McAfee finds that gamers can work cyber security jobs

McAfee finds that gamers can work cyber security jobs

The Santa Clara, California-based cyber security company said it did a survey of 300 senior security managers and 650 security professionals at major corporations. And 78 percent of respondents said that the current generation entering the work force — those that grew up playing video games — are stronger candidates for cyber security roles.

The report suggests that gamers, those engaged and immersed in online competitions, may be the logical next step to plugging the skills gap. 92 percent of respondents believe that gaming affords players experience and skills critical to cyber security threat hunting: logic, perseverance, an understanding of how to approach adversaries and a fresh outlook compared to traditional cyber security hires.

Information technology (IT) security staff say they need to increase their security staff by 24 percent to adequately manage their organization’s cyber threats. But 84 percent say it is difficult to attract talent. And 81 percent of respondents said cyber security would be more successful if greater automation were implemented.

By pairing human intelligence with automated tasks and putting human-machine teaming in practice, automated programs handle basic security protocols while practitioners have their time freed up to proactively address unknown threats, McAfee said.

A quarter of respondents say that automation frees up time to focus on innovation and value-added work. 32 percent of those not investing in automation say it is due to lack of in-house skills.

More than half (57 percent) report that using games increases awareness and IT staff knowledge of how breaches can occur. 43 percent say gamification enforces a teamwork culture needed for quick and effective cybersecurity. 77 percent of senior managers agree that their organization would be safer if they leveraged more gamification.