According to research into the UK cyber security labor market, carried out on behalf of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), approximately 680,000 businesses (50%) have a basic skills gap. The people in charge of cybersecurity in those businesses lack the confidence to carry out the basic tasks laid out in the government-endorsed Cyber Essentials scheme and are not getting support from external cybersecurity providers to plug that gap. It seems to be a problem that we cannot get away from, but part of the answer may lay in the way in which new technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) can support the fight through the automation of some tasks and relieve already stretched cybersecurity staff to focus on higher-value tasks within their role. AI and ML have had several false dawns over their history, usually due to unrealistic expectations and misrepresentation in the mainstream media. But these technologies have advanced immensely and are a part of our everyday lives.

With the threat landscape constantly evolving and increasing in complexity, continued digital innovation, technological developments, and the introduction of 5G, coupled with the challenges of accelerated remote working practices and a growing cybersecurity skills gap, have collectively exacerbated the challenges that CISOs face in terms of protecting their companies' digital assets. However, enhancing AI solutions with machine learning, augmented intelligence, and analytics capabilities, among others, lets CISOs create a much stronger cybersecurity ecosystem for their organisation. "To reinforce a robust cybersecurity ecosystem, CISOs must develop strategic, proactive cybersecurity approaches that leverage AI-driven solutions to act on threat intelligence. In addition to leveraging solutions like augmented intelligence, analytics, and machine learning combined with AI, CISOs should consider resourcing their IT and security teams with the right people to strengthen their security strategy. "However, CISOs can improve efficiencies and strengthen their security operations by leveraging AI solutions and tools, particularly those with built-in automation and integration, to alleviate the pressure on IT teams without reducing the effectiveness of the security strategy." With the threat landscape constantly evolving and increasing in complexity, continued digital innovation, technological developments, and the introduction of 5G, coupled with the challenges of accelerated remote working practices and a growing cybersecurity skills gap, have collectively exacerbated the challenges that CISOs face in terms of protecting their companies' digital assets. However, enhancing AI solutions with machine learning, augmented intelligence, and analytics capabilities, among others, lets CISOs create a much stronger cybersecurity ecosystem for their organisation. "To reinforce a robust cybersecurity ecosystem, CISOs must develop strategic, proactive cybersecurity approaches that leverage AI-driven solutions to act on threat intelligence.

Artificial intelligence must be the future for network security, according to Fortinet. With the threat landscape constantly evolving and increasing in complexity, continued digital innovation, technological developments, and the introduction of 5G, coupled with the challenges of accelerated remote working practices and a growing cybersecurity skills gap, have collectively exacerbated the challenges that CISOs face in terms of protecting their companies' digital assets. As CISOs assess their cybersecurity posture, it's essential that they consider how to leverage new and emerging technologies to best protect their infrastructure, the company says. There have been significant developments in the artificial intelligence (AI) space that make it an increasingly strategic investment. However, Fortinet says it can be challenging for CISOs to cut through the hype and understand which AI-based solution is best suited to their organisation.

Perhaps the most resource-intensive task required of security teams is the correlation and analysis of the massive volumes of data being produced by security devices and network sensors. This challenge is probably most apparent in the fact that network breaches often remain undetected for months, allowing cybercriminals to plant time-bombs, establish elaborate botnets, and slowly exfiltrate millions of records containing customer information and intellectual property. This challenge is compounded with the growing skills shortage the cybersecurity industry is facing globally, further adding to organizations' risks. In fact, a recent Fortinet survey found that 73% of organizations had at least one intrusion or breach over the past year that can be partially attributed to a gap in cybersecurity skills. There are steps organizations can take to close the cyber skills gap.

Cyberattacks on the likes of several tech giants have brought to the fore the challenge of bridging the skills gap in the cybersecurity space in India. And, artificial intelligence being the latest buzzword of the tech industry, is being touted as one of the key solutions to the cybersecurity skills gap. According to a report, it is estimated that there will be 3.5 million unfilled cybersecurity jobs globally by the year 2021. And therefore, companies are struggling to find adequate qualified people to assist in creating an intelligent cybersecurity framework. The challenge has become apparent in the last five to ten years with a sharp increase in cyberattacks, all the way from ransomware to zero-day malware to now sneaky crypto-mining attacks.

Cyberattacks on the likes of several tech giants have brought to the fore the challenge of bridging the skills gap in the cybersecurity space in India. And, artificial intelligence being the latest buzzword of the tech industry, is being touted as one of the key solutions to the cybersecurity skills gap. According to a report, it is estimated that there will be 3.5 million unfilled cybersecurity jobs globally by the year 2021. And therefore, companies are struggling to find adequate qualified people to assist in creating an intelligent cybersecurity framework. The challenge has become apparent in the last five to ten years with a sharp increase in cyberattacks, all the way from ransomware to zero-day malware to now sneaky crypto-mining attacks.

The cybersecurity skills shortage is well documented, but the gap seems to be widening. The 2019 Cybersecurity Workforce study produced by nonprofit (ISC)² looked at the cybersecurity workforce in 11 markets. The report found that while 2.8 million people currently work in cybersecurity roles, an additional 4 million were needed -- a third more than the previous year -- due to a "global surge in hiring demand." As companies battle a growing array of external and internal threats, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and automation are playing increasingly large roles in plugging that workforce gap. But to what degree can machines support and enhance cybersecurity teams, and do they -- or will they -- negate the need for human personnel? These questions permeate most industries, but the cost of cybercrime to companies, governments, and individuals is rising precipitously. Studies indicate that the impact of cyberattacks could hit a heady $6 trillion by 2021. And the costs are not only financial. As companies harness and harvest data from billions of individuals, countless high-profile data breaches have made privacy a top concern. Reputations -- and in some cases people's lives -- are on the line. Against that backdrop, the market for software to protect against cyberattacks is also growing.

TechRepublic's Karen Roby talked with Awake Security CEO Rahul Kashyap about artificial intelligence (AI) and the cybersecurity skills gap. The following is an edited transcript of their interview. Rahul Kashyap: There is a perception in the industry that AI can solve a lot of challenges, particularly in the skills gap challenge that we face in cybersecurity. And that's true to some extent, but one of the problems I am seeing as people deploy some of the AI technology is that several leaders see that now they have automated a lot of the mundane tasks, and a lot of the complex tasks are now piling up for the advanced people. It's hitting an imbalance where some of the stuff which was easier is getting done faster, and the tough stuff is piling up now as a result.

The widespread shortage of skilled security operations and threat intelligence resources in security operations centers (SOCs) leaves many organizations open to the increased risk of a security incident. That's because they are unable to effectively investigate all discovered, potentially malicious behaviors in their environment in a thorough and repeatable way. According to ESG, two-thirds of security professionals believe the cybersecurity skills gap has led to an increased workload for existing staff. "Since organizations don't have enough people, they simply pile more work onto those that they have," wrote ESG Senior Principal Analyst Jon Oltsik. "This leads to human error, misalignment of tasks to skills, and employee burnout."

Artificial intelligence is the latest buzzword to take hold of the cybersecurity industry. It is being touted, among other things, as the ultimate solution to the cybersecurity skills gap. But just how accurate is this belief? Will AI be the cure to all of our cybersecurity ailments, as human security analysts are replaced by robots powered with artificial intelligence (AI) technology? Or will it make the skills gap even worse by changing the landscape?