Cyber security talent crunch impacts 85% of organizations’ cybersecurity posture

Talent crunch is afflicting the cybersecurity industry with cyber-attacks becoming more frequent, find a new report.

Over 80% of respondents believe that the workforce shortage is impacting their organisations’ abilities to secure increasingly complex information systems and networks. Of the current workforce, 30% plan to change professions in the future, according to a report by cyber security firm Trellix.

“Our industry is already 2.72 million people short. Cultivating and nurturing a cybersecurity workforce for our future requires expanding who we view as talent and changing our practices across the public and private sectors,” said Bryan Palma, CEO of Trellix.

“Closing the cybersecurity talent gap is not only a business imperative, but important to national security and our daily lives. We need to remove barriers to entry, actively work to inspire people to do soulful work and ensure those in the field are retained,” Palma added.

Majority (92%) note at least one frustration, with the most common for respondents focusing on limited support for the development of skills (43%), lack of recognition for the good done for society (39%), and limited support with the qualifications and certifications required (34%). Problems related to inequality and limited diversity are also relatively common.

Also an April 27 report by cyber security provider Fortinet pointed out that 67% of respondents agree that the skills shortage creates additional cyber risks for their organisation. As such, 76% of organisations now have a board of directors who explicitly recommend increases in IT and cybersecurity headcount. However, 60% of organisations struggle to recruit cybersecurity talent and 52% struggle to retain it.

The Fortinet report pointed out that 80% of organisations suffered one or more breaches that they could attribute to a lack of cybersecurity skills and/or awareness.

‘Globally, 88% of organisations that have a board of directors reported that their board asks questions specifically about cybersecurity. And 76% of organisations have a board of directors that has recommended increases in IT and cybersecurity headcount,” it said.

Another report of May by cyber security firm Norton reveals that India witnessed over 18 million cyber attacks and threats, at an average of nearly 200,000 threats every day, in the first three months of 2022. The report stated that the quarter spotted nearly 60,000 phishing attempts through this quarter, as well as over 30,000 tech support scams in this time.

Early this week, a report by the United States’ Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) showed that India is among the top five countries in terms of victims of cybercrimes across the world.

Further, the report said that the IC3 received 23,903 complaints related to tech support frauds in 70 countries. In such scams, fraudsters dupe individuals by claiming to provide customer support, security and other technical assistance. Such scammers are commonly known to operate from India, with victims all over the world.