Cyber Work Podcast: Cybersecurity reporting and closing the skills gap with Dark Reading’s Kelly Sheridan

Introduction

The need for talented cybersecurity professionals is on the rise, but a huge amount of job postings go unfilled. Why is that? Cybersecurity is in the midst of a “skills gap,” a situation where currently available candidates don’t meet the expectations of employers. DarkWeb estimates that: 

• 3.5 million cybersecurity positions will be unfilled by 2021, up from just 1 million in 2016
• 40% of open security jobs received fewer than five applications
• 25% of priority security positions take at least six months to fill

Unfortunately, the alarming trend doesn’t end when a job is filled. Sixty percent of cybersecurity team leaders report that their staff can’t handle anything more complex than simple incidents. Even employed cybersecurity professionals may lack the skills and training they need to keep up with their work or may be mismatched for the role they were hired into. 

What’s causing the infosec skills gap? It’s complicated. That’s why experts like Kelly Sheridan, reporter and staff editor for Dark Reading, make it their life’s work to research and write about it. Recently, she shared her insights with Infosec’s Cyber Work podcast. 

Let’s take a look at some of the challenges employers are facing as they struggle to fill open cybersecurity jobs: 

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Is the technology moving too fast for people to keep their skills fresh? 

In the cybersecurity world, up-to-date knowledge has a half-life of only two years. As a result, security and IT professionals are in a non-stop race to keep up with changing technology. This creates a gap between employer expectations and what candidates can realistically provide. 

Traditional education is having trouble keeping up, too. Colleges design their curriculums to be completed in two or four years; by the time students graduate with cybersecurity degrees, some of their skills may (Read more...)