WHAT IS CYBERSECURITY AND WHAT CYBERSECURITY SKILLS ARE EMPLOYERS SEEKING?

Abstract

With nearly 100% of our world’s information stored on computers and databases, the threat of compromising this information looms as arguably the most critical risk that we must deal with as a global society. Rising from this threat is a critical need for cybersecurity experts. But what exactly cybersecurity is and what skills are required from employers today is unclear. Our research explores a variety of sources for a clearer picture of the cybersecurity landscape, the threats, the definition, and the areas of concern. In addition, we analyzed job descriptions from nearly 500 ads to determine the specific and general skills that are expected from cybersecurity analysts and professionals. Our study determined that cybersecurity, in general, is the protection of data, information, devices, and systems from unauthorized or malicious attacks or access. The requirements that employers are seeking were found to be general technical skills and experience related to cyber threats and in lesser numbers, specific skills in cybersecurity technology or vendor products.