have the required experience yet, you can still pass the exam and become an Associate of ISC2 while you earn it. Compare prep options in our CCSP bootcamp guide.

   • Avg. salary: $171,524
   • Exam cost: $599
   • Required experience: 5 years in IT, including 3 in security and 1 in a CCSP domain
   • Typical holder: security consultant or integrator

3. CISSP - Certified Information Systems Security Professional

   The CISSP is the most requested cybersecurity certification in U.S. job postings. It covers eight key domains, including security architecture, identity and access management, and security operations, and is built for people who design and run security programs.

   As with the CCSP, you can pass the exam before you have the experience and become an Associate of ISC2. You then have up to six years to meet the experience requirement.

   • Avg. salary: $168,060
   • Exam cost: $749
   • Required experience: 5 years of paid work in at least 2 of the 8 CISSP domains
   • Job postings requesting it: 82,494

4. CISM - Certified Information Security Manager

   ISACA's CISM is for people who lead cybersecurity programs rather than run them hands-on. The exam covers information security governance, risk management, security program development and incident management.

   CISM and CISSP often go together; CISSP is the most common second certification among CISM holders. Find CISM bootcamps.

   • Avg. salary: $157,189
   • Exam cost: $575 for ISACA members, $760 for non-members
   • Required experience: 5 years of professional work experience
   • Job postings requesting it: 44,347

5. CISA - Certified Information Systems Auditor

   Introduced in 1978, CISA is one of the longest-running IT credentials and the standard for IT auditing. It covers the audit process, IT governance, systems acquisition and development, operations and resilience, and protection of information assets.

   It's also the third most requested certification in job postings, behind CISSP and Security+.

   • Avg. salary: $155,362
   • Exam cost: $575 for ISACA members, $760 for non-members
   • Required experience: 5 years of professional auditing experience
   • Job postings requesting it: 52,337

6. CEH - Certified Ethical Hacker

   EC-Council's CEH tests your knowledge of the tools and techniques attackers wield, so you can find weaknesses before they do. The current version, CEH v13, brings valuable AI tools and techniques to the curriculum.

   To sit for the exam, you either take official EC-Council training or get an eligibility application approved, which demands two years of information security experience. Passing a separate six-hour practical exam earns the CEH Master designation.

   • Avg. salary: $146,260
   • Exam cost: $950 voucher plus a $100 eligibility application if you self-study
   • Required experience: 2 years of information security work, or official EC-Council training
   • Exam format: 125 questions in four hours

7. CompTIA SecurityX

   CompTIA renamed its CASP+ certification SecurityX when it launched the CAS-005 exam. It's an advanced, hands-on credential for security engineers and architects who assess how ready an organization is for an attack and put safeguards in place.

   CompTIA recommends about 10 years of IT experience before you test, which puts SecurityX above CySA+ and PenTest+ in its lineup.

   • Avg. salary: $130,715
   • Exam cost: $544
   • Recommended experience: 10 years in IT, including 5 hands-on in security
   • Formerly: CompTIA CASP+

8. CompTIA PenTest+

   PenTest+ is CompTIA's intermediate career certification for penetration testers and security consultants. The exam covers engagement management, reconnaissance and enumeration, vulnerability discovery, attacks and exploits, and post-exploitation.

   For offensive security roles, PenTest+ costs less than half as much as the CEH exam.

   • Avg. salary: $123,176
   • Exam cost: $439
   • Recommended experience: Network+ or Security+ and about 4 years of pentesting
   • Best for: penetration testers and vulnerability testers

9. CompTIA CySA+

   CySA+ is built for security analysts, incident responders and threat hunters. It validates your ability to detect threats, monitor security operations and respond to incidents.

   CySA+ is a natural follow-up to Security+ if you're looking to work in a security operations center.

   • Avg. salary: $111,077
   • Exam cost: $439
   • Recommended experience: about 4 years in a related role, plus Network+, Security+ or a comparable cert
   • Best for: SOC analysts and incident responders

10. CompTIA Security+

    Security+ is the most common starting credential for a cybersecurity career and the most popular CompTIA certification in Skillsoft's survey. It's also the second most requested cybersecurity certification in job postings, behind only CISSP.

    Security+ is approved for DoD 8140 requirements, which is why it shows up so often in government and defense contractor job listings. Compare prep options in our Security+ bootcamp guide.

    • Avg. salary: $102,333
    • Exam cost: $439
    • Recommended experience: Network+ and 2 years in a security-focused role
    • Job postings requesting it: 70,019

Cybersecurity Certification Roadmap

New to cybersecurity? The best cybersecurity certification for beginners is Security+, or ISC2's CC if you're brand new to IT. From there, your certification path branches depending on the kind of security work you want to do.

At $199, ISC2's CC exam is the bargain entry point. Network engineers moving into cybersecurity can also branch into Cisco's CCNP Security, which averaged $168,159 in the same survey.

Further Reading:

• Cybersecurity Bootcamps
• In-Demand Tech Skills
• Highest Paying IT Degrees
• Affordable Cybersecurity Degrees