The Must-Have Skills

Thought-Leader Names Top Skills Necessary for Emerging Pros

What is least protected when it comes to cybersecurity? People, says Dr. Charles Palmer, Director of the Institute for Advanced Security at IBM.

"They make the decision whether to do something securely or not regardless of the business they are in," says Palmer in a new podcast interview with Tom Field, editorial director for Information Security Media Group. "So to me the biggest security exposure is in security usability and security awareness."

He lists the skills he looks for in people pursuing cybersecurity careers:

  • Curiosity -- Professionals need to be curious to think about how to stop the bad guys and think ahead in terms of what they will do next to stay ahead.
  • Creativity -- and problem solving skills are ranked high. People need to have the ability to solve puzzles and recognize patterns.
  • A networking and technology background -- to clearly understand applications and operating systems- to know how these things work and not work together.

Palmer also discusses the challenges in finding qualified cybersecurity professionals, and identifies factors leading to this shortage.

Original article written by Upasana Gupta at http://www.healthcareinfosecurity.com/articles.php?art_id=2575