The Future Cybersecurity Workforce: Going Beyond Technical Skills for Successful Cyber Performance
No Thumbnail Available
Authors
Dawson, Jessica
Thomson, Robert
Issue Date
2018
Type
journal-article
Language
Keywords
Workforce , Values , Cyber Security , Personality Assessment , Work-role fit
Alternative Title
Abstract
One of the challenges in writing an article reviewing the current state of cyber education and workforce development is that there is a paucity of quantitative assessment regarding the cognitive aptitudes, work roles, or team organization required by cybersecurity professionals to be successful. In this review, we argue that the people who operate within the cyber domain need a combination of technical skills, domain specific knowledge, and social intelligence to be successful. They, like the networks they operate, must also be reliable, trustworthy, and resilient. Defining the knowledge, skills, attributes, and other characteristics is not as simple as defining a group of technical skills that people can be trained on; the complexity of the cyber domain makes this a unique challenge. There has been little research devoted to exactly what attributes individuals in the cyber domain need. What research does exist places an emphasis on technical and engineering skills while discounting the important social and organizational influences that dictate success or failure in everyday settings. This paper reviews the literature on cyber expertise and cyber workforce development to identify gaps and then argues for the important contribution of social fit in the highly complex and heterogenous cyber workforce. We then identify six assumptions for the future of cybersecurity workforce development, including the requirement for systemic thinkers, team players, a love for continued learning, strong communication ability, a sense of civic duty, and a blend of technical and social skill. Finally, we make recommendations for social and cognitive metrics which may be indicative of future performance in cyber work roles to provide a roadmap for future scholars.
Description
Citation
Dawson J and Thomson R (2018) The Future Cybersecurity Workforce: Going Beyond Technical Skills for Successful Cyber Performance. Front. Psychol. 9:744. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00744
Publisher
Frontiers in Psychology
License
Journal
Volume
Issue
PubMed ID
ISSN
1664-1078