Cloud architecture left vulnerable by cybersecurity skills gap

Public cloud related security incidents are on the rise

News By Ellen Jennings-Trace published 20 September 2024

New research has claimed a lack of cybersecurity skills and employee training are significant challenges faced by companies, with the gap in expertise at such a level that it threatens the protection of cloud environments.

In its 2024 Cloud Security Report, Check Point Software reported only 4% of organizations have the capabilities to mitigate the risks of public cloud attacks, despite the rising threat.

Of the 61% of companies who experienced cloud security incidents, 21% were victims of data breaches.

AI skills needed

There are a multitude of reasons for the vulnerabilities, the report suggests. Primarily, a lack of skills and security awareness from employees, but in a very close second, is the rapid technological changes that organizations are struggling to adapt to.

Respondents overwhelmingly identified AI as a priority on some level for their company, which illustrates a significant shift towards AI-driven solutions in cyber-secruity strategies. Almost half (49%) indicated a need for security experts to be trained on AI-related skills, with 35% specifically concerned a lack of knowledge is a barrier to AI adoption.

This isn’t the first piece of research to highlight a cybersecurity skills gap. In the UK, 50% of businesses report facing a lack of basic cyber security training. Particularly vulnerable are the healthcare and finance industries, which rely on secure IT infrastructure.

A rise in not just the number of cyber attacks, but in their sophistication, means that businesses are more at risk than ever before, especially for those who can’t splash out on top of the range cyber security.

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