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In the Industry Immersion Event, Britto Sidhan, General Manager (Global Security Lab), Schneider Electric, shared an interesting observation on how the global talent shortage in Cyber Security can become a goldmine for aspirants. Especially to those planning to launch their tech career or professionals looking for a career switch.
Cyber Security has changed the world we live in now. From the 1990s’ challenges of server-side attacks and Windows OS threats; to client-side attacks and hacking in 2000, we have seen both the attackers and the defenders evolving. In the 2010s, this landscape leaned towards supply chain attacks. However, as we navigate 2021, we are already witnessing a new genre of threats across the web and email security (grew 12.5 percent in 2021), 5G network, authentication, and authorization.
Cyber Security: A Growing Menace
Looking at some recent stats on Cyber Security, CheckPoint reported that global cyber attacks increased by 29 percent as hackers continued to exploit the COVID-19 pandemic and the shift to remote work. It also predicted that for the remaining half of 2021, one should be ready by all means as more is yet to come. Ransomware will rise despite law enforcement stepping up. Hackers would use penetration tools – they would give the hackers the ability to customize attacks ‘on the fly.’ We might see more collateral damage, too. In another analysis, Ransomware attacks made up 22 percent of all reported Cyber Security incidents in the first half of 2021, as per some estimates from CybSafe. The fact that many companies undertook hybrid workplaces and digital transformation – only added the dangers from Cyber Security gaps. And it costs—a lot.
The need for more defense
The forceful switch from Work from Office to Work from Home because of COVID-19 has sped up the need for Cyber Security professionals worldwide. But, unfortunately, hackers and scammers outnumber these Cyber Security pros and as a result, cyber-attacks have surged during the pandemic.
In a recent Industry Immersion Event, Britto Sidhan, General Manager (Global Security Lab), Schneider Electric, shared an interesting observation on how this global talent shortage can become a goldmine for aspirants planning to launch their tech career or professionals looking for a career switch.
Britto Sidhan, General Manager (Global Security Lab), Schneider Electric, shares an interesting observation on how the global talent shortage in Cyber Security.
To bridge the ever-expanding security gap today, nearly 4 million Cyber Security professionals are needed worldwide. We need both Blue teams and Red teams to help the defense posture. The Red team takes care of penetration testing; identifies, and exploits potential weaknesses in an enterprise’s cyber defenses; and undertakes risk assessments. In addition, it can handle attempts to compromise networks using the same software and tactics as used by real-world adversaries. As to the Blue team – this one takes care of implanting controls, guiding the IT security team on improvement areas for stopping sophisticated attacks. In addition, they handle security monitoring, conduct host and network-based analysis to identify the source and destination of an attack.
Today there are a lot of gamified platforms, cyber-drills, and bug-bounty programs where professionals can elevate and demonstrate their skills in Cyber Security. They are also promising avenues for recruitment.
Saddle up
If you aspire to be part of this exciting frontier and help enterprises have a strong security posture, there are many ways and programs to hone your expertise. Apart from technical proficiency, a good Cyber Security professional would also need strong communication skills, problem-solving skills, technical aptitude, hacking knowledge, and command over languages like Python and Java. Some proven cutting-edge Cyber Security programs and lots of passion can speed up your way to an attractive career path. It is an area that will always be intellectually stimulating because of constant innovation and competition.
The landscape will change again in the next decade, as always. But the need for good Cyber Security professionals will keep growing.
