Exploration Study of Skillsets Needed in Cyber Security Field

Demands for professionals in the field of cyber security is high. In Malaysia, there is a huge shortage of skilled and qualified cyber security professionals. Diverse skill sets are required to keep up with the rapidly changing threat landscape. In order to meet future industry, many higher learning institutions in Malaysia offer many undergraduate and postgraduate cyber security programs. However, literature has reported that the lack of attention given between academia and industry appears when investigating their views concerning the skills gap. With growing numbers of cyber security attacks, it is crucial to develop a model that would guide both main stakeholders, industry, and academia to identify and prioritize skill sets needed to prepare students for the cyber security job market. This study will identify the required cyber security skillsets in preparing students for cyber security job market and develop a hierarchy structure for cyber security competency. The job position that is being reviewed is Information Security Analyst because it is the top job position for cyber security according to the literature review. All of the skills for information security analyst career are compared, and there are two skills reviewed which is soft skills and technical skills, including the various type of professional security certifications. This study developed a structured model for cyber security competency using the analytical hierarchy process (AHP).