The Growing Field of Cybersecurity: Opportunities and Challenges for Professionals

Cybersecurity is one of the biggest branches of law enforcement these days despite the fact that it was almost non-existent all the way up until the 1990s. Before then, most of the computers that were connected via the internet were between colleges, and there wasn’t a lot of personal information such as bank accounts and credit card info. Now, e-commerce has pretty much everyone’s information online, making people a target to hackers and viruses on a daily basis.

As such, cybersecurity has become increasingly important over the years, which has saved a lot of people from disaster. There have also been a lot of challenges faced by those in the cybersecurity field. Let’s take a look at the field as a whole and some of the challenges that come along with it, as well as the opportunities for professionals.

Opportunity: Security Architects

There is a growing need for security architects in today’s digital world, as this position is for someone who is able to identify not only existing threats but anything that could potentially be an issue. Think of a security architect as sort of a meteorologist for cybersecurity in the fact that they have to think ahead and that potential hackers are like forming storm cells. It’s always best to be proactive rather than reactive in cybersecurity.

Challenge: Ever-Changing World

Perhaps the biggest challenge that cybersecurity professionals face on a daily basis is just how much it changes on a daily basis. Every day you wake up, there’s a potential new exploit that’s being created and requires professionals to adjust how they prevent them from being implemented. It can be an exhausting task, and hackers know that. They try to catch professionals napping for just a few moments when attacking, so it’s a round-the-clock job.

Opportunity: Cryptographers

Cryptography is not a new profession, but it’s one that has gotten a lot more attention in recent years. That’s because cryptography isn’t used for just coded information during wartime anymore. These days, cryptographers are important for e-commerce, including cryptocurrency and chip-based debit and credit cards. Cryptographers are also hard at work to make sure that information online is safe, using advanced algorithms so that you can send and receive encrypted information online.

Challenge: Human Error

You could take a hundred courses in cybersecurity and feel like you’ve learned everything that you need to know, but that doesn’t mean that everything will go perfectly. We already mentioned that cybersecurity is changing on a daily basis, and that means that there’s a higher chance of human error. Of course, artificial intelligence is helping to bolster security, but as we’ve seen thus far, there is still a lot of error from AI that needs to be ironed out.

Opportunity: Security Consultants

The job of a cybersecurity consultant isn’t too much different than a cybersecurity architect, but there are a few minor differences. A consultant will meet with an end customer to determine what type of services that they want whereas an architect typically already works with a company as the head of cybersecurity. Consultants will then put plans into place to make sure that the business’s cybersecurity is up to par, and it’s a field that has been growing for years.

Challenge: Insider Threats

In the same way that even one of the most trusted employees could be guilty of insider trading, insider cybersecurity threats also exist. Because some employees already have access to the information thanks to being trusted with passwords, they could end up taking advantage of that trust and pulling private information for their own nefarious personal use.

Opportunity: White-Hat Hackers

White-hat hacking, or ethical hacking depending on who you ask, is a very specific field that has seen a massive increase in demand. Essentially, these are people who are working for a company and attempting to hack the system to show consultants and architects any weak spots that might be present. As a white-hat hacker, you’re entrusted to not actually use the private information that’s found, but rather let cybersecurity professionals know how to fix it.

Challenge: The Cloud

Cloud computing has been a blessing for a lot of large businesses as it’s able to store data for much cheaper without having to take up space on servers. However, cloud computing has a different structure and is privy to a lot of potential invasions. There’s a special set of skills you have to have in order to prevent cloud computing attacks, and it will only become more common as the years go on.

Opportunity: Artificial Intelligence

There’s a growing demand for artificial intelligence in all fields, and cybersecurity is no exception. This doesn’t mean that cybersecurity professionals are being replaced, thankfully, but rather are being given a tool that ill help them fight hackers easier.

Challenge: Attacks From All Angles

As we mentioned earlier, hackers will attempt to find any exploits at any time of the day. They may also come from any part of the world. Having attacks coming in from all parts of the globe means that there’s a growing list of people who are trying to get into your system, and it can be a daunting task.