Worcester Business Journal

10 Worcester Business Journal | November 13, 2017 | wbjournal.com As cyber threats rise, the supply of highly skilled cybersecurity workers is not meeting demand A cyber shortage BY ZACHARY COMEAU Worcester Business Journal Staff Writer Cybersecurity jobs The number of information and security analyst jobs nationally has risen, although demand for this and other cybersecurity professionals is outpacing that growth. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics 0 20,000 40,000 60,000 80,000 100,000 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 96,870 U.S. data breaches annually 1,140 0 500 1,000 1,500 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017* * As of November 1 Source: Identity Theft Resource Center E quifax. Yahoo. The Democratic National Committee. Your email inbox. Your home. The amount and frequency of hacks and data breaches is skyrocket- ing, rising more than 142 percent since 2012, from 471 to 1,140, and those are just the ones we know about, according to the California-based Identity Theft Resource Center. As the world becomes increasingly more technologically complex, so have the tactics and tools used by hackers, said Joe Provost, CEO of Worcester cyber defense consultants Syncstate. Specifically, the delivery of malware is improving, he said. "We seem to have the same problem where they're able to get a message across and entice the right person to follow the trail and click on the link," Provost said. Yet as attacks rise in frequency and complexity, the people entering the cybersecurity field isn't keeping up, as estimates anticipate a shortage of between 1.5 and 3.5 million profes- sionals globally in the next four years. Training in the war room Provost, an experienced and qualified cybersecurity expert, said it would take him about 30 seconds to assume the identity a Worcester Business Journal reporter. To do so would entail just downloading software from the dark web and sending an email attachment. The effectiveness of advanced hack- ing is compounded by cybersecurity professionals' dependency on preventa- tive tools rather than understanding the science behind them, Provost said. To help close that skills gap, Provost opened the New England Cyber Range in Devens, a computer lab where cyber- security professionals can train and hone their skills by learning outside of the classroom or office. The range part- nered with Bridgewater State University and UMass Amherst and is working with cybersecurity firms to help train employees. "It gives you hands-on practice to see how to react, when to react and what tools to react with," he said. Provost pointed to increasing collab- orations between government entities, colleges and companies poised to begin closing that gap, like Gov. Charlie Baker's Cyberseucity Growth and Development Center at the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, announced in September. The center will work to support the industry and provide development sup- port and increase the cybersecurity tal- ent pipeline in the state. Lack of workers, interest According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, information security analyst jobs are growing at an impres- sive clip – from 72,670 in 2012 to 98,870 in 2016 – but Provost said that growth coupled with the parochial style of teaching is leading to the shortage. Data from a recent survey commis- sioned by defense contractor Raytheon, which has offices in Marlborough and Northborough, suggests Millennials aren't interested in those jobs. Globally, 37 percent of survey respondents said a teacher discussed cybersecurity with them as a career choice, which has tripled since the 13 percent reported in 2013. More than half of respondents said they're aware of the range of responsibilities that a cybersecurity job entails. Despite the awareness, only 38 per- cent of Millennials were more willing to consider a career in cybersecurity than a year ago, unchanged from last year. According to a 2015 report from Texas business consulting firm Frost and Sullivan, there will be a global workforce shortfall for all cybersecurity of 1.5 million by 2020. A more recent report from California-based Cybersecurity Ventures estimates a shortage of 3.5 million workers by 2021. Teaching cybersecurity's importance Stephanie Weagle, vice president of marketing for Marlborough-based In Joe Provost's cyber war room, the New England Cyber Range, teams of trainees will try to protect data from teams trying to hack that information. P H O T O / E D D C O T E

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