Around 80% of global firms have experienced data breaches linked to a lack of cybersecurity skills or awareness, a new Fortinet report said.

2021 saw a 64% increase of firms losing revenue or incurring fines in response to security gaps, according to the report. The data also revealed a tenfold increase in ransomware attacks.

Research from the UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) back in 2019 found that human error was responsible for 90% of the UK’s cyber data breaches.

According to analysis of the data, nine out of 10 of the 2,376 data breaches reported to the organisation in 2019 were due to mistakes made by end-users.

The National Cybersecurity Centre’s (NCSC) Annual Review from 2021 also highlighted a record number of cyberattacks across UK organisations.

Consequently, a skills gap in cybersecurity remains a key concern for C-level executives. Around 60% of leaders said that recruitment of security professionals is an issue, while 52% reported difficulty in retaining cyber-talent.

Battling the growing skills gap will rely on training and certification, the report emphasises. The vast majority (91%) of survey respondents said they were willing to pay for an employee to attain cybersecurity certification.

According to (ISC)²’s 2021 cyber workforce report, the global cybersecurity workforce needs to grow 65% to effectively defend organisations’ critical assets,

In its report, Fortinet said: “A significant challenge for organisations has been finding and retaining the right people to fill critical security roles ranging from cloud security specialists to SOC analysts.

“Globally, seven out of 10 leaders see the recruitment of women and new graduates as a top hiring hurdle and 61% said hiring minorities has been challenging.

“As organisations look to build more capable and more diverse teams, 89% of global companies have explicit diversity goals as part of their hiring strategy.”

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According to the figures, around 87% of organisations have successfully implemented training programmes to make their employees more cyber-aware. Despite this high percentage, however, more than half (52%) of leaders question the effectiveness of their current security awareness programmes.

Lack of cyber-skills has been hindering companies from protecting themselves from major cyberattacks within the last few years – something which has become vital during the pandemic as people took their work home with them.

Work is being carried out in Scotland to address the cyber-skills gap, although more needs to be done. Projects such as the Digital Xtra Fund are providing initiatives to encourage and inspire young people in Scotland to develop digital skills through extra-curricular activities.

Additionally, organisations like CodeClan are providing the opportunity for people to retrain to get roles within the growing tech sector.

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