Ex-hackers best qualified to improve cyber security say 70% of IT firms

Over half of businesses are not taking IT security seriously enough and almost three quarters of IT professionals think ex-hackers could be the right people to help businesses improve cyber-security.

Over half of businesses are not taking IT security seriously enough and almost three quarters of IT professionals think ex-hackers could be the right people to help businesses improve cyber security.

According to research from CWJobs.co.uk, 56% of IT professional do not think businesses take IT security seriously enough and 70% said hiring ex-hackers could be the solution. A total of 40% do not think there are currently enough skilled security professionals in the UK technology industry to protect organisations against evolving threats.

 “These findings present an interesting tactic for those keen to find new ways to meet the demand for security professionals within their organisations – though perhaps one that should be treated with some caution,” said Richard Nott, website director at CWJobs.co.uk. “What is clear though, is that cyber threats are growing and evolving on an almost daily basis, so having skilled candidates who understand and can navigate this environment to protect the business is now crucial.”

More on cyber threats

IT security leaders debate their cyber threat challenges

UK invests £850m in tackling cyber threats

The Cyber Savvy CEO: Getting to grips with today’s growing cyber threats

A total of 70% of the professionals questioned said demand is increasing for security experts and almost all (95%) said large organisations need the skills the most.

As a result of the high demand for security skills 66% of tech professionals surveyed said they would consider re-skilling in order to take on a role in IT security.

US security agencies in search of cyber skills to help shore up cyber war defences have been known to look out for top talent at the Defcon hacker convention.

Read more on Hackers and cybercrime prevention

CIO
Security
Networking
Data Center
Data Management
Close