Wearable tech, EHRs and smart appliances all point to a need for increased security – and that may mean job growth.
Passwords help prevent online identity theft, but more cyber security professionals are needed.
The modern Internet is proving to be a hacker’s playground, and cyber security is no longer an afterthought for the private sector or government agencies.
The expanded commercial opportunities and medical advancements offered by the much anticipated Internet of Things will also present new security challenges for future cyber warriors. And, considering recent cases in which hackers were as young as 15, it’s imperative that schools and companies encourage kids to protect online data rather than exploit it.
Cyber Patriot -- The National Youth Cyber Education Program, for example, was established in 2009 by the nonprofit Air Force Association as a competition to generate interest among high school students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education and encourage them to consider careers in cyber security.
“We determined that the STEM education challenge was and remains a national security issue; we simply are not drawing enough bright young students to STEM education and careers,” retired U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Bernie Skoch, Cyber Patriot commissioner, said via email.
Skoch said the organization originally determined high school age was the “sweet spot” for “the best opportunity for immediately shaping attitudes about cyber security and, more broadly, STEM as a career opportunity.”
In 2012, however, the Air Force Association realized the importance of including middle school students in the program. In 2013, the organization conducted a “highly successful” pilot program that allowed middle school students to participate in Cyber Patriot, Skoch said.
An October 2013 study commissioned by Raytheon, a major U.S. government defense contractor, corroborates the Air Force Association’s findings: high school students might be too late to reach.
Raytheon’s report found that 82 percent of Millennials said that “no high school teacher or guidance counselor ever mentioned to them the idea of a career in cyber security,” and less than 25 percent of young adults were even interested in a cyber security career.
A Cyber Patriot post-competition survey for the 2013-2014 season found that the competition served to educate participants and inspire them to think about pursuing a cyber security career.
Before the competition, only 10 percent of the 641 participants surveyed answered that they possessed a lot of knowledge about basic cyber security principles. After the competition, however, that number went up to 50 percent.
The survey also found that following the competition, 60 percent said that they were “very likely” to pursue education or a career in a STEM field, and 43 percent said that they were “somewhat likely” to pursue a career in cyber security.
A Cyber Patriot team of Marine Military Academy cadets hacks vulnerabilities in various computer operating systems in Harlingen, Texas, in 2012.
“As you can see, we are measurably changing attitudes regarding STEM and cyber security in the youth with whom we work,” said Skoch.
When it comes to cyber security, it’s not just credit card data or identity that’s at stake. Internet-connected transportation systems, medical devices, electronic health records, household appliances and wearable technology need to be protected in addition to the power grid, financial institutions and government secrets.
Even as Congress battles over reducing the federal budget, federal funding requests for cyber security initiatives indicates a potential area of growth.
The Pentagon, for example, asked for $5.1 billion from Congress in its fiscal 2015 budget to help protect public infrastructure and fund research at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the U.S. military's advanced research agency, and U.S. Cyber Command, which coordinates the military's cyberspace operations.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics forecasted that between 2012 and 2022, more than 27,000 Information Security Analyst jobs will be added to the labor force.
But the BLS forecast may not be indicative of the true demand: a Washington Post report in 2012, for example, pointed to a need for 50,000 new cyber security jobs. And as of June 2013, the Government Accountability Office reported a 22 percent vacancy rate in DHS’s own cyber security division.
DHS officials blamed the vacancy rate on the length of time it took to complete background security checks, the “lack of clearly defined skill sets or a unique occupational series for these positions” and a lower pay rate than in the private sector.
A Reuters report found that Fortune 500 companies pay chief information security officers with military or defense experience as much as $200,000 to $700,000 a year. And a May 2013 survey of 500 cyber security professionals conducted by the public-private partnership Semper Secure showed other industry professionals earned on average $116,000 per year. In spite of the relatively high salaries, industry experts are having trouble finding people to work in cyber security.
But the most significant challenge the U.S. government and private companies are looking to overcome is that today’s talent pool is not big enough to address current cyber security needs.
The Obama administration’s 2008 Comprehensive National Cyber security Initiative noted an increase in demand for cyber professionals in 2007, according to a recent report by the RAND Corporation, a nonprofit research corporation.
The report examines the national and homeland security risks posed by the shortage of cyber professionals in the workforce.
Martin Libicki, senior management scientist at RAND and the report’s lead author, explained in a statement: "As cyber attacks have increased and there is increased awareness of vulnerabilities, there is more demand for the professionals who can stop such attacks."
Libicki was confident, however, existing training programs and “market forces” would remedy the shortage, cautioning against drastic government action that might result in a future labor market oversupplied with narrowly skilled individuals.
“Cyber security professionals take time to reach their potential; drastic steps taken today to increase their quantity and quality would not bear fruit for another five to 10 years,” said the RAND report. “By then, the current concern could easily abate, driven by new technology and more secure architectures.”
In order to prepare for the future, the U.S. government, schools and private companies are leveraging their resources to address computer literacy and foster the development of cyber talent among young students.
In February 2014, Raytheon launched a collection of engineering resources through PBS LearnMedia -- in partnership with WGBH, a Boston-based public television station -- designed to compliment K-12 STEM education efforts. The resources released also include material on cyber security and safe Internet habits.
The Air Force Association will also be releasing its Elementary School Cyber Education Initiative.
“This will not be a competition, but is instead an effort to inoculate students in grades 1-6 against online risks and to assist them in appreciating the importance of being safe on line,” said Skoch.
Free online courses through CodeAcademy and Coursera provide structured environments for users 13 years old or older who are interested in learning computer programming and cyber security skills. Khan Academy allows users younger than 13 years old to use their service under school or parent supervision. And tech giant Apple offers free youth programs coordinated through the company’s retail stores.
Making resources freely available, however, is only one part of the answer to training up the next generation of cyber warriors. Proponents of improving STEM and cyber education are actively working to generate classroom and extracurricular interest, with programs like Cyber Patriot, as well. For the rest of the article visit: http://www.usnews.com/news/stem-solutions/articles/2014/06/25/as-technology-advances-cybersecurity-jobs-take-center-stage?page=2
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