Shortage of cyber-security experts exposes organisations to huge losses

A security officer walks past a poster of Cyber Crime containment poster at KICC during the Africa Cyber Security conference in Nairobi on July 9,2018 /ENOS TECHE

Cybercrime is getting real and its impact even bigger. A Norton Cybercrime report by Symantec provides some startling statistics: There are1.5 a million victims of cybercrime every day, which translates to 18 victims per second.

Many governments and organizations are living with the scary reality that there is a shortage of professionals to protect them against cybercriminals. A global study by Intel Security, in partnership with the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), reveals a cybersecurity talent crisis in even developed economies like Australia, France, Germany, Israel, Japan, Mexico, US, and the UK.

In 2Image result for cyber security gap in kenya015, 209,000 cybersecurity jobs went unfilled in the United States alone, according to the Intel Security report. Despite one in four respondents confirming their organizations have lost proprietary data as a result of their cybersecurity skills gap, there are no signs of this workforce shortage abating in the near-term. Those surveyed estimate an average of 15% of cybersecurity positions in their company will go unfilled by 2020.

Since cybercrime has become a service for sale, companies need a pool of experts to counter the ever-sophisticated mechanics developed by the criminals who are now in big business.

According to Cybersecurity Ventures’s 2017 Cybersecurity Jobs Report, by 2021 the number of job openings in the cyber-security sector will be 3.5 million. As a global community, if we do not change this we are heading to a crisis that will be near impossible to be solved. The cyber-security skill gap needs to be addressed now in order to ensure that the talent required is available so as every organization is able to fight against cyber threats.

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To be able to ensure that there are more security experts in the field, learning institutions need to focus on training security frameworks and instilling some experience while the generation is still young.

Governments also need to invest in technical labs that will ensure the young generations, as well as minorities and women, interact more in the field. This way the number of people with the required skills will increase and be able to protect organizations against relentless hackers and cybercriminals.

Countries and companies can reverse this shortfall in critical cybersecurity skills by increasing expenditure on education, promoting gaming and technology exercises, and pushing for more cybersecurity programs in higher education.

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Cybersecurity consulting firm Serianu’s boss William Makatiani said the attackers bust internet networks to gain access to critical information and shut down business operations.

Information, security and forensic expert at USIU Stanley Githinji said there is still a huge skill gap in cybersecurity in Africa. In Africa, the report estimates the total professionals in the Cybersecurity field at only 10,000.

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More than 90 percent of organizations in the country operate below the cybersecurity poverty line which exposes them to risks.

 

 

 

 

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