Infosec19: Skills Shortages Are Exposing Firms to Cyber Risk

Over half (52%) of IT and security professionals believe that cybersecurity skills shortages are putting their business at an increased risk of attack, according to a new poll from Infosecurity Europe. Now in its 24th year, Europe's leading cybersecurity show asked over 9700 of its Twitter followers a series of questions on skills challenges, as well as its community of CISOs. The biggest barrier to recruiting was seen as a lack of available talent, according to nearly a third (30%) of respondents. This was followed by lack of recruitment budget (27%) and lack of interest in careers within the sector (26%). As a result, nearly half (46%) said they have found it difficult to encourage new talent into the sector. This chimes with current estimates from (ISC)2 that claim the industry is experiencing a shortfall of 2.9 million professionals, including 142,000 in EMEA. A separate report claims the number could rise to 3.5 million by 2021.