Application Security and Red Teaming might be up your alley. Both are lucrative and relatively still in demand roles that aren't being outsourced as much as the other departments of Security. (Counter) Threat Intelligence might be good for you too if you're interested in Malware Reversing or Development. There's a need for talented software developers in Cyber and there's almost no technical role where a Software Development background won't help with. The demand for certifications seems to be more for filtering out lower tier roles since the saturation for those is terrible. They're pretty common for Governance roles but Governance is a bit more peaceful and less technical in general if that's your thing. Generally with your years of experience, I'm guessing the only certificates that would outshine your resume would be the ones from SANS but you should get your workplace to pay for those especially since they're going to raise the price. Answer from Brod1738 on reddit.com
CyberDegrees
cyberdegrees.org › jobs › security-software-developer
What Is a Security Software Developer? | Skills and Career Paths
October 18, 2023 - The following table summarizes ... aid, and more by contacting the universities below. These developers use programming, troubleshooting, debugging, and other skills to build security-oriented computer application...
Indeed
indeed.com › career-advice › finding-a-job › how-to-become-security-software-engineer
How To Become a Security Software Engineer (With Video) | Indeed.com
January 22, 2026 - Develop skills in secure coding, vulnerability testing, security system design and incident response to further enhance your profile.As companies grow and adopt technological advances like cloud storage, they need to safeguard their digital ...
Software Developer into Security? Ideas on where to start, should I not?
Application Security and Red Teaming might be up your alley. Both are lucrative and relatively still in demand roles that aren't being outsourced as much as the other departments of Security. (Counter) Threat Intelligence might be good for you too if you're interested in Malware Reversing or Development. There's a need for talented software developers in Cyber and there's almost no technical role where a Software Development background won't help with. The demand for certifications seems to be more for filtering out lower tier roles since the saturation for those is terrible. They're pretty common for Governance roles but Governance is a bit more peaceful and less technical in general if that's your thing. Generally with your years of experience, I'm guessing the only certificates that would outshine your resume would be the ones from SANS but you should get your workplace to pay for those especially since they're going to raise the price. More on reddit.com
9
7
March 31, 2025A software developer venturing into Cyber security
Actually, in the red teaming/pentesting roles, the coding capabilities are requested. In security architect teams, those skills are a welcome nice-to-have. In general, in cybersecurity you could find a tailor-made role according to your skills (it - of course - depends on the environment - people and company - in which you are going to work). More on reddit.com
45
32
July 5, 2023Cybersecurity Engineer with Software Developer Skills
The marketability would be very good, especially towards software developing companies. This is the ideal background for security engineers/champions within a DevOps team in a software company. More on reddit.com
23
20
April 17, 2022Which pays better after 10+ experience, software development or cybersecurity?
Application security? why not both lol More on reddit.com
127
158
July 31, 2023What is the job description of a security software developer?
Security software developer jobs focus on building, testing, debugging, and deploying cybersecurity programs and applications. They typically function in teams under lead developers or security software engineers.
cyberdegrees.org
cyberdegrees.org › jobs › security-software-developer
What Is a Security Software Developer? | Skills and Career Paths
Can a software developer work in cybersecurity?
Yes. Skills such as programming, coding, and testing transfer well between these disciplines. Cybersecurity teams often deploy general and custom-built software and computer applications when safeguarding data.
cyberdegrees.org
cyberdegrees.org › jobs › security-software-developer
What Is a Security Software Developer? | Skills and Career Paths
What are the types of software security?
Software security specifically refers to built-in features designed to prevent unauthorized people from exploiting vulnerabilities in applications. It differs from security software, which includes tools like firewalls, data encryption, and various anti-malware programs.
cyberdegrees.org
cyberdegrees.org › jobs › security-software-developer
What Is a Security Software Developer? | Skills and Career Paths
07:59
How To Move From Software Development To Cyber security - YouTube
14:36
Laid Off as a Developer ? Why Cybersecurity Is Your Next Move - ...
01:07:38
Code security for software engineers - YouTube
19:24
The Only Way to Become an AI Security Engineer (in 90 Days) - YouTube
07:10
I Work in Cybersecurity - Is Coding Really Needed? - YouTube
Cybersecurity Programming: The Skills You NEED to Get Hired
SecureFlag
blog.secureflag.com › 2025 › 02 › 14 › security-skills-software-engineers
Security Skills Every Software Engineer Needs to Know | SecureFlag
February 14, 2025 - Static and dynamic application security testing (SAST/DAST), software composition analysis (SCA), and code reviews are all useful tools for identifying security flaws early in development.
Reddit
reddit.com › r/securitycareeradvice › software developer into security? ideas on where to start, should i not?
r/SecurityCareerAdvice on Reddit: Software Developer into Security? Ideas on where to start, should I not?
March 31, 2025 -
I have about 9 years experience as a software developer/tech lead/CTO for small companies.
I’m self taught and I’ve worked for myself for the last 5-6 years. Did 3 years of corporate tech work
I was making around 200k a year but things slowed down this year and one of my major clients wants to restructure and reassess their business. I’ll be involved and won’t lose my income, but it’s made me think about shifting gears as I’m a bit burnt out from developing products
Last year I did some HTB and OSCP ctfs when I was bored and I really really liked it. I also love hardening the applications I work on and securing cloud applications, etc.
The security side of things has really been interesting, especially after a few incidents where some keys were compromised and I had to lock down stuff and figure out what happened.
Now I don’t really know enough about the industry, but if I was interested, where could I start if I wanted to shift gears into cybersecurity, is it realistic? I have my own homelab I use for websites, game servers, test orchestrations of deployments and I’m learning more about networking this year. Where would be a good place to start? Anything I can do at home on my own setup to emulate real world scenarios?
Everyone mentions certs and tests but I’m a very practical learner. And what kind of role is really even realistic? I’m ok being at the bottom of the ladder, but maybe I’d be better off just developing security software instead.
Sorry for being a total noob just have no idea where to even start and if it’s worth my time thinking about or if I should just suck it up and continue the code grind
Top answer 1 of 3
5
Application Security and Red Teaming might be up your alley. Both are lucrative and relatively still in demand roles that aren't being outsourced as much as the other departments of Security. (Counter) Threat Intelligence might be good for you too if you're interested in Malware Reversing or Development. There's a need for talented software developers in Cyber and there's almost no technical role where a Software Development background won't help with. The demand for certifications seems to be more for filtering out lower tier roles since the saturation for those is terrible. They're pretty common for Governance roles but Governance is a bit more peaceful and less technical in general if that's your thing. Generally with your years of experience, I'm guessing the only certificates that would outshine your resume would be the ones from SANS but you should get your workplace to pay for those especially since they're going to raise the price.
2 of 3
2
Just learn more about hardening apps and mobile apps, learn more about the governance side as appsec specifically does have some more process and policy related things weaved in due to the nature of things like gating releases, measuring SAST MTTR etc
Harvard Extension School
extension.harvard.edu › home › why secure application development skills are in high demand
Why Secure Application Development Skills Are in High Demand | Harvard Extension School
December 10, 2025 - Security software developers build and enhance threat-resistant software applications and systems. This role blends a traditional development skill set with a deep knowledge of cybersecurity and digital forensic techniques.
Pluralsight
pluralsight.com › blog › cybersecurity
What is a security software developer - Cybersecurity roles explained | Pluralsight
Where many cybersecurity roles are focused in monitoring, threat detection, and response, the defense of networks and infrastructures, security software developers are the builders. They combine the skills of a traditional software developer with those of a cybersecurity expert to build and improve application security, software security, system security, and more.
Bay Atlantic University
bau.edu › blog › cyber-security-vs-software-engineering
Cyber Security vs. Software Development: What’s the Difference? - Bay Atlantic University - Washington, D.C.
June 23, 2025 - When working in software development, you need to enhance a few skills necessary to succeed in this position.Your skill set should include programming and algorithm skills, database skills, cryptography, and analytical thinking skills.
CompTIA
comptia.org › en-us › blog › how-to-transition-from-software-development-to-cybersecurity
How To Transition From Software Developer to Cybersecurity
March 25, 2025 - Your experience in software development gives you knowledge of topics like computer programming languages and software systems, and these skills can help you begin a career in cybersecurity, because cybersecurity requires skills from many related fields of information technology. You could even merge these two branches of IT and become a security software developer!
Cybersecurity Guide
cybersecurityguide.org › home › find a cybersecurity career › how to break into security software development
How to break into security software development
March 13, 2026 - A bachelor’s degree in computer science or a related field such as computer engineering, computer networking, electrical engineering, or mathematics. Prior experience with coding and development is often required. Testing and auditing experience is another valuable skill, as well as certifications and training. Outlook info for Security Software Dev | Sourced from BLS in Mar 2026
Reddit
reddit.com › r/cybersecurity › a software developer venturing into cyber security
r/cybersecurity on Reddit: A software developer venturing into Cyber security
July 5, 2023 -
I'm a software developer wanting to learn Cyber security. To be honest, I love both. I know Cyber security is a very broad field so I wanted to know if there is any intersection role between software development and cyber security. Many research I made is telling me Cyber security doesn't involve programming and coding at all and it seems like an entirely different section.
So my real question is can I do both??, I learnt I can't learn the whole of Cyber security because it's a very broad field same as software development.
If I can, what are the steps I need to take?? Are the cons more than the pros? If anyone is doing both, at least you can tell how it's going for you and if it's really a good role.
And if I'm applying for a job, what will I say I am, a software developer or ???
Top answer 1 of 5
29
Actually, in the red teaming/pentesting roles, the coding capabilities are requested. In security architect teams, those skills are a welcome nice-to-have. In general, in cybersecurity you could find a tailor-made role according to your skills (it - of course - depends on the environment - people and company - in which you are going to work).
2 of 5
15
Red teams like to hire people with programming backgrounds. Many cloud security engineers are gold if they understand programming so then they can work with developers and whatnot and actually provide quality feedback. On top of this Secure Software Development, some orgs have security consultants to go through their code and train their teams. Also you can work for a security vendor designing their software? In my experience, provided you are Canadian, Security is more Computer Engineering than Computer Science. It’s a lot more systems administration and hardware. Take a look at the CISSP domains, if you can, I’d start by writing that. If not write your Security+ and then CCNA, if red teaming is something you’d like OSCP. Once you have enough experience to qualify for CISSP write it. So in short Red teams Engineering/ Architecture Secure Software Development Work as a programmer for a large security vendor
University of San Diego
onlinedegrees.sandiego.edu › home › blog › security software developer [career and salary guide]
Security Software Developer [Career and Salary Guide]
March 27, 2025 - The following job titles share ... applications and systems, utilizing a combination of cybersecurity techniques, programming skills and knowledge of potential attack vectors....
CertNexus
certnexus.com › home › cyber secure software developer
Cyber Secure Software Developer - CertNexus - Cyber Secure Software Developer Certification Training Courses
May 12, 2026 - The CertNexus Cyber Secure Software Developer™ exam will certify that the successful candidate has the knowledge, skills, and abilities to effectively follow the secure software development lifecycle (SSDLC) by incorporating security into the requirements-definition phase; designing software with security in mind; writing secure code and implementing protection techniques; testing software for security issues and remediating them; deploying software in secure environments; and maintaining the security of software over time.
Adaface
adaface.com › home › adaface | skill mapping › skills required for software security engineer and how to assess them
Skills required for Software Security Engineer and how to assess them
July 23, 2024 - The best skills for Software Security Engineers include Network Security, Code Review, Security Automation, Cloud Security, Risk Assessment, Security Policy Development, Forensic Analysis, Project Management and Security Training.
Black Duck
blackduck.com › blog › security-basics-for-developers.html
Essential Security Basics Every Developer Should Know | Black Duck Blog
August 26, 2022 - A developer’s job is to create features that achieve the goal of the application. Their mindset is focused on building a useful product. To be able to develop truly secure applications, there are several skills that developers need in addition to their engineering knowledge and focus on functionality.
Skillsoft
skillsoft.com › home › blog › the top 10 software developer skills for 2024
The Top 10 Software Developer Skills for 2024
August 20, 2024 - Software developers can take a few different approaches to strengthen their skills in secure coding practices. Earning cloud security certifications can help them build more secure apps for cloud environments. Learning about cryptography can help them protect sensitive data.
Institute Data
institutedata.com › us › blog › a-cybersecurity-software-engineer
The Role of a Cybersecurity Software Engineer: Safeguarding Digital Systems | Institute of Data
January 11, 2024 - With the increasing reliance on technology and the ever-growing threat landscape, the role of a cybersecurity software engineer has become integral in safeguarding digital systems. These professionals are responsible for designing, developing, implementing, and maintaining robust security measures to protect sensitive information from unauthorized access, theft, and malicious activities. As cyber threats continue to evolve, the importance of having skilled professionals who can effectively mitigate these risks cannot be overstated.
Quora
quora.com › Can-one-be-a-cybersecurity-and-a-software-developer-at-the-same-time
Can one be a cybersecurity and a software developer at the same time? - Quora
Answer (1 of 12): Of course, there is even a certification for it: the CSSLP. The problem you are going to face is most the time when people say they want cybersecurity what they really mean is they want someone to walk through the checkboxes and make sure their box is secure and most the time w...
CyberDegrees
cyberdegrees.org › careers › security-software-developer › day-in-the-life
Security Software Developer Daily Tasks | Key Responsibilities
September 13, 2023 - Security software developers may feel rushed to release software before the proper check and balances occur. That said, if you have a strong background in computer programming and excellent analytical skills, you have what it takes to excel as a security software developer.
Cyber Security Education
cybersecurityeducation.org › home › cyber security careers › security software developer
Security Software Developer (Degrees, Duties & 2025 Salary)
August 30, 2025 - • Programming languages for security software development • Familiarity with development tools and frameworks • Understanding of encryption and decryption techniques • Experience with penetration testing
HackerOne
hackerone.com › knowledge-center › application-security-engineer
Application Security Engineer: Roles, Skills & Career Path | HackerOne
These roles involve more responsibility and require a deeper understanding of both software development and security. In these roles, you are expected to design and implement secure software systems, conduct security audits, and advise organizations on best security practices. This phase is critical in shaping your career as it enables you to apply your knowledge and skills in real-world scenarios, preparing you for the role of an application security engineer.