The world faces a shortage of 3 million cybersecurity professionals, mostly in Asia-Pacific, study says
- More workers are needed to help organisations protect themselves against hacks and leaks, according to an (ISC)2 report
- The Covid-19 pandemic highlights the importance of cloud security even as smaller companies cut cybersecurity investment
In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, companies have been shifting more of their work online. But they still need millions more cybersecurity professionals to protect their critical assets, an industry group said in a recent report.
This shortage is most acute in Asia-Pacific, where about 2 million additional workers are needed, according to the Florida-based non-profit association, which surveyed 3,800 industry workers. Japan, for instance, was found to have a gap of more than 92,000 individuals.
For those who are already on the job this year, the sudden shift to remote work, often on short notice, became a unique challenge during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Nearly a third of survey respondents said they were given just one day or less to help their organisations make the move while ensuring that computer networks remain secure against cyberattacks. Despite the rush, only 18 per cent of respondents said they saw a rise in security incidents.
Governments have also warned of the risks of cybercriminals exploiting pandemic chaos. In April, US and UK security officials issued a joint alert on malware and phishing threats.
But economic uncertainty during the pandemic has pushed businesses to become more conservative with their headcounts. Companies, especially small and medium-sized ones, are investing less on cybersecurity professionals, the (ISC)2 survey showed. Many respondents said they fear that staff shortages are putting their organisations at risk.
Some respondents said they were so worried about job security that they continued to show up at the office just to appear dedicated to the work. Some infrastructure had to be fixed on-site anyway, they said. And some sensitive government work requires strict security rules.
Many workers have also said they plan to further develop their cloud security skills. More organisations have started to require staff to rely more on cloud services to support remote work.
The survey also revealed that millennials, defined as those born between 1981 and 1996, dominate the cybersecurity workforce.
However, women continue to be under-represented in the industry. Just 30 per cent of Asia-Pacific respondents were female, a proportion that was slightly higher than the global average. North America had the lowest percentage of women at 21 per cent.
