EDITOR ’ S QUESTION
WHAT IS THE IMPACT OF THE CYBERSECURITY WORKFORCE SHORTAGE AND HOW CAN IT BE ADDRESSED ?
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New research has revealed that the ‘ profound ’ shortage in skilled IT security personnel is expected to increase with the adoption of automation technologies . The research , published by DomainTools and the Ponemon Institute , showed that 75 % of respondents divulged that their IT security function is typically understaffed and that they have trouble attracting qualified candidates .
Compounding the issue , 76 % believe that Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence tools and services aggravate the problem by increasing the need for more highly skilled IT security staff .
The Staffing the IT Security Function in the Age of Automation report surveyed more than 600 US security and IT professionals across industries and found that the cybersecurity skills gap has increased by 5 % since the Ponemon Institute began the research in 2013 .
“ One of the biggest barriers to a strong security posture is attracting and retaining the right people that can deal with complex and serious internal and external threats to the organisation ,” said Dr Larry Ponemon , Chairman and Founder of the Ponemon Institute . “ This research reveals that despite the adoption of advanced and automated tools , the skills gap has increased , leaving organisations more vulnerable than ever before .”
The hype of Artificial Intelligence
A total of 41 % of organisations say the inability to properly staff security positions has increased investment in cyberautomation tools . Yet despite the hype around this technology , only 26 % of organisations currently use automation tools as part of IT security , and only 15 % state that Artificial Intelligence is a dependable and trusted security tool for their organisation . “ As cyberthreats and threat actors grow in numbers and expertise , organisations worldwide rely on both highly skilled staff and advanced technology to combat these threats ,” said Tim Helming , Director of product management at DomainTools . “ What we ’ ve found is that automation is great for certain low-skill tasks and the additional work on more advanced threats must be done by a high-skilled security professional , which continue to be in very short supply .” Additional findings of the study include :
• A total of 63 % of respondents said human involvement in security is important in the age of automation
• A total of 60 % of respondents believe automation will improve their IT security staff ’ s ability to do their jobs because it will enable them to focus on more serious vulnerabilities and overall network security ( 68 % of respondents )
• Only 23 % of respondents say automation will reduce the headcount of their IT security function
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