Most requested cybersecurity certifications - July 2026

As a leading jobs board aggregating job listings from multiple datasources spanning 115 countries worldwide, including sourcing jobs directly from 100K+ companies' career web pages, workbeyond.io can leverage its extensive dataset to provide insights and statistics about skills demand for various industries. Today we are focusing on the cybersecurity industry, specifically on cyber certifications, asking a fair question: Okay, what are the most 'in demand' cybersecurity certifications at the end of Q2 2026?

The answers and stats below can help professionals and new entrants in this industry know more about the cyber market demand, based on real, hard data points, and decide and prioritise time and resource allocations accordingly when contemplating what certification should perhaps be pursued next. Without further ado, the chart below shows the market demand for most well-known cyber certifications at the end of Q2 2026:

Note: Our dataset for the stats here has 957K+ jobs. The demand for each individual certification was extracted directly from the 957K+ job descriptions as posted by the employers and recruiters. There are many more cyber certification besides the ones (22) we subjected to our brief statistical analysis, but they are more niche, less widely known. Because niche means not less important but less demand we focused on the most well-known ISACA, ISC2, GIAC and OffSec certifications, by practitioners, and did not analyse all of them - from the mentioned organisations or from others. In a further iteration of this study we plan to extend our analysis to more certifications.

Top 10 most requested cyber certifications -- Q2 2026

The top 10 most requested certifications at the end of Q2 2026 are:

The chart below shows the demand, percentage-wise:

Interesting findings

• taken together these top 10 cyber certifications represent 94% of demand (as specifically requested by employers in job descriptions)
• the dataset reconfirms as of July 2026 a widely known fact among cyber professionals: that the CISSP is by far the most requested certification in cyber
• pen testers are in high demand: two out of the top 5 certifications are for pen testing, the CEH and OSCP, or three in the overall top 10, if we include GPEN
• nobody cares about IT governance: there is not much demand for CGEIT / CGRC compared to the demand for the top certifications
• ISC2 and ISACA have three certifications each in the top 10, followed by GIAC with two and EC-Council, OffSec with one, respectively

For the top 10 certifications in our charts above, here is a very brief description about each one of them:

CISSP

The CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional) is a globally recognized information security certification granted by ISC2, validating a professional's expertise in designing, implementing, and managing cybersecurity programs. It requires a minimum of five years of full-time work experience in two or more of the eight domains of information security.

The CISSP is granted by the International Information System Security Certification Consortium, also known as ISC2. As of December 2025[Wikipedia], there were 191,036 ISC2 members holding the CISSP certification worldwide.

CISM

The Certified Information Security Manager (CISM) certification is a globally recognized credential offered by ISACA, focusing on the management and governance of information security programs. It is designed for professionals who manage, design, or assess an organization's information security function, emphasizing the strategic relationship between security initiatives and business objectives.

CISA

CISA stands for Certified Information Systems Auditor, a professional certification that demonstrates expertise in information systems auditing, control, and security. It is administered by ISACA and is recognized globally as a key credential for IT audit professionals.

CEH

Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) is a **cybersecurity certification offered by EC-Council** that validates an individual's ability to identify and fix vulnerabilities in computer systems using the same techniques as malicious hackers, but in a lawful manner. It requires at least two years of experience in information security and includes a four-hour exam with multiple-choice questions.

OSCP

The Offensive Security Certified Professional (OSCP) is an ethical hacking certification from Offensive Security that validates hands-on penetration testing skills using Kali Linux tools in a live lab environment. It is widely regarded as a rigorous, practical credential that requires candidates to compromise and document real systems within a 24-hour exam.

CRISC

CRISC stands for Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control, a certification offered by ISACA that validates expertise in managing IT risks and implementing information systems controls. It is designed for professionals responsible for identifying and managing risks within an organization.

CCSP

The Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP) is a globally recognized certification that validates an individual's expertise in designing, managing, and securing cloud environments. It demonstrates advanced technical skills and knowledge in cloud security architecture, operations, and compliance with regulatory frameworks.

GCIH

The GIAC Certified Incident Handler (GCIH) certification validates a practitioner's ability to detect, respond to, and resolve computer security incidents, demonstrating essential skills in incident handling and understanding common attack techniques. It is suitable for both newcomers and experienced professionals in the cybersecurity field.

SSCP

The Systems Security Certified Practitioner (SSCP) is an ISC2 credential for IT professionals who implement, monitor, and administer IT infrastructure security in line with organizational policies and requirements. It validates hands-on expertise in areas such as network security, access controls, risk identification, incident response, and cryptography.

GPEN

The GIAC Penetration Tester (GPEN) certification validates a practitioner's ability to properly conduct a penetration test using best-practice techniques and methodologies, covering reconnaissance, exploitation, post-exploitation, password attacks, and Azure/Active Directory topics. The proctored exam consists of 82–115 questions with a 3-hour time limit and a minimum passing score of 73–74%, and it must be renewed every four years.

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Research by workbeyond.io
July 2026

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