With the growing accessibility of the internet, an increasing number of services are being delivered through the internet. However, the internet is not flawless. Anyone, or any business, at any time, could be a cyberattack target. That is why cybersecurity is a critical topic.
Cyberattacks are becoming a serious problem for several businesses across a wide range of industries. As more businesses join online to provide their services via internet-based tech platforms, protection against data breaches is becoming more essential. As a result, the demand for skilled cybersecurity professionals has been on the rise.
The Underlying Cause for the Rise of Cybersecurity Jobs
As more and more services are being delivered through the internet, over the course of time, online business activities have advanced in their security measures to ensure the safety of their businesses and clients. Simultaneously, the sophistication and frequency of cybercrime rates are increasing. This situation has led to an increasing trend in demand for cybersecurity professionals.
According to the 2022 Check Point Software Security Report, cyberattacks against organizations have increased globally by an average of 50% on a weekly basis in 2021 as compared to 2020. The education and research sectors, in particular, take the lead, accounting for 75% of the increase. Government and military institutions, communication businesses, and software vendor companies also showed a significant rise in weekly cyberattacks.
One of the major reasons that make cyberattacks blameworthy is the significant amount of financial damage they impose on businesses. In a report released by the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) in 2020, the monetary damage caused by cybercrime has been increasing exponentially since 2001. By 2020 it was estimated to surpass $4.2 billion. This figure excludes damages from unreported cases. However, out of 2,211,396 total complaints received since 2015, $13.3 billion of total losses were recorded. The report was able to spot that phishing, non-payment scams, money extortion, personal data breaches, and identity theft were the top cybercrimes.
Most of these cyberattacks target huge businesses, and they usually use the medium of communication for businesses. Based on the 2020 report by Verizon, 72% of data breach victims are large businesses, of which about 46% of these organizations were attacked through emails containing malware.
What makes cyberattacks so ruinous is that it could take time to identify a certain attack or might not even be detected at all. According to the IBM report in 2020, it takes an average of 280 days to identify and contain a data breach. This is one of the reasons why more and more businesses are strengthening their cybersecurity departments by hiring dependable cybersecurity specialists.
Trends in Cybersecurity Jobs
Organizations are laying a high value on developing secure, scalable digital infrastructures. They invest a huge amount of capital in hiring competent security professionals to secure their online business in order to build reliable trust with their clients. The cybersecurity job market is constantly increasing as the demand to protect computers, networks, and data from theft, damage, loss, or unauthorized access grows.
Cybersecurity career growth is expected to rise exponentially in the future. The Cyber Crime Magazine, in its Cybersecurity Jobs Report, indicated that over the past eight years, cybersecurity jobs have grown by 350 percent, from one million positions in 2013 to 3.5 million in 2021. The report also found that the cybersecurity skills gap is narrowing for the first time in a decade. It is predicted that the same number of job openings will remain in 2025.
Who Can Be a Cybersecurity Specialist?
There is a wide range of diverse job opportunities for people who are passionate about pursuing a cybersecurity career. However, the majority of cybersecurity jobs require a comprehensive set of skills and qualifications.
So, who is qualified to work as a cybersecurity specialist? Anyone who holds one of the following degrees: Information Technology (IT), Computer Science, Cyber Security, Computer Forensics, Network Engineering, Network Security, Mathematics, Physics, or relevant STEM courses.
In addition to a college degree, companies require their cybersecurity professionals to have: a strong analytic mindset that can spot trends in data, an excellent critical thinking ability, an ability to think outside the box, a remarkable problem-solving trait, an outstanding precision in predicting possibilities, an effective communication skill, a nerd factor and appetite for computers.
Furthermore, most businesses still prefer certified specialists for their specific job demands. Cybersecurity certificates are believed to provide a practical set of specific skills. Some of the most popular certifications in demand in the job market are the following:
- Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP): allows security specialists to be technical advisors for IT-related operations.
- Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA): helps professionals to boost their auditing and security skills.
- Certified Information Security Manager (CISM): provides the skills set to build and maintain an enterprise information security.
- Security+: This provides professionals with counter cyberattack credentials.
- Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC): to certify experts with skills to evaluate IT risks and design information systems controls.
- GIAC Security Essentials Certification (GSEC): a globally recognized certification that identifies general security and testing skills.
- Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator (CHFI): assists experts in identifying criminals and the techniques they employ.
- Certified Cloud Security Professional (CCSP): allows professionals to demonstrate their knowledge of cloud architecture security.
- Offensive Security Certified Professional (OSCP): an ideal certification for penetration testing skills.
Based on the current trends in the cybersecurity job market, it is clear that the demand for cybersecurity professionals is not going to dry up anytime soon. This is fantastic news for those with competent skills and expertise in the field. However, for those who have a strong desire but with little to no skills in the field, it’s not always too late to awaken the nerd within.
Photo: VideoFlow/Shutterstock
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