The world has gone a long way when it comes to cyber technology with several and rapid advancements which have taken place over the years. However, it is highly disheartening that this growth has also led to an increase in the rate and damage caused by cyber-attacks. For instance, a very high profile cyber-attack took place on the US Energy Department in 2013. Also, the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and even Twitter have been victims of cyber-attacks over the years.

A lot of US government Agencies have suffered from cyber-attacks in recent time. These are sites that are generally assumed to be safe and immune to these attacks because they have several layers of firewalls and security nets which protect them.

These cyber-attacks have led to security breaches and unauthorized access to confidential information by hackers and political dissenters. More so, vital information can be lost due to the activities of these cyber attackers. As a result, firms and companies have come to realize the need for seasoned personnel in the IT department, leading to an increase in the demand for capable IT security specialists. It is projected that several thousands of new jobs will be created within the next decade in order to solve cyber-security problems.

This article will enlighten us about some recent high-profile cyber-attacks and the skills needed to tackle future reoccurrences.

Justice Department Site Closed by Hackers

The website of the US Justice Department’s Sentencing Commission (USSC.gov) has been the target of several attacks by the hacking group “Anonymous”. The January 2013 attack was one of the most serious scenarios. They broke into the site and replaced the normal content of the site with a cold war video and written threat to publicize the Department’s confidential files. The DOJ regained control of the site but it did not take long before “Anonymous” took over again.

These successful attacks have shown that even government portals can be insecure. The attacks can be minimized or totally averted with a larger team of internal IT experts.

Department of Homeland Security’s Cyber-Security Taskforce

There are a specific set of skills that will be required to combat this type of politically-motivated cyber-attacks. The DHS has a cyber-security task force which has a lot of job opportunities for tech experts. Skills such as network and systems engineering, vulnerability assessment, digital forensics and investigation, cyber-security risk analysis, cyber incident response, etc. are always needed at the DHS. These skills are also required by big companies who employ internal tech experts to combat cyber-attacks.

Anxiety Among  Citizens After 2012 Cyber-Attacking South Carolina

Towards the tail end of 2012, the governor of South Carolina, Nikki Haley, announced that the State’s Department of Revenue had been breached and taxpayer’s data had been stolen from the Department’s computers. Although public funds were unaffected, about 3.6 million Social Security numbers and credit & debit card data of almost 400,000 persons were lost. This attack greatly exposed the weaknesses in important government agencies.

Rapid Growth in Preventive Services Sector

These cyber-attacks, as well as a lot other similar breaches elsewhere, have buttressed the importance of improving cybersecurity protocols. Services of specialists in “preventive services” like Certified Ethical Hackers will be increasingly required.