October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month and throughout the month we are looking at different topics as they relate to improving cybersecurity posture, focusing on zero trust, cyber leadership, artificial intelligence (AI) and more. AI is in the spotlight across all industries with the rise of ChatGPT and other platforms. Cybersecurity professionals need to be prepared for how to use it to help themselves and their teams – and respond to its use from malicious actors.
AI is commonly seen as a challenge to existing job roles and 88% of respondents to an ISC2 member survey on AI said they believe AI will significantly impact their job over the next couple of years while 35% said that it already has. Instead of negatively reacting to AI, cybersecurity professionals can embrace the future and harness its power to automate manual tasks, monitor networks and malware detection and much more.
“The way I see it, AI is like water, it's going to flow everywhere. You can't avoid it, so you might as well get ready and anticipate the effects of it," said Dennis Lee, CISSP, ISC2 Instructor. “It is always in the back of people's minds ‘will AI replace jobs?’ That is a concern. You want to stay ahead of that because you want people to come to you for advice on AI and cybersecurity. You may not be replaced by AI, but you may be replaced by someone who knows AI.”
AI Impacting the Cyber Workforce
Each year, the ISC2 Cybersecurity Workforce Study aims to understand how the evolving business landscape is impacted by both talent shortages and skills gaps. Our first look at the 2024 data shows that over one third of respondents cited AI as the biggest skills shortfall in their teams. It is anticipated that AI will replace some tasks, but not entire cybersecurity roles. Automating some tasks will allow for additional hires to help fill the global 4.8 million workforce gap.
AI Education and Implementation
In response to the growing role of AI, ISC2 has created AI Workshops to help attendees identify opportunities and manage risks associated with AI. The workshops are designed to provide further knowledge on both strategies and tactical operations. Four virtual workshops have registrations available through the end of 2024, with additional dates for both in-person and virtual workshops coming in 2025.
ISC2 AI Workshop Facilitator Simon Salmon, CISSP, CSSLP, CCSP said, “Prepare for AI because it's happening anywhere in your organization. People are using it, whether you want them to use it or not.You need to have the appropriate governance, risk management, and compliance activities in place - it’s about being proactive.”
The ISC2 AI Workshops provide cybersecurity professionals with essential working knowledge of this highly sought skill set for immediate implementation back at their organizations. These insights will help attendees ensure their organization's AI practices are aligned with established risk management and emerging industry best practices. Register now for an ISC2 Securing AI Workshop.
Cybersecurity Awareness Month
Learn more about other crucial topics during #CybersecurityAwarenessMonth by following along on X and LinkedIn.
Additional Resources:
The Real-World Impact of AI on Cybersecurity Professionals
ISC2 Gets You Ready to Secure AI
Replay our two-part webinar series on the impact of AI on the cybersecurity industry and earn CPE credits: Part 1 and Part 2