Spain needs cybersecurity experts

Surfing the Internet is, in itself, a risk. Our data and our identity are exposed practically 24 hours a day... and nobody (and nothing) is safe. According to figures from the National Cybersecurity Institute (INCIBE), in Spain, an average of 2,820 technological devices were identified as being at risk from cyberattacks, ranging from equipment to systems, services or networks.

Are cybersecurity experts really necessary?

The answer is a resounding yes. According to data from El PaísIn the last decade, nine out of ten companies are expected to suffer a cyber-attack this year. Attacks estimated at 11.5 billion dollars. This means that the number of jobs for cybersecurity experts will increase threefold by 2022. By 2022, there will be 1.8 million unfilled jobs worldwide, 350,000 of them in Europe, according to a survey by the Centre for Cybersecurity and Education (ISC).

As the article in El País Julien Mur, senior manager of the Information Technology and Life Sciences department at the human resources consultancy Hays, cybersecurity experts are needed because this "is the new paradigm. Rich countries (...) will generate wealth through information. Any company has to manage its data, store it and above all protect it.

How to become a cybersecurity expert?

A cybersecurity expert must have a solid technical knowledge base to be able to understand how different types of cyber-attacks occur in order to be able to defend against or even execute them. In addition, they must have a range of advanced computer-related skills, such as the structure and design of different operating systems, the TCP/IP stack, programming skills, and so on.

At IMMUNE you have 2 complete programmes to achieve your goals in cyber defence. Both a master's degree in cybersecurity on-site in Madridas a online master's degree in cybersecurity.

Do all cybersecurity experts do the same?

No. There are an increasing number of positions related to cybersecurity, an area that is in continuous transformation and where opportunities are constantly emerging. Depending on the experience, roles and responsibilities of the professionals, we can identify the following experts:

• CISO Chief Information Security Officer. They are the most visible face of the security department within the company. Their main function is to guarantee the security of the systems and to respond to possible disasters that may occur in the organisation. In the event of a problem, a CISO will solve it and ensure that the company functions correctly.

• Cybersecurity consultant. His main task is to create a strategy to improve a company's cybersecurity weaknesses. Through this plan, the consultant will try to improve and guarantee the security of a company. This is the most sought-after profile in cybersecurity services companies.

• Malware analyst. Responsible for detecting, combating and designing security measures against possible attacks on programmes and connections that may pose a risk to data protection within companies, the training of these specialists is based on programming and web development.

• Ethical hacker. True hacking experts, they apply their knowledge and skills for defensive and legal purposes. In other words: they know the 'modus operandi' of cybercriminals, which gives them a certain advantage when it comes to designing measures that can make the security systems of different companies inaccessible. It is also one of the most employable positions in the sector.

• DPO or Data Protection Officer. Following the implementation of the new data protection law, the DPO is in charge of organising and supervising the data protection policy either internally or externally to the organisation. Thus, his or her job is to mediate in the processing between a company that has been affected by a cyber-attack and the corresponding supervisory authority.

Where can this kind of knowledge be acquired?

Today's cybersecurity experts are trained on an ongoing basis and it is increasingly common for them to be acquired through specific cybersecurity courses. As explained by Javier Marcoscybersecurity expert, "in a field as dynamic as cybersecurity, a university degree is secondary and other related activities can open many more doors at a professional level". If your goal is to become a solid expert in the field, at IMMUNE we give you the tools to get there with the Specialized Bootcamps in Advanced Cybersecurity.