Top 10 Highest-Paying Cyber Security Certifications in 2019

The cybersecurity profession entered 2019 with an unprecedented combination of conditions that made certified professionals extraordinarily valuable in the job market. The global shortage of qualified security practitioners had reached critical levels, with industry analysts estimating a gap of millions of unfilled positions worldwide. Organizations across every sector had experienced the consequences of inadequate security investment through high-profile breaches, ransomware attacks, and regulatory penalties, creating urgent demand for credentialed professionals who could demonstrate validated competency rather than simply claiming experience. In this environment, certifications functioned as the most reliable signal available to employers trying to identify candidates capable of protecting complex digital environments.

The financial rewards associated with top cybersecurity certifications in 2019 reflected the severity of that supply and demand imbalance. Professionals holding the right credentials in the right specialties commanded salaries that exceeded those of comparably experienced professionals in most other technology disciplines, and the premium attached to certain certifications was substantial enough to justify significant investments of time, money, and effort in pursuing them. Understanding which certifications delivered the highest compensation returns required looking beyond simple salary averages to examine the specific roles, industries, and organizational contexts where certified professionals found the most lucrative opportunities. This article examines the ten certifications that consistently produced the highest compensation outcomes for their holders in 2019.

CISSP: The Gold Standard That Commanded Premium Compensation

The Certified Information Systems Security Professional credential maintained its position as the single most financially rewarding cybersecurity certification available in 2019, with certified professionals earning average salaries that consistently exceeded one hundred twenty thousand dollars annually across the United States. Issued by ISC2, the CISSP validated expertise across eight domains of security knowledge including security and risk management, asset security, security architecture and engineering, communication and network security, identity and access management, security assessment and testing, security operations, and software development security. This breadth of coverage made CISSP holders valuable across virtually every type of security role and every industry vertical.

The financial premium attached to CISSP in 2019 reflected both the genuine difficulty of earning the credential and the professional experience it represented. Candidates were required to demonstrate five years of paid work experience across two or more of the eight CBK domains before becoming fully certified, meaning that every CISSP holder brought not just examination knowledge but real-world security experience to their roles. This combination of validated knowledge and demonstrated experience made CISSP the preferred credential for senior security architect, chief information security officer, security director, and senior security consultant positions, all of which carried compensation packages that placed certified professionals among the highest earners in the broader technology sector.

CISM: The Management Credential That Bridged Security and Business Leadership

The Certified Information Security Manager credential offered by ISACA positioned itself as the premier certification for security professionals who were transitioning from purely technical roles into management and leadership positions, and the compensation it commanded in 2019 reflected the value organizations placed on that specific combination of security expertise and management capability. Average salaries for CISM holders in 2019 ranged from one hundred ten thousand to one hundred thirty thousand dollars depending on industry and seniority, with professionals in financial services, healthcare, and technology sectors consistently earning at the upper end of that range.

CISM’s four domains of information security governance, information risk management, information security program development and management, and information security incident management mapped directly to the responsibilities of security managers and directors in enterprise environments. Unlike purely technical certifications, CISM validated the ability to align security programs with organizational goals, communicate risk in business terms, and lead security teams rather than simply participate in them. This business orientation made CISM holders particularly attractive to organizations seeking security leaders who could operate effectively at the executive level, and the compensation reflected the relative scarcity of professionals who combined technical credibility with genuine management capability in the security domain.

CCIE Security: The Elite Technical Credential With Elite Compensation

Cisco’s Certified Internetwork Expert Security certification occupied a unique position in the 2019 cybersecurity certification landscape as arguably the most technically demanding credential available and one of the highest compensating among purely technical certifications. CCIE Security holders earned average salaries ranging from one hundred fifteen thousand to one hundred forty thousand dollars in 2019, with some specializations and geographic markets pushing compensation considerably higher. The credential’s combination of written examination and grueling eight-hour practical laboratory examination ensured that every holder had demonstrated genuine mastery of security concepts under conditions that closely resembled real-world complexity.

The practical laboratory component of CCIE Security distinguished it from every certification that relied exclusively on written examinations, as candidates were required to configure, troubleshoot, and optimize complex security infrastructure within strict time constraints without access to study materials. This practical validation gave CCIE Security exceptional credibility with employers who needed to be confident that a certified professional could actually perform under pressure rather than simply having memorized correct answers. Network security architects, senior security engineers, and security infrastructure specialists holding CCIE Security were among the most sought-after professionals in large enterprise and service provider environments, where the complexity of security infrastructure justified the premium compensation these credentials commanded.

CRISC: Risk Management Expertise That Commanded Board-Level Attention

The Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control credential from ISACA emerged as one of the strongest compensation performers in 2019 specifically because it validated a skill set that organizations increasingly recognized as essential to their governance and risk management functions. CRISC holders demonstrated competency across IT risk identification, IT risk assessment, risk response and mitigation, and risk and control monitoring and reporting, giving them the vocabulary and methodology needed to quantify security risk in terms that resonated with board members, audit committees, and executive leadership teams. Average compensation for CRISC holders in 2019 ranged from one hundred five thousand to one hundred twenty-five thousand dollars.

The credential’s strong compensation profile in 2019 was partly a function of its relatively limited holder population compared to more widely pursued certifications, creating a supply constraint that supported premium pricing for those who held it. Organizations subject to significant regulatory scrutiny including financial institutions, healthcare companies, and government contractors were particularly aggressive in recruiting CRISC holders because the credential validated exactly the risk quantification and control assessment skills needed to satisfy auditors, regulators, and board oversight requirements. Professionals who combined CRISC with complementary credentials such as CISM or CISSP positioned themselves for some of the most senior and best-compensated governance and risk management roles available anywhere in the security profession.

OSCP: The Hands-On Offensive Security Credential Reshaping Penetration Testing Pay

The Offensive Security Certified Professional credential distinguished itself from nearly every other cybersecurity certification in 2019 through its uncompromising insistence on demonstrated practical skill rather than theoretical knowledge. The OSCP examination consisted of a twenty-four-hour penetration testing challenge in which candidates were required to compromise a series of target machines in an isolated network environment and then produce a professional penetration testing report documenting their findings within an additional twenty-four hours. This format was genuinely brutal and made OSCP one of the most respected credentials among technical security practitioners precisely because it could not be passed through memorization alone.

Compensation for OSCP holders in penetration testing and offensive security roles ranged from ninety thousand to one hundred twenty thousand dollars in 2019, with senior penetration testers and red team leads at major consulting firms and large enterprises earning well above that range. The credential’s premium was particularly pronounced in security consulting environments where clients paid significant fees for penetration testing services and therefore demanded verifiable evidence that the professionals performing those tests possessed genuine offensive skills. OSCP’s reputation within the offensive security community as the credential that actually requires hackers to hack made it the most credible entry point into high-compensation penetration testing careers and a frequent prerequisite in job postings from organizations serious about the quality of their security assessments.

GIAC Security Expert: The Comprehensive Technical Mastery Credential

The GIAC Security Expert certification represented the pinnacle of the GIAC certification hierarchy in 2019 and was one of the rarest and most demanding credentials available across the entire cybersecurity certification landscape. Earning GSE required candidates to already hold multiple GIAC certifications, pass a comprehensive written examination, and complete a two-day hands-on practical laboratory evaluation that tested skills across multiple security domains simultaneously. The combination of prerequisites, written examination performance, and practical demonstration meant that the total GSE holder population remained very small, supporting the premium compensation that these rare professionals commanded.

GSE holders in 2019 earned compensation packages that placed them among the highest-paid technical security professionals in the industry, with salaries frequently exceeding one hundred twenty thousand dollars and senior consulting and advisory roles pushing well beyond that figure. The credential carried particular weight in government, defense, and critical infrastructure environments where the comprehensive security expertise it validated was directly applicable to the complex and high-consequence security challenges those sectors faced. Organizations operating at the highest security classification levels and those defending critical national infrastructure actively sought GSE holders for positions that required both breadth of technical knowledge and demonstrated ability to apply that knowledge practically under challenging conditions.

AWS Certified Security Specialty: Cloud Security Expertise in High Demand

The emergence of cloud computing as the dominant infrastructure paradigm created urgent demand for security professionals who understood cloud-native security architecture, and Amazon Web Services’ Certified Security Specialty credential became one of the most financially rewarding cloud-focused certifications available in 2019. As organizations accelerated their migration of workloads to AWS, the shortage of professionals who could design and implement secure cloud architectures created significant compensation pressure that benefited certified AWS security specialists considerably. Average salaries for AWS Certified Security Specialty holders in security architect and cloud security engineer roles ranged from one hundred five thousand to one hundred twenty-five thousand dollars in 2019.

The examination tested candidates on data protection mechanisms, infrastructure security, identity and access management within AWS, logging and monitoring strategies, and incident response in cloud environments, covering the full range of security responsibilities that cloud security professionals needed to address in enterprise AWS deployments. The credential’s value was amplified by the fact that cloud security expertise was genuinely scarce in 2019 relative to the demand for it, as the rapid pace of cloud adoption had outrun the profession’s ability to develop practitioners with both deep security knowledge and deep cloud platform expertise. Professionals who combined AWS Certified Security Specialty with foundational security credentials such as CISSP or CISM positioned themselves for particularly strong compensation outcomes.

CEH: The Ethical Hacking Credential With Broad Market Recognition

The Certified Ethical Hacker credential from EC-Council occupied an interesting position in the 2019 compensation landscape, combining broad market recognition with compensation that reflected its widespread adoption across a range of industries and organizational types. While more technically demanding offensive security credentials such as OSCP commanded higher premiums in specialized penetration testing environments, CEH’s recognition among government contractors, military organizations, and enterprise security teams created consistent demand for the credential across a much larger segment of the job market. CEH holders in security analyst, penetration tester, and vulnerability assessment roles earned average salaries ranging from eighty-five thousand to one hundred five thousand dollars in 2019.

The Department of Defense Directive 8570 approved status of CEH contributed substantially to its value within government and defense contracting environments, where compliance with that directive created formal requirements for certified professionals in specific roles. This regulatory driver created guaranteed demand for CEH holders that was less subject to market fluctuation than demand for credentials without formal regulatory recognition. Security professionals working in or seeking to enter the federal government contracting sector in 2019 treated CEH as a near-essential credential for roles involving vulnerability assessment, security monitoring, and penetration testing, and the consistent demand from that sector supported reliable compensation outcomes for credential holders across multiple years.

GPEN and GWAPT: Specialized Penetration Testing Credentials With Strong Returns

The GIAC Penetration Tester and GIAC Web Application Penetration Tester credentials represented specialized offensive security qualifications that commanded strong compensation in their respective niches within the 2019 job market. GPEN validated comprehensive knowledge of penetration testing methodologies including network exploitation, password attacks, and exploitation framework usage, while GWAPT focused specifically on web application security testing techniques covering injection attacks, authentication flaws, and client-side vulnerabilities. Both credentials were proctored examinations that allowed open book reference to materials prepared by the candidate, making deep understanding more important than rote memorization and distinguishing them from purely recall-based certifications.

Compensation for GPEN holders in penetration testing roles ranged from ninety thousand to one hundred fifteen thousand dollars in 2019, while GWAPT holders in web application security roles earned comparable salaries with particular premiums available in financial services and e-commerce environments where web application security was a primary concern. The GIAC brand carried strong recognition in security consulting and enterprise security communities, and professionals who combined these specialized credentials with experience in security assessment work found themselves in a favorable negotiating position when pursuing higher-compensation opportunities. Organizations that regularly engaged in application security testing frequently preferred or required GWAPT specifically because it validated skills directly applicable to the assessment work those organizations performed.

CompTIA Security Plus: The Gateway Credential With Surprising Earning Potential

CompTIA Security Plus occupied a distinctive position in the 2019 high-compensation certification landscape as the entry-level credential that frequently appeared alongside much more advanced certifications in high-paying job postings. While Security Plus alone rarely commanded the six-figure salaries associated with senior credentials like CISSP or CISM, it served as a foundation that significantly accelerated earning potential for early-career professionals and maintained strong relevance as a baseline requirement for mid-career roles in government and defense environments. Entry-level security analysts with Security Plus earned between sixty thousand and eighty thousand dollars in 2019, with rapid salary progression available for those who continued developing their credential portfolio.

The Department of Defense approved status of Security Plus under Directive 8570 made it as essential within government contracting as CEH for certain role categories, creating consistent demand across a large and stable employment sector. Professionals who used Security Plus as the starting point for a deliberate credential development strategy, progressing toward CISSP, CISM, or specialized credentials over three to five years, consistently achieved compensation trajectories that placed them well into six-figure territory within a decade of beginning their security careers. The credential’s accessibility and broad recognition made it the highest-volume entry point into the cybersecurity profession in 2019 and the foundation upon which many of the highest-earning security professionals in subsequent years built their initial expertise and professional identity.

How These Certifications Shaped the 2019 Hiring Landscape

The ten certifications identified throughout this article collectively shaped the 2019 cybersecurity hiring landscape in ways that extended well beyond individual salary outcomes. Employers used these credentials as screening mechanisms to manage the volume of applicants for security positions, treating certification as a minimum threshold rather than a differentiating factor in many cases. Job postings that listed CISSP or CISM as required qualifications effectively pre-screened for a level of experience and demonstrated knowledge that reduced hiring risk for organizations investing in senior security talent. This credentialing culture created strong incentives for professionals to pursue certifications strategically rather than simply accumulating experience without formal validation.

The compensation premiums associated with top credentials also created a virtuous cycle in the certification market, encouraging more professionals to invest in exam preparation and driving certification bodies to maintain the quality and relevance of their examinations to protect the value of credentials that holders had worked hard to earn. Organizations that consistently hired certified professionals and invested in supporting certification development for existing staff found that they experienced lower turnover, higher performance in security roles, and better outcomes in audit and compliance assessments. The 2019 certification landscape therefore reflected not just individual career decisions but organizational risk management strategies and industry-wide efforts to establish minimum competency standards for a profession whose practitioners were entrusted with protecting some of the most sensitive systems and data in the modern economy.

Conclusion

The ten cybersecurity certifications examined throughout this article represented the clearest pathways to premium compensation available to security professionals in 2019, each delivering financial returns that reflected the genuine difficulty of earning the credential, the scarcity of qualified holders relative to market demand, and the direct applicability of validated skills to high-value organizational security functions. From the comprehensive executive-level validation offered by CISSP and CISM through the elite technical mastery represented by CCIE Security and GSE to the practical offensive skills demonstrated by OSCP, these credentials collectively defined the upper tier of the cybersecurity compensation landscape during one of the most consequential years in the profession’s history.

The broader lesson embedded in this analysis is that cybersecurity certifications deliver their strongest financial returns when they align precisely with organizational needs, validate skills that are genuinely scarce in the market, and require sufficient effort to earn that the credential itself serves as a credible quality signal rather than a commodity qualification. Certifications that check all three of those boxes consistently commanded the highest premiums in 2019, and the professionals who recognized that dynamic early in their careers and pursued credentials strategically rather than opportunistically achieved compensation outcomes that significantly outpaced their peers.

Looking beyond the specific numbers, what the 2019 certification compensation landscape revealed was the degree to which the cybersecurity profession had matured into a discipline where formal credentialing had become inseparable from career advancement and financial success. Organizations had learned through painful experience that the consequences of inadequate security expertise were severe and often irreversible, making investment in certified professionals a rational risk management decision rather than a discretionary expense. That understanding created the conditions in which top certifications commanded top salaries, and those conditions showed every sign of intensifying in subsequent years as the threat landscape continued to evolve and the organizational stakes associated with security failures continued to rise. The professionals who invested in the right credentials in 2019 positioned themselves not just for strong compensation in that moment but for sustained career advantage throughout the decade that followed.