Cybersecurity Skill Gap: Addressing Causes and Concerns

The demand for skilled cybersecurity professionals has never been higher than it is today, considering the growing number, cost, and frequency of cybercrimes. However, despite the growing awareness and investments in digital security, the cybersecurity skill gap is still a major concern that persists in the highly interconnected business environment, facing continuous threats from various kinds of cyberattacks.

This increasing skill gap refers to a huge shortage in qualified cybersecurity professionals who can defend their organization’s networks, systems, and data against emerging and evolving threats.

With the volume and sophistication of cyber attacks increasing, organizations across different sectors face an urgent need to fill up this cybersecurity skill gap. For this understanding, the root causes and their consequences are essential.

Cybersecurity Skill Gap: What is it?

According to WEF, there is a global shortage of over 4 million cybersecurity professionals. Moreover, 67% of organizations have reported a moderate-to-critical skills gap in cybersecurity, with only 14% of organizations confident that they have the right required skill force to meet their cybersecurity goals.

Of course, the number of people entering this field is higher than before, but still, the pace of growth is not sufficient to fill the gap. And this has led to several organizations being exposed and underprepared against modern threats.

It must also be noted that the skill gap is not just about numbers but about the quality and relevance of cybersecurity skills. Employers have often reported that even among the available cybersecurity workforce, several candidates lack the practical hands-on experience or specific technical capabilities, e.g., cloud security, incident response, secure software development, etc., needed to meet the organization’s security goals.

Root Causes Behind the Cybersecurity Skill Gap

There can be several reasons behind the increasing cybersecurity skill gap. A few of them are discussed briefly below:

• Threat Landscape Evolving Rapidly

Cyberthreats are no longer the same as they used to be. Today, attackers use AI and machine learning in their attack tactics and employ sophisticated tools to carry out attacks like Ransomware-as-a-Service, deepfakes, and others.

This necessitates cybersecurity professionals to continuously upskill and upgrade their cybersecurity knowledge to stay ahead. However, the traditional education systems and training programs often lag behind the pace of change and result in a mismatch between what is taught and what is actually needed in the real world.

• Insufficient Educational and Training Opportunities

Though several universities and colleges have cybersecurity programs, they are still not sufficient to address the evolving cyberthreats. Also, there are no specialized cybersecurity courses; they are offered as electives within computer science or IT degrees.

In several courses, hands-on training, practical labs, simulations, and real-world threat scenarios are also missing, which leaves graduates with only theoretical knowledge but little practical application.

Note: employers mostly prefer candidates with demonstrated practical projects, portfolio, and experience.

• Unrealistic Employer Expectations

Many job descriptions demand several years of experience or a long list of certifications, even for entry-level roles. This discourages aspiring professionals, particularly those who are looking to get started with their cybersecurity career. Furthermore, a lack of structured internships and mentorship programs makes it harder for newcomers to gain initial exposure to the industry.

• Lack of Diversity and Inclusion

Women, minorities, and neurodiverse individuals are mostly considered unfit for cybersecurity roles. This not only reduces the size of the available talent pool but also limits the diversity of thought, which is essential for innovative problem-solving in security operations.

• High Attrition

Cybersecurity job roles are also known to be high-pressure jobs and might require professionals to work 24/7 in some cases (especially during attacks and incident response). So, long hours, higher stress, and constant threats of breaches lead to higher attrition rates.

Consequences of the Cybersecurity Skill Gap

The implications of the cybersecurity skill gap can be very serious. Here are a few consequences of the skill gap:

• Increased vulnerabilities
• Higher operational cost as companies might end up paying more for available talent/outsourced agencies
• Delay in adopting new tools and technologies, e.g., cloud computing or IoT, because of perceived risk
• Non-compliance with security standards and regulations

All these can lead to huge financial and reputational losses.

How to Bridge the Skill Gap?

Certain necessary steps can be taken to address the growing cybersecurity skill gap. It involves,

• Educational institutes and training providers should integrate cybersecurity more deeply into CS and IT curricula and provide hands-on practical exercises.
• Invest in top industry-recognized cybersecurity certifications like CompTIA, ISC², USCSI®, CEH, etc.

Wondering how to go about it? Then this guide from USCSI® explores the roadmap to cybersecurity certification that will help organizations and professionals understand which cybersecurity skills to focus on and which certification to choose.

• Entry barriers for junior-level cybersecurity job roles must be made lenient, focusing on aptitude and willingness to learn instead of experience and cybersecurity specialist certifications.
• Organizations should also focus on building a diverse cybersecurity workforce, hiring professionals from all groups to make a diverse and inclusive workforce
• Companies must also veer towards integrating AI and automation to defend their digital assets. The goal is not to replace human cybersecurity specialists but to empower them.

Conclusion

Cybersecurity skill gap is definitely one of the pressing challenges organizations face in this digital world. With threats increasing and attacks becoming more sophisticated and complex, organizations need to immediately address the growing skill gap to ensure their systems and data remain protected. Making hiring for entry-level professionals lenient, nurturing them, and offering cybersecurity certifications to existing employees will help organizations build a strong and resilient cybersecurity workforce that can keep them safe and secure.