AI and identity-based threats widen cybersecurity skills gap
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Nearly all organisations surveyed (94%) report cybersecurity skills gaps, with artificial intelligence-related risks and identity-based attacks emerging as major challenges, according to Barracuda Research’s Cybersecurity Skills Gap Report.
The survey found that 81% of Indian respondents and 68% of global respondents identified AI-related risks as a key skills challenge. Advanced identity and phishing threats, including business email compromise, OAuth abuse and multifactor authentication bypass, were cited by 80% of Indian respondents and 67% globally.
The report is based on an international survey of 2,000 IT and security decision-makers. It also highlights the growing pressure on security teams as organisations expand their digital operations.
Half of respondents said security professionals are expected to support expanding digital operations without additional resources. Meanwhile, 40% said business expectations exceed their teams’ cybersecurity skills and tooling, while 35% said expectations exceed available staffing capacity.
Around 80% of Indian respondents and 67% globally said their security teams were struggling to scale to meet changing business requirements. Nearly a third (32%) of global respondents said their organisations could protect the business only reactively rather than proactively.
AI is changing cybersecurity roles
AI adoption is also affecting cybersecurity roles and workforce requirements. In India, 88% of organisations surveyed said AI was already affecting security roles or headcount.
Around 66% reported workforce reductions linked to AI, with reductions distributed evenly between entry-level and more senior positions.
However, human involvement remains important in security operations. Nearly two-thirds (62%) of respondents said their organisations use a shared decision-making model for incident response, in which AI supports investigation and analysis while people retain responsibility for context, judgement and final decisions.
Demand for incident response and security leadership skills
As organisations adopt consolidated security tools and automate routine analysis and response activities, cybersecurity roles are increasingly shifting towards threat investigation, incident leadership, automation governance and business risk management.
More than two-thirds (71%) of Indian organisations surveyed said they needed additional skills in incident response, decision-making under pressure and risk management.
The report also highlights the need for organisations to establish development pathways for new cybersecurity professionals as automation changes the responsibilities traditionally handled by entry-level employees.
Technical expertise remains important for senior security professionals, but organisations are increasingly seeking capabilities in AI literacy, identity security, governance and communication.
Around 73% of respondents reported skills requirements in strategic security leadership, including AI governance and the ability to translate technical risks into business impact.
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