In today’s digital age, almost everything is happening online from making payments, ordering food, chatting with friends, to official work. However, with the increasing footsteps of digitalisation, cybercrime has also gained pace.
According to a report by Hindustan Times quoting PTI, as per a new study by an IIT Kanpur-incubated start-up named Future Crime Research Foundation (FCRF), financial frauds accounted for over 75 percent of cyber crimes in the country from January 2020 till June 2023, with nearly 50 percent cases related to UPI and internet banking. Social media-related crimes like cheating by impersonation, cyber-bullying, sexting and email phishing accounted for 12 percent of the online offenses during the period, the study showed.
Globally, the top three attack concerns remain the same as last year—enterprise reputation (79 percent), data breach concerns (69 percent) and supply chain disruptions (55 percent), according to ISACA’s annual research report, State of Cybersecurity 2023, Global Update on Workforce Efforts, Resources and Cyberoperations.
Cybercrime and Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity plays a major role in protecting against cybercrime. But what if cybersecurity teams are understaffed or are facing difficulty in retaining qualified cybersecurity professionals?
According to ISACA’s annual research report, “New cybersecurity data hones in on where cybersecurity pros come up short, with soft skills, cloud computing, and security controls emerging as the biggest skills gaps in today’s cybersecurity professionals globally and in India”
The report added that 40 percent of Indian respondents say their cybersecurity teams are understaffed, according to the ninth annual survey—which explores the latest cybersecurity threat landscape, hiring challenges and opportunities, and budgets, with insights from 113 security leaders in India.
Cybersecurity Staffing and Skills
69 percent of survey respondents in the country face difficulty in retaining qualified cybersecurity professionals. “Globally, continuing to reduce retention woes may be difficult given that benefits offered to cybersecurity pros have been declining—potentially driven by economic uncertainty. According to respondents worldwide, university tuition reimbursement dropped 5 percentage points to 28 percent, recruitment bonuses fell two percentage points, and reimbursement of certification fees dropped by a percentage point, compared to 2022,” the report stated.
Top 5 Technical Skills in Cybersecurity
India-based respondents are looking for the following top five technical skills in cybersecurity pros while hiring:
- Cloud Computing: 46%
- Penetration Testing: 42%
- Forensics: 38%
- Identity and access management: 38%
- Data protection: 38%
When looking at soft skills, critical thinking (59 percent), problem solving (51 percent), decision making (49 percent), communication (47 percent), and leadership qualities (33 percent) come in as the top five skills global employers in India are seeking in cybersecurity job candidates.
Respondents in India examined where cybersecurity professionals are lacking—cloud computing (50 percent), soft skills (43 percent), security controls (43 percent), network related topics (41 percent), and pattern analysis (35 percent) as being the biggest skills gaps they see today.
How to Mitigate Top 5 Technical Skills in Cybersecurity
Top approaches to mitigate the above mentioned technical skills gaps are training non-security staff who are interested in moving into security roles (55 percent), increasing use of reskilling programs (46 percent), using performance-based training (33 percent), leveraging AI/automation (32 percent), and increasing usage of contract employees or outside consultants (30 percent).
When addressing nontechnical skills gaps, organizations are leveraging online learning websites (62 percent), corporate training events (50 percent), mentoring (49 percent), and academic tuition reimbursement (21 percent).