Cybersecurity Skills to Address Today's Threats

Recruiting, retaining, and maintaining a validated number of cyber-security professionals in the workspace is a constant battle, not only for the technical side of cybersecurity, but also for the overlooked aspect of nontechnical, managerial-related jobs in the cyber sector. For years, much of the focus within cyberspace has been on the technical needs of the underlying networks and services. Outside of mandating the attainment and maintenance of specific commercial cyber-related certifications for cyberspace security employment, very little emphasis has been placed on the human dimension of cybersecurity. Cyber-related organizations and teams lack a generalized understanding for the effect of human characteristics on the proficiency of cybersecurity professionals. A designed survey examines the cognitive attributes that are most prevalent in high-performing cybersecurity professionals. This survey draws upon the recent operational experiences of government cybersecurity professionals with special focus on the non-technical, cognitive skill sets required in the workplace.