Cyber attacks are getting more advanced and hackers are getting smarter, yet businesses are facing major security skills shortages. The cost of breaches is thought to have doubled last year in the UK alone, and the industry is now asking whether there are enough security professionals to prevent future attacks.

To highlight the ongoing cyber security recruitment challenge, NTT Com Security created an infographic on key findings from leading sources including:

The number of breaches in 2013 increased by 62%

39% of firms are already struggling to recruit workers with the skills they need

2.5 billion records have been exposed in the last 5 years as a result of a data breach

There are 1 million unfilled IT security jobs worldwide.

Click on the image for the complete infographic.

Garry Sidaway, Global Director of Security Strategy at NTT Com Security, comments for Help Net Security: “Today, every business faces challenges around cyber security and how they protect their intellectual property. However, research shows that businesses lack the resources. There is increasing evidence of an on-going recruitment issue to address this challenge, which is from a lack of professionals with the right skill and experience being available.”

“The threat landscape will continue to develop and put pressure on CIOs to protect the businesses critical assets. This is increasingly difficult with limited internal resources,” he added.

Sidaway continued: “The resourcing challenges, as highlighted in the infographic, have led organisations to a trusted partner with the skills and resources to meet this challenge. As vulnerabilities are exposed at a national, organisational and individual level, companies are looking to a Managed Security Services partner in order to gain access to its collective global knowledge and highly experienced people.”