Top Cybersecurity Trends for Educators to Watch: Remote Strategies, AI Augmentation, and Digital Security Specialization
Cybersecurity trends affect the way organizations approach the storage and transmission of valuable and sensitive digital assets. That’s predominantly because we live in a world in which a hacker sitting calmly in a café somewhere can penetrate a company’s defenses, drain bank accounts, ransom its network, or sell private information on the dark web.
Because of these growing threats, there is a critical need for more students and professionals who study cybersecurity—to more effectively meet the demand for cyber expertise. Jones & Bartlett Learning recently surveyed 235 cybersecurity instructors. According to this research, 77 percent of respondents have experienced computer science enrollment growth over the last 2 years, and 81 percent attribute it to expected job growth. There are also an increased number of job opportunities emerging in government and corporate cyber-defense, as well as in teaching cybersecurity. Unless more professionals start training and teaching digital best practices to the next generation, an estimated 3.5 million positions could go unfilled.
As more cybersecurity educators emerge to fill these roles and help individuals and organizations alike build cyber resilience, teaching cybersecurity to broader demographics (i.e., upskilling individuals regardless of degree major, gender, age, race, etc.) will become essential—which may call for instructors to communicate in layman’s terms and avoid industry-specific terminology. This includes highlighting the cybersecurity trends driven by the latest tactics employed by cybercriminals and the ethical teaching tools at our disposal. Teaching IT security has rapidly evolved in recent years to keep pace with advanced and persistent digital threats.
Read on to learn which cybersecurity trends for instructors are key to remaining ahead of the curve in 2023.
Teaching Cybersecurity Awareness Training
Improved awareness training ranks among the top cybersecurity trends for instructors year-over-year. Why is this the case? According to staggering statistics from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), approximately 46 percent of students receiving some form of higher education took classes exclusively online and 75 percent of undergraduate students were enrolled in at least one distance education course.
Given the rise of remote learning opportunities and the reality of students accessing networks through mobile devices, teaching information technology (IT) security will likely require a heightened focus on cyber threat awareness and data protection training.
Professional Certifications Lead Cybersecurity Trends
Moving forward, instructors will likely see a higher percentage of learners focused on acquiring skills within a specific specialization. People who secure certain certifications typically enjoy greater job opportunities and higher salaries. Below is a small sample of certifications that a cybersecurity professional may seek out:
- CompTIA Security+
- CompTIA Advanced Security Practitioner (CASP+)
- Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH)
- GIAC Security Essentials Certification (GSEC)
- Systems Security Certified Practitioner (SSCP)
Recent surveys indicate that upwards of 70 percent of cybersecurity professionals need proof of certification for their employer. Teaching skills in the classroom that are aligned with the major certifications above will help better prepare students to take the certification exams and help them land a job after graduation. With the growing significance of sensitive data protection and cybersecurity specialization in mind, companies are also inclined to offer significant salary hikes and cover online information security education and training expenses.
Teaching Cybersecurity Trends Online
Many companies have already migrated away from brick-and-mortar facilities, and the traditional 9-to-5 workday is dissolving. With an increasingly remote workforce, it stands to reason that an online educational experience is a high-ranking trend for cybersecurity instructors.
Just like our increasingly remote workforce, instructors are tasked with providing course materials that can be accessed from anywhere, anytime, such as the Jones & Bartlett Learning Cloud Labs. Cloud Labs serves as an online training space for users and a vital tool for instructors to leverage. In conjunction with Cloud Labs, you can access the Information Systems Security & Assurance (ISSA) Series—cyber-specific textbooks—which offer industry-leading materials that highlight fundamental cybersecurity principles that enhance real-world solutions.
Cloud-based cybersecurity labs and digital textbooks that can be accessed 24-7 are proving more effective than synchronous classrooms. Such systems help immerse learners in a mock environment while offering a tangible experience that translates to real-world training.Recognizing top cybersecurity trends, modifying courses to introduce relevant information, and teaching this information online is a logical extension of the digital age and perhaps the best way for people to learn cybersecurity at their own pace. Request access to the Jones & Bartlett Cloud Lab Demo Suite to see how JBL can support your online instruction, or get sample textbook materials here.
The Ongoing Threat of Targeted Ransomware Attacks
When desktops, laptops and servers are inadequately protected from security threats, systems can quickly fall victim to a targeted ransom attack—starting and happening on the endpoint. This type of cybersecurity breach is becoming increasingly common, with a SonicWall report confirming there were 623.3 million attacks globally in 2022 alone, representing a 105 percent increase from 2020.
As cyberattacks become more sophisticated and difficult to detect, it’s progressively critical for cybersecurity instructors to stay up-to-date with the latest ransomware attack techniques and equip learners with the knowledge, skills, and cybersecurity best practices required to prevent and respond to such security threats. This includes covering a wide range of topics, from network security and access control to incident response planning and backup and recovery.
New Risks and Increased Security for Smart Devices
The accelerated digital revolution has led to a surge in the popularity and adoption of smart devices—now considered commonplace technology for homes, workplaces, and daily life. However, the predominance of mobile technology has also made smart devices a prime target for cyberattackers. These attacks come in many forms, but most commonly include malware infections, phishing attempts, and network-based invasions. Recent reports from Astra find that in the first six months of 2022, a staggering 1.51 billion smart device breaches were reported, highlighting the sheer scale of this challenge.
The rise of smart technology is creating new security trends and difficulties for cybersecurity instructors to monitor. With the projected growth of smart devices, a curriculum dedicated to informing students about the unique security risks associated with mobile technology is becoming essential. This includes integrating data security training into your existing courses, focusing on topics such as network segmentation, encryption, and vulnerability management—to name a few.
AI as a Tool for Hackers
Regardless of what statistic or survey a cybersecurity instructor may review, there’s a common and inescapable theme: Human beings make mistakes. Hackers and other security threats depend on human oversight to pillage an organization’s digital assets. As of 2022, over 95 percent of data breaches and cyberattacks were traced to human error, according to recent insights.
Although the value of educating and training front-line workers and a broader class of leaders is expected to remain high, teaching cybersecurity must include ways to deploy artificial intelligence (AI) to account for inevitable human mistakes. Some industry insiders indicate that AI-enhanced cybersecurity is in a position to outpace other strategies in the coming years. With AI-enabled detection systems in place, admins receive real-time alerts so that they can respond to a threat actor more efficiently.
As artificial intelligence grows in popularity and effectiveness across industries, instructors would be well-served to get ahead of the curve and make it part of the curriculum. For instance, educators can prepare students for the rapidly evolving landscape and integrate AI effectively by:
- Teaching students how to upgrade security through machine learning
- Using AI-based cybersecurity tools for hands-on labs and exercises
- Helping learners recognize the ethical implications of AI as a cybersecurity trend
- Incorporating applicable case studies into the curriculum
Related Content:
- Instructors Provide Guidance on Teaching the Cybersecurity Workforce of the Future
- The Cybersecurity Worker Shortage is Massive: How to Train Students Today and Get Them Working Tomorrow
- Consider This Before You Start Teaching to the CompTIA Security+ Exam
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