The Most In-Demand Cybersecurity Skills to Learn in 2021
It's an unfortunate reality most organizations are faced with on a daily basis—cybercrime is at an all-time high due to malicious actors looking to capitalize on the pandemic, whether it be exploiting weaknesses in healthcare IT or gaining access into the enterprise via work-from-home employees.
While mitigation tools are getting more advanced, new threats like machine learning (ML)-assisted phishing exploits and polymorphic malware put cybercriminals one step ahead of the game.
An estimated 3.5 million global cybersecurity jobs will be available but unfilled this year, making cybersecurity one of the fastest-growing industries. Newly minted graduates with an interest in cybersecurity are looking at a job market with a 0% unemployment rate and a myriad of options for all majors and backgrounds.
Cybersecurity is both technical and interdisciplinary. Above all else, the most valuable attributes for a candidate to possess are analytical skills and the ability to acquire technical knowledge quickly.
Vendors may assist professionals and learners in updating their cybersecurity skill sets. For example, Microsoft's Cybersecurity Awareness Kit, exclusively designed for remote workers, delivers end-user security awareness and training. Similarly, Fortinet's Training Advancement Agenda (TAA) offers cybersecurity training and career opportunities for individuals and employers alike.
Criminal startup teams offering ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) now exist on every continent to facilitate the needs of local criminal syndicates and state actors. Payment is typically made in a cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin to provide the requisite anonymity. More often, services such as malware development and the creation of distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) campaigns are also offered in conjunction.
Unfortunately, ransom payment these days is no guarantee of data recovery, as in many cases the user's data is irrevocably encrypted.
Though still in its infancy, current ML-based exploitation methods include the automated orchestration of botnets and profiling of outdated systems and their inherent vulnerabilities. Since ML frameworks and the required IT infrastructure, such as servers, graphic processing units (GPUs), and storage, can also be leased on a utility basis, attacks can be carried out on virtually any scale, at any target.
Last year, popular brands such as Marriott International, Twitter, and Software AG fell victim to cyberattacks. This year, CNA Financial—one of the biggest cyber insurance firms in the US—succumbed to a ransomware attack that cost the company $40 million. Clearly, anyone can and will end up in the crosshairs of cyberattacks, even those in the business of preventing these incidents from occurring.
Microsoft's terrifying announcement that it had detected multiple zero-day exploits being used against its flagship email server solution sent waves of panic across the enterprise. With 78% of the on-premises email server market share, Microsoft Exchange Server and its newly discovered flaws left upwards of 30,000 US organizations in the hands of Chinese cyberattackers.
Colonial Pipeline, JBS Meat Processing, and a Florida water treatment facility all fell victim to cyberattacks this year. These are just the latest in a series of increasing cyber incidents involving operational technology (OT) environments—that is, environments with physical processes and industrial control systems, on top of standard IT environments.
Ultimately, cyberattacks on OT have the potential to impact public safety (e.g., compromised food/water quality, energy grids).
In partnership with CompTIA, Burning Glass—through their Cyberseek.org website—offers some insights regarding overall cybersecurity job demand by region and title. Based on their research, the following are the top cybersecurity skills and disciplines projected to grow the fastest over the next five years in terms of job growth.
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