Half of companies in the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa suffer from a shortage of information security experts 

According to a recent Kaspersky report, 41% of firms worldwide are experiencing a shortage of experienced cybersecurity specialists. This issue is even more pressing in the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa (META) area, where 43% of organizations face a workforce shortage, particularly in the jobs of malware analysts and information security experts.

Kaspersky presented the study's findings during the ninth annual Kaspersky Cybersecurity Conference for the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa (Cyber Security Weekend - META 2024), held in Kuala Lumpur last week.

Lack of expertise in the field of cybersecurity:

The increasing frequency and sophistication of assaults, along with the growing need for information security specialists in enterprises, has resulted in a shortage of practitioners who fulfill the skill and experience levels required by corporations.

Studies conducted by cybersecurity companies and international organizations have already highlighted the shortage in the number of information security specialists. Research conducted by the (ISC2) organization, which specializes in developing and enhancing the skills of professionals in the field of cybersecurity, revealed that the workforce gap was approximately 4 million workers in... field in 2022.

Looking at cybersecurity demands across businesses, the government sector had the biggest demand for cybersecurity experts, with statistics indicating that nearly half of in-demand information security roles (46%) were vacant.

The communications and media sectors also suffer from a 39% worker shortfall, followed by retail, wholesale, and healthcare, where 37% of jobs are still vacant.

Commenting on the study: According to Vladimir Dashchenko, a security expert in Kaspersky Industrial Control Systems Cyber ​Emergency Response Team, companies can address the shortage of qualified information security specialists by offering high salaries, favorable working conditions, and bonus packages, as well as investing in modern training with advanced knowledge. However, research findings suggest that these strategies are insufficient. The local information technology industry in some emerging countries grows at a rapid pace, which means that the labor market cannot keep up by teaching and training qualified specialists on the requisite skills and experience within these short time frames. However, nations with sophisticated economies and mature firms do not have such a severe lack of information security personnel.

Advice of Kaspersky experts:

To mitigate the harmful repercussions of the worldwide cybersecurity staffing shortage, Kaspersky experts advocate the following steps:

• To get more expertise without recruiting new employees, consider Kaspersky's managed security services such as Managed Detection and Response (MDR) or Incident Response. It aids in the prevention and investigation of cyberattacks, even when the organization lacks cybersecurity expertise.
• Invest in additional cybersecurity courses for personnel to ensure they are up to date on the newest information. Kaspersky Expert training can help information security professionals improve their practical skills and capacity to defend their companies against assaults.
• Use interactive simulations to put your knowledge to the test and assess your ability to think critically. For example: alongside Kaspersky's new interactive ransomware game, you can see how the company's IT department spreads, investigates, and responds to assaults, as well as how it takes critical decisions alongside the main character.
• Use centralized and automated solutions, such as Kaspersky Extended Detection and Response (XDR), to reduce the workload on your IT security personnel and the likelihood of errors. These technologies provide effective threat detection and speedy automated response by collecting and connecting data from many sources in one location and using machine learning algorithms.
  

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