Cybersecurity professionals face plenty of challenges in their work – there’s always something new to learn, cyber attackers are relentless and security teams are usually short-staffed. Still, nearly two-thirds of cybersecurity professionals (66%) say they are satisfied with their jobs. But that number jumps to 72% among cybersecurity workers whose employers pay for their certifications, according to the 2019 (ISC)2 Cybersecurity Workforce Study. For professionals whose organizations pay for only part or none of their certification costs, the number drops to 63%. This is an important finding for employers who are trying to build their cybersecurity teams. Currently there is a shortage of 4 million cybersecurity professionals, according to our study, so organizations need to make investments not only in

Hospitals are set up to fight infections, but not necessarily the kind that has been plaguing healthcare institutions lately – malware. A new report estimates that cyber threats against healthcare targets increased 60% since January, surpassing the total number of threats identified in all of 2018. The most common threat targeting the healthcare industry is Trojan malware, which increased 82% in the third quarter from Q2, according to the report by Malwarebytes, Cybercrime Tactics and Techniques: The 2019 State of Healthcare. Most of the Trojan attacks involved Emotet and TrickBot, which are the two most dangerous Trojans around since 2018. For now, healthcare is the seventh most targeted industry, according to Malwarebytes, but that may change as a result of

Unlike doctors or engineers, most cybersecurity professionals didn’t set out to work in their chosen field. In fact, more than half started their careers elsewhere and eventually made the move to cybersecurity. But once they make the move, most decide to stay. Nearly two thirds of cybersecurity professionals (65%) intend to stay in the field until they retire, thanks to high demand for their skills and the challenging nature of the work, according to the (ISC)2 Cybersecurity Workforce Study, 2019. The desire to stay indicates most are finding fulfillment in the field, even if working in cybersecurity wasn’t their original plan. Regardless of their beginnings, a solid majority (84%) say they are where they expected to be in their careers,

As organizations struggle to staff their cybersecurity teams, new (ISC)2 research reveals they also may be suffering from an imbalance in the distribution of team member roles. Positions that currently appear overstaffed include compliance, forensics and operational technology security while jobs in security operations, security administration and risk management seem to be understaffed. This creates a need for CISOs and cybersecurity managers to take a close look at their teams and figure out what adjustments to make. Keeping too many people in certain roles while understaffing other positions potentially makes it harder for an organization to build and maintain effective defenses against cyber attacks. Such an imbalance, in addition to a worldwide skills shortage of about 4 million cybersecurity professionals,

As organizations struggle to fill cybersecurity vacancies due to a worldwide shortage of 4 million professionals, they should consider implementing strategies to attract qualified candidates and prevent experienced staff from leaving. The (ISC)2 Cybersecurity Workforce Study 2019 lays out four strategies organizations should consider: Address cybersecurity team members’ needs with training and career development opportunities. Properly set internal expectations about applicant qualifications to widen the search for candidates as much as possible. Target recent college graduates and workers with degrees relevant to cybersecurity. Grow your cybersecurity team from within with further development and cross-training opportunities. All of these strategies are based on two primary themes – set reasonable expectations and be open-minded about who qualifies for cybersecurity positions. In many