Job Outlook For Cyber Security Professionals

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There are a number of different industries that are especially in need of this kind of expertise. Apart from the political sphere, banks and financial institutions have been experiencing a more recent uptick in cyber attacks.

It’s been estimated that cyber crime could cost the world over $6 trillion annually by 2021. Fears surrounding hackers have been underscored by disruptions in political processes, social media accounts, and more. This has helped set in motion a record number of job openings for information security professionals.

There are a number of different industries that are especially in need of this kind of expertise. Apart from the political sphere, banks and financial institutions have been experiencing a more recent uptick in cyber attacks.

According to a 2016 survey, banks experience an average of 85 serious attempted data breaches every year. 36% of those attempts result in hackers successfully obtaining some sensitive information.

The information-intensive healthcare industry has also expressed a need to increase their information security capabilities following the 2017 WannaCry ransomware attack, a stunt which devastated national health services around the globe.

By the time the attack was over, a quarter-million machines in more than 150 countries had been affected. The NHS, Spain-based Telefonica, America’s FedEx, German railway company Deutsche Bahn, and LATAM Airlines were all impacted.

Thanks to their wealth of intellectual property, campus research, and personal records, educational facilities are seeing increased incidents of cyber attacks as well. The University of California, San Francisco recently experienced a cyber attack just a few months ago.

On June 1, cybercriminals used NetWalker malware to encrypt data on the servers of the university’s school of medicine. Students and faculty alike were told they would be unable to access their devices until a ransom in cryptocurrency was paid.

In total, the university was forced to hand over $1.14M to recover its encrypted data. With that, it’s safe to say those hoping to land a cybersecurity position will be met with a fair amount of job opportunities.

Indeed, cybersecurity professionals are in high demand. These individuals have the option of specializing in certain areas including information technology or IT, ethical hacking, information defense, information assurance, defense engineers, risk managers, network protection, and more.

For More: Find Freelance IT Security Coordinator

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