Utrecht, Feb. 16, 2024 - Human error accounted for nearly two-thirds of all cyber incidents last two years. Now, in a new global survey commissioned by Kaspersky, more than 50 percent of active cybersecurity professionals admit they made mistakes early in their careers due to a lack of theoretical or practical knowledge. The percentage of respondents acknowledging such mistakes rises to nearly 60 percent among those with two to five years of experience in the field.
According to a recent Kaspersky survey from the past two years, organizations have experienced at least one cyber incident due to a lack of qualified cybersecurity personnel. While finding more qualified cybersecurity personnel may be one of the solutions to address this problem, companies around the world are facing a severe shortage of information security professionals (InfoSec). According to current estimates, the shortage of cyber personnel totals nearly 4 million.
The general skill gap in cybersecurity is accompanied by the fact that many new starters in the industry have to cope with the deficiencies in practical and theoretical knowledge. This results in initial problems and making mistakes in their work. Not updating software (43%), using weak or (easily) guessable passwords (42%) and not performing timely backups (40%) were found to be some of the most common mistakes made by InfoSec professionals worldwide at the beginning of their careers.
As cybersecurity professionals acknowledge that they may not have had the required skills and practical experience when they entered the field, some point to additional problems when starting their careers. Despite the cyber industry's constant reports of staff shortages, 34 percent of respondents claim to have had three or more unsuccessful job interviews before being selected for an InfoSec position.
"It is no secret that formal training programs often struggle to keep up with industry developments, and this is especially true in the field of cybersecurity," said Marina Alekseeva, Chief Human Resources Officer at Kaspersky. "The fact that many employees in the market have limited practical skills or deficiencies in their knowledge underscores the importance of a comprehensive onboarding process with a focus on peer learning. And it means companies need to pay more attention to upskilling their employees."
The initial challenges cybersecurity professionals face when they come to work in the industry may explain why nearly half of InfoSec professionals (46 percent) say it took more than a year before they felt comfortable in their first cybersecurity role. While 31 percent of respondents managed to master their job within one or two years, less than 10 percent of respondents said the process took them two to three years (9%) and more than three years (6%).
The full report and more insights on the training background of cybersecurity experts and the initial struggles they faced in their careers are available at this link.
About Kaspersky
Kaspersky, founded in 1997, is a global leader in cybersecurity and digital privacy. Kaspersky's threat intelligence and security expertise are continuously transformed into innovative security solutions and services to protect businesses, critical infrastructures, governments and consumers from around the world. The company's comprehensive security portfolio includes industry-leading endpoint security and a number of specialized security solutions and services to combat advanced digital threats. More than 400 million users and 240,000 business users are protected by Kaspersky technologies. For more information, visit www.kaspersky.nl.
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