Cyber security skills gap contributing to 80% of breaches, shows study

Breaches in recent years have highlighted how critical a robust cybersecurity strategy is for organisations — large and small. Yet the gap in cybersecurity skills for most businesses continues to persist. An overwhelming 80% of businesses across the globe have experienced data breaches that could be attributed to a lack of adequate cyber security skills or awareness across their organisation, according to 2022 Cybersecurity Skills Gap Report.   

The survey also showed that globally nearly two-thirds of organisations experienced breaches that resulted in loss of revenue, recovery costs and/or fines.  

Consequently, the cyber security skills gap remains a key concern for C-level executives, with 60% of leaders admitting recruitment is an ongoing struggle, while 52% reported difficulty in retaining talent. The research also stated that a significant challenge for organisations has been finding and retaining the right people to fill critical security roles ranging from cloud security specialists to SOC analysts.  

“Globally, 7 out of 10 leaders see the recruitment of women and new graduates as a top hiring hurdle and 61 per cent said hiring minorities has been challenging. As organisations look to build more capable and more diverse teams, 89% of global companies have explicit diversity goals as part of their hiring strategy,” the report claimed.  

The report also stresses the importance of training and certification in bridging the skills gap, as affirmed by 91% of survey respondents who asserted they were willing to pay for an employee to attain cyber security certification.  

Additionally, it is reported that 87% of organisations have successfully implemented training programs to make their employees more cyber-aware. Even so, 52% of leaders question the effectiveness of their current security awareness programs.  

“Skills gap isn’t just a talent shortage challenge, but it’s also severely impacting business, making it a top concern for executive leaders worldwide,” said Vishak Raman, Vice President of Sales, India, SAARC and SEA at Fortinet.  

The global cyber security workforce needs to grow 65% to effectively defend organisations’ critical assets, according to (ISC)²'s 2021 cyber workforce report.