The digital world is no less than a battlefield now where every single day organizations and individuals are exposed to various kinds of cyberattacks. Whether it is a crippling ransomware attack that makes critical infrastructure inoperable or manipulating individuals with sophisticated social engineering and phishing attacks, the rate and volume of these crimes are increasing rapidly.
Most importantly, these attacks are becoming highly innovative. Cybercriminals now use advanced AI and machine learning techniques to carry out their attacks, and therefore, many times, these attacks go unnoticed, causing a lot of financial and reputational damage.
This is why the demand for skilled cybersecurity professionals is on the rise now. Yet, there is a significant cybersecurity skill gap that exists in the huge cybersecurity industry. According to the BCG Cybersecurity Skills Gap Report, world is facing a nearly 2.7 million workforce shortage in this domain. And bridging this gap isn’t about just filling these positions but also protecting our digital future.
That is why, it is very important to train the next generation of cybersecurity professionals and it will not be the same as traditional training methods. It will include a variety of approaches consisting of technical proficiency, practical exercises, ethical awareness, and more.
So, let us dive deeper and understand how we can train the cybersecurity professionals of the future to remain effective against evolving and emerging cyber threats and provide maximum protection.
Cybersecurity Skills of the Future
As the cyber threat landscape is evolving, traditional cybersecurity training may not be fruitful anymore. Those training methods often provided basic and static knowledge and taught how to react to cyber-attacks. But today, the threats are changing, and you may never know that you are under attack.
So, here are some of the evolving cybersecurity skills that modern-day cybersecurity training programs should equip future professionals in this field:
1. Threat Intelligence and Analysis
Students looking to get into cybersecurity careers must know about the latest attack tactics cybercriminals use. They should know how to analyze malware, identify vulnerabilities within their organization, know threat modeling, digital forensics, and more.
2. Cloud Security
With organizations rapidly adopting cloud infrastructure for their business, the need for cloud security today is larger than ever. So, cybersecurity professionals need to master various cloud security measures including cloud security architectures, access management, compliance, etc. Familiarity with AWS, Azure, GCP, and other cloud platforms is recommended.
3. AI and Machine Learning for Security
AI is a double-edged sword. So, if cybercriminals are using it for destructive purposes, cybersecurity experts can leverage it to automate cybersecurity measures. Modern cybersecurity certifications and courses must empower professionals to use AI and machine learning to identify and prevent threats in real-time and even much before they occur.
4. IoT Security
Today, we are surrounded by numerous IoT devices. These interconnected devices also create a huge attack surface that cybercriminals are lurking upon. So, future cybersecurity professionals need to know how to secure embedded systems, manage device identities, and thwart different kinds of IoT risks.
5. Cryptography
Cryptography has always been important in securing data at rest and transit. But as we move towards the future, we can find technologies like quantum computing, that can easily decrypt the data and read it. The future training must therefore cover advanced cryptographic algorithms, key management, data privacy regulations, and more.
Other Essential Skills for the Future
Apart from the above-mentioned core technical cybersecurity skills, future cybersecurity professionals should also possess strong ethical awareness and critical thinking skills such as:
• Ethical hacking
• Problem-solving
• Strong communication and collaboration skills
• Risk management
• Governance, etc.
Training for the Future
If we want to truly secure our digital future, we need to make some rapid changes in the traditional training programs and need to employ innovative training approaches such as:
• Hands-on Labs and Simulations
Students must get hands-on experience through virtual labs and simulations so that they can learn to handle real-world scenarios.
• Cyber ranges
These provide realistic environments that simulate cyberattacks and help students practice their incident response knowledge.
• Micro-credentials
These refer to specific cybersecurity skill-oriented programs that provide certification of expertise or badges for specific skills.
• Industry certifications
Cybersecurity certifications are another great way to enhance and validate your latest skills and knowledge in the cybersecurity industry. Certifications like CCGP from USCSI, CEH, CompTIA Security+, etc. are highly recognized and prepare you for future roles.
• Mentorship
Apart from regular training and education, mentorship also plays an important role that teaches students to tackle a variety of cybersecurity scenarios efficiently.
Conclusion
Currently, the cybersecurity industry is facing a huge skills gap. It doesn’t mean that there is a shortage of students and professionals who want to learn cybersecurity and excel in this career path, but the onus is on the industry itself which lacks necessary training and opportunities. Organizations and institutes must take initiatives like scholarships, mentorship programs, and outreach efforts to train and attract talented cybersecurity workforce from diverse demographics. Finally, it is the responsibility of everyone, including Government, organizations, institutions, and individuals as well, to understand their role in effective training and protecting our digital future.
