In 2023, when asked to choose the biggest challenges faced by cybersecurity professionals, 45 percent of respondents named staff and skill shortages in the workforce. The risk posed by insider threats ranked second, highlighted by 38 percent of respondents. In addition, 37 percent of respondents considered keeping up with changing regulatory requirements as a main challenge. Meanwhile, misinformation and disinformation sowing confusion among decision-makers represented a top challenge for 30 percent of respondents.
Cloud, AI, and Zero Trust among the most sought-after skills
The struggle faced by employers worldwide to recruit qualified and skilled IT security professionals is particularly severe for some specific roles. Cloud computing security, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, as well as Zero Trust implementation, constituted the most in-demand skills among IT security teams worldwide as of 2023. As AI is forecast to be increasingly used to bolster cybersecurity, the demand for AI programming and development roles is expected to grow significantly in the coming years.
What were the biggest challenges cybersecurity professionals faced in the past 12 months?
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ISC2. (October 20, 2023). What were the biggest challenges cybersecurity professionals faced in the past 12 months? [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved February 19, 2025, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1383639/top-cybersecurity-professionals-challenges/?__sso_cookie_checker=failed
ISC2. "What were the biggest challenges cybersecurity professionals faced in the past 12 months?." Chart. October 20, 2023. Statista. Accessed February 19, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1383639/top-cybersecurity-professionals-challenges/?__sso_cookie_checker=failed
ISC2. (2023). What were the biggest challenges cybersecurity professionals faced in the past 12 months?. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: February 19, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1383639/top-cybersecurity-professionals-challenges/?__sso_cookie_checker=failed
ISC2. "What Were The Biggest Challenges Cybersecurity Professionals Faced in The past 12 Months?." Statista, Statista Inc., 20 Oct 2023, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1383639/top-cybersecurity-professionals-challenges/?__sso_cookie_checker=failed
ISC2, What were the biggest challenges cybersecurity professionals faced in the past 12 months? Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1383639/top-cybersecurity-professionals-challenges/?__sso_cookie_checker=failed (last visited February 19, 2025)
What were the biggest challenges cybersecurity professionals faced in the past 12 months? [Graph], ISC2, October 20, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1383639/top-cybersecurity-professionals-challenges/?__sso_cookie_checker=failed