Interview Questions

System Security Engineer Interview Questions

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System Security Engineers are responsible for making things more secure by protecting system boundaries, keeping computer systems and network devices hardened against attacks and securing highly sensitive data in organizations.

Whether you're a job seeker preparing to be interviewed for the role of System Security Engineer or an employer preparing to interview candidates for System Security Engineer position, these System Security Engineer interview questions will help you prepare yourself for the job interview session.

System Security Engineer Interview Questions

Below are a list of some skill-based System Security Engineer interview questions.

1. How often should you perform system audits?
2. What are your favorite tools for performing security assessments?
3. Describe your experience with firewalls.
4. What are some of the security protocols you would implement if you discovered a breach in your system?
5. What is your process for identifying and prioritizing security risks?
6. How would you go about explaining a technical security issue to a non-technical person?
7. Provide an example of a time when you identified a flaw in a system and how you resolved it.
8. If hired, what would be your top priority when it comes to protecting our company’s assets?
9. What would you do if you noticed a coworker was not following security protocols?
10. There is a new vulnerability in a popular software program used by the company. What would you do?
11. Do you have experience with data encryption?
12. What would you do if you were alerted to a hacking attempt or breach?
13. Do you have a wireless access point and if so, how do you defend it?
14. How do you deal with “man in the middle” attacks?
15. If you work with a Linux server, what are three steps you have to take to secure it?
16. You get a call from an executive who tells you to bend company policy and let them use their home device for company work. What do you do?
17. Do you prefer closed ports or filtered ports on your firewall?
18. What kind of problems or anomalies would you look for in an already compromised system?
19. What’s the primary reason most companies haven’t fixed their vulnerabilities?
20. When performing a risk assessment, what are some of the factors you consider?
21. We want to improve the security of our systems. What new technologies or methods would you suggest we implement?
22. Which security certifications do you hold?
23. What do you think is the most important aspect of cybersecurity?

System Security Engineer Interview Questions and Answers

Every interview is different and the questions may vary. However, there are lots of general questions that get asked at every interview.

Below are some common questions you'd expect during System Security Engineer interviews. Click on each question to see how to answer them.

1. Why Do You Want This Job?
2. What is Your Greatest Weakness?
3. Are You a Leader or a Follower?
4. What Is Your Greatest Accomplishment?
5. Do You Have Any Questions for Us?
6. What is Your Salary Expectation?
7. Why Do You Want To Leave Your Current Job?
8. What is Your Greatest Strength?
9. Tell Me About Yourself
10. Why Should We Hire You?

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