More cybersecurity graduates needed to tackle more valuable crimes than drug trafficking

Cybercrime is now more profitable globally than drug trafficking, but New Zealand lacks cybersecurity experts to combat it.

The New Zealand incident caused an economic loss of $ 16.9 million in 2020. Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT), There were 7809 incident reports that year.

There were the following high-profile attacks: Waikato DHB sent back to pen and paper, And that The government has joined the international condemnation of cyberattacks sponsored by the Chinese country..

Still, we need hundreds of “as many” cybersecurity graduates, said Dr. Vimal Kumar, who heads the Cybersecurity Lab at the University of Waikato.

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* 350 cyber attacks on New Zealand last year. One-third comes from state-sponsored exploitation groups.
* Israeli private spaware used to hack mobile phones of journalists and activists around the world
* Russia-based ransomware gang is offline, but the cause is not clear
* DHB attackers could threaten to publish patient health records, experts say

He said companies seem to be competing for workers.

Many employers were in college Cyber ​​security challenge On Saturday, it encouraged people to join the region and attracted about 150 up-and-coming cyber detectives.

ICT Security Specialists are on New Zealand’s long-term skill shortage list For jobs that are “sustainably and continuously in short supply of highly skilled workers”.

Organized crime groups are also looking at cybercrime, said Dr. Dean Saar, Deputy Director of Information for the Waikato District of the New Zealand Police.

Globally, he said cybercrime is more valuable than drug trafficking.

Kumar, a senior instructor in computer science, said cybercriminals are becoming more and more sophisticated.

He said they set up underground organizations like legitimate organizations and have human resources and finance departments.

According to Saar, constant vigilance is needed to stay ahead of them. As soon as the wall is built, people will find a way under and around it.

As life grows online, cybercrime can affect everything from email-using grandparents to Internet-connected security cameras to online purchases, he said.

We saw Waikato DHB cancer and other treatments affected after ransomware attack, He said, and other potential examples include going to the airport and finding plane tickets disappeared from the system.

Tony Lynch, Deputy CEO of New Zealand’s National Security Group, said cybersecurity labor shortages are a global problem.

“The priority of New Zealand’s cybersecurity strategy is to strengthen the cybersecurity workforce,” he said.

The National Cyber ​​Policy Agency is coordinating the provision of workforce priorities for cybersecurity strategies. This includes initiatives for improving cybersecurity skills, such as improving employee planning and cybercareer awareness. “

However, according to an international survey in 2020, this was the first time that the cybersecurity workforce gap had decreased from 4 million to 3.1 million.

Nonetheless, 56% of nearly 3,800 respondents felt that the shortage was putting their organization at risk. (ISC) ² Cybersecurity Labor Force Survey, 2020, Said.

The Asia-Pacific region also has the largest shortage of cybersecurity professionals, with over 2 million people.

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