Cyberattacks have realized unparalleled heights. In 2019 alone, cyber criminals have compromised the data of hundreds of millions of users. They have penetrated Apple’s iOS, Microsoft’s Visual Studio and other systems that were once seen as impenetrable. Tens of millions of Capital One credit card applicants had their banking information stolen in one of the largest-ever hacks of a financial institution. Ransomware is infecting local governments across the U.S. and disrupting private industry around the globe.
Unfortunately, while the frequency and intensity of these malicious breaches grows at an alarming pace, so, too, does the gaping hole of talent needed to beat these sophisticated hackers at their own game. This year, the U.S. has a shortage of 314,000 trained cybersecurity professionals. That’s a 50-percent increase since 2015.