Cyber Database Administrators manage databases with a security-first lens — access controls, encryption, audit logging, vulnerability remediation, alongside the standard DBA discipline of performance and reliability. The work tends to mix data-tier operations with security culture rigor.
Most days mix routine DBA work with security-focused tasks — managing user access and privileges, configuring encryption at rest and in transit, reviewing database audit logs, applying security patches, supporting compliance audits, and partnering with security, application, and infrastructure teams. You're often working in regulated environments — finance, healthcare, government, defense — and the platform (Oracle, SQL Server, Postgres, MongoDB) shapes daily tooling.
What tends to be harder than people expect is the cross-pressure between application teams and security requirements. Apps want fast access, security wants tight controls, and the DBA holds both responsibilities. Compliance frameworks (SOX, HIPAA, PCI, FedRAMP) add audit and documentation overhead, and on-call expectations are common at most shops.
People who tend to thrive here are methodical, comfortable with both database internals and security frameworks, willing to push back on convenience-over-security shortcuts, and quietly proud of systems that stay both performant and secure. If you want pure security or pure DBA work, broader roles offer that. If you like the niche where data-tier expertise meets security responsibility, the role offers durable demand in regulated industries.
Where this role sits in the broader career landscape — and where it can take you.
Roles like this one sit within a broader occupational category. The numbers below reflect that full landscape — helpful for context, but your specific experience will depend on level, specialty, and where you work.
Roles with similar work and overlapping career paths
View all Technology roles →Cyber Database Administrators manage databases with a security-first lens — access controls, encryption, audit logging, vulnerability remediation, alongside the standard DBA discipline of performance and reliability. The work tends to mix data-tier operations with security culture rigor.
Median pay for a Cyber Database Administrator (Cyber DBA) is about $105K nationally, with the field ranging roughly from $57K to $161K depending on experience, employer, and metro (BLS).
Core skills for this role include Complex Problem Solving, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Judgment and Decision Making, and Active Listening.
Most people in this role hold a bachelor's degree.
Employment in this field is projected to decline about 0.7% through 2034, with roughly 73,180 people working in it today (BLS).
Closely related roles include Junior Cyber Database Administrator (cyber Dba), Database Engineer, and Information Technology Administrator (IT Administrator).
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