AI Skills Key to Closing Cybersecurity Gap, Fortinet Finds
▼ Summary
– Organizations increasingly face cybersecurity breaches, with 86% experiencing at least one breach in 2024 and 28% reporting five or more, a significant rise from 2021.
– The cybersecurity skills gap, including a global shortfall of over 4.7 million professionals, is a key contributor to breaches and has led to over half of organizations incurring costs exceeding $1 million.
– AI is widely adopted for cybersecurity, with 97% of organizations using or planning AI solutions, but a lack of AI expertise hinders its effectiveness and increases risks.
– Boards prioritize cybersecurity as a business and financial issue, yet fewer than half fully understand the risks posed by AI, highlighting a gap in awareness.
– Certifications are highly valued by employers for validating skills, but organizational funding for certifications has declined, underscoring the need for investment in training to close the skills gap.
A significant new report highlights the growing cybersecurity skills gap, identifying artificial intelligence expertise as a crucial component for strengthening organizational defenses against increasingly sophisticated threats. While companies are rapidly adopting AI-powered security solutions, they simultaneously face a shortage of professionals capable of effectively implementing and managing these technologies, creating a paradoxical situation where the very tool meant to enhance security becomes a potential vulnerability without proper oversight.
The comprehensive global survey reveals that security breaches are becoming more frequent and severe, with eighty-six percent of organizations experiencing at least one cyber breach in the past year. Nearly one-third reported five or more incidents, marking a substantial increase from previous years. This escalation directly correlates with the worldwide shortage of skilled cybersecurity professionals, estimated at more than 4.7 million people. More than half of surveyed organizations identified insufficient security training and skills as primary contributors to these breaches.
Financial consequences remain staggering, with over half of affected companies reporting costs exceeding one million dollars per incident. These figures have remained consistently high compared to the previous year and show a sharp increase from 2021 levels, underscoring the economic impact of inadequate cybersecurity preparedness.
Artificial intelligence presents both opportunity and challenge in this landscape. An overwhelming ninety-seven percent of organizations are either implementing or planning to deploy AI-enabled security solutions, with threat detection and prevention being the most common applications. Security professionals largely view AI as a supportive tool rather than a replacement, with eighty-seven percent expecting it to enhance their roles by automating routine tasks and improving efficiency.
However, the implementation gap is significant. Nearly half of IT decision-makers cite insufficient AI expertise among staff as their biggest implementation challenge. This skills deficiency has tangible consequences: among organizations experiencing nine or more cyberattacks, seventy-six percent had AI security tools in place but lacked the expertise to utilize them effectively.
Boardroom awareness presents another concern. While cybersecurity has gained prominence at the leadership level, with seventy-six percent of boards increasing their focus on security issues, understanding of AI-specific risks remains limited. Fewer than half of respondents believe their board fully comprehends the risks associated with artificial intelligence, particularly how the technology might be weaponized by attackers.
Professional certifications continue to play a vital role in addressing the skills shortage. Eighty-nine percent of hiring managers prefer certified candidates, recognizing that certifications validate knowledge, demonstrate commitment to staying current, and indicate familiarity with specific security tools. Despite this preference, organizational support for certification funding has declined, with only seventy-three percent of companies currently willing to cover certification costs compared to eighty-nine percent just two years earlier.
Addressing these challenges requires a multi-faceted approach combining education, targeted training, and advanced technology adoption. Industry training initiatives are expanding to include AI-focused modules covering both defensive applications and offensive threats, helping security teams understand how cybercriminals might leverage artificial intelligence to enhance their attacks.
The path forward demands coordinated effort across multiple fronts: raising cybersecurity awareness at all organizational levels, expanding access to specialized training and certification programs, and strategically implementing advanced security technologies with proper expertise. Without concerted action to develop and retain cybersecurity talent, particularly in the rapidly evolving AI domain, organizations will continue facing escalating risks and financial impacts from security breaches.
![Cybersecurity professionals analyzing data on multiple screens]
The survey gathered responses from more than 1,850 IT and cybersecurity decision-makers across twenty-nine countries, representing diverse sectors including technology, manufacturing, and financial services. This broad participation provides comprehensive insight into global cybersecurity challenges and the critical role that AI skills play in building resilient security postures.
(Source: ITWire Australia)
