Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Wanted: Millions of cybersecurity pros. Rate: Whatever you want

Wanted: Millions of cybersecurity pros. Rate: Whatever you want

A series of major digital security breaches over the past year are serving as a wake-up call to Corporate America about the need to invest in cybersecurity.

Friday brought yet another reminder of the risk of cyberattacks, when Microsoft (MSFT) said the hackers behind the 2020 Solar Winds breach launched a new attack on more than 150 government agencies, think tanks and other organizations globally.

But perhaps the most striking recent example is the Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack, which forced the company to shut down the pipeline temporarily - resulting in gas shortages and price spikes in multiple states over several days. The debacle cost Colonial at least $4.4 million, the amount its CEO admitted to paying the hackers.

In the weeks before the attack, the company had posted a job listing for a cybersecurity manager.

"As far as I know, this is the first cybersecurity incident that has led to a measurable economic impact on the American population," said Jonathan Reiber, senior director for cybersecurity and policy at AttackIQ and the chief strategy officer for cyber policy under the Obama administration's secretary of defense.

"It should be something that triggers people," he said.

The takeaway from such security breaches, according to experts, is that it's high time for companies to start investing in robust controls and, in particular, adding cybersecurity professionals to their teams.

The only hitch: There's a massive, longstanding labor shortage in the cybersecurity industry.

"It's a talent war," said Bryan Orme, principal at GuidePoint Security. "There's a shortage of supply and increased demand."

Millions of unfilled jobs


Experts have been tracking the cybersecurity labor shortage for at least a decade — and now, a new surge in companies looking to hire following recent attacks could exacerbate the problem.

The stakes are only growing, as technology evolves and bad actors become more advanced.

In the United States, there are around 879,000 cybersecurity professionals in the workforce and an unfilled need for another 359,000 workers, according to a 2020 survey by (ISC)2, an international nonprofit that offers cybersecurity training and certification programs.

Globally, the gap is even larger at nearly 3.12 million unfilled positions, the group says. Its CEO, Clar Rosso, said she thinks the need may actually be higher, given that some companies put off hiring during the pandemic.

The needs range from entry-level security analysts, who monitor network traffic to identify potential bad actors in a system, to executive-level leaders who can articulate to CEOs and board directors the potential financial and reputational risks from cyber attacks.

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics projects "information security analyst" will be the 10th fastest growing occupation over the next decade, with an employment growth rate of 31% compared to the 4% average growth rate for all occupations.

If demand for cybersecurity professionals in the private sector increases dramatically, some experts say talented workers could leave the government for more lucrative corporate jobs — a risk that is especially acute for smaller, local government agencies that manage critical infrastructure in their communities but have limited budgets.

"Think of the criticality of what your local government does: water purification, waste treatment, traffic management, communications for law enforcement, public safety, emergency management," said Mike Hamilton, chief information security officer at Critical Insight. "But Amazon is out there waving around bags of cash to protect their retail operation."

Hamilton — who was the former chief information security officer for Seattle, Washington, from 2006 to 2013 — added that local governments "cannot attract and retain these people when the competition for them is so high, which is why we've got to make lots of them."

'Not a short term solution'


A variety of education, training and up-skilling programs are already working to address the shortage.

GuidePoint helps train veterans leaving the military for cybersecurity careers. And Critical Insight's Hamilton runs a nonprofit called Public Infrastructure Security Cyber Education Systems, through which students at five universities get hands-on experience by doing security monitoring of real-time data on local government networks, providing a crucial service for small cities and counties that might not otherwise be able to afford it.

Experts say there's also an opportunity to bring new talent into the industry by focusing on diversity. Just 25% of cybersecurity professionals are women, so (ISC)2 launched a diversity, equity and inclusion program this year aimed at recruiting and keeping more women in the profession, Rosso said.

"We need to recognize that there is this huge diversity of people that can actually do ... this job very well," Hamilton said, referring to security analysts who monitor traffic on a network to look for behavior that might indicate a bad actor has accessed the system. "As a country, we are not taking very good advantage of the resources that we have."

In the meantime, as the industry works to grow its labor force, it could be a huge opportunity for service and software provider companies that can help firms beef up their cybersecurity protocols without hiring their own teams.

Because even with existing training programs, the global cybersecurity labor gap is expected to grow by 20% to 30% annually over the next several years, (ISC)2's Rosso said. Experts say both the public and private sectors must invest more in growing the industry's workforce.

Portions of President Joe Biden's $2 trillion American Jobs Plan could help. The infrastructure proposal includes $20 billion for state, local and tribal governments to update and improve cybersecurity controls for their energy systems.

Still, experts say more needs to be done, suggesting a broad rethinking of education systems from elementary school through higher education to include more cybersecurity training.

"Sadly, there's not a short-term solution," GuidePoint's Orme said. "I think we need to take a long-term view of it — as a lot of our adversaries do — to say, how can we systematically build the next generation and the generation after that and create a flywheel of qualified security talent that will be entering the workforce over the next 50 to 100 years?"

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
Intel Reports Revenue Beats but Sees 81% Rise in Losses
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
Tulsi Gabbard Unveils Evidence Alleging Political Manipulation of Intelligence During Trump Administration
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Trump Announces Coca-Cola to Shift to Cane Sugar in U.S. Production
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
Moonshot AI Unveils Kimi K2: A New Open-Source AI Model
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
×