Leading challenges for cybersecurity professionals worldwide 2023

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.

A widening cybersecurity workforce gap

While the total number of professionals working in the cybersecurity industry was estimated to exceed five million in 2023, a global cybersecurity workforce shortage of around four million needed to be filled that same year, with the Asia-Pacific region the most affected.

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.