Cybersecurity by the Numbers [Infographic]

Data breaches increased by 68% in 2021 over 2020, according to the Identity Theft Resource Center’s 2021 Year in Review Data Breach Annual Report, 23% higher than the previous all-time high. The number of data breaches that involved sensitive information increased slightly compared to 2020, while the number of victims continues to decrease, down 5% over the previous year.

Overall, in the past few years, attacks have been increasing. According to the Stefanini Group, cybercrime has increased 300% since the start of the pandemic. Data breaches in health care alone have increased by 58% during this time.

Demand for cybersecurity professionals continues to skyrocket. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects a 35% growth in the need for information security analysts from 2021 to 2031. In fact, the BLS projects 19,500 openings for information security analysts, on average, each year over the decade. The BLS credits this growth to a shift to remote work and the rise of e-commerce, including growth in digital health services and telehealth.

In this infographic, we explore the growing demand for cybersecurity professionals and the industry trends that drive such demand, including:

• Business costs associated with data breaches
• The industries at the most risk for falling victim to cybercriminals
• The cybersecurity roles with the most employment potential
• States with the most need for cybersecurity experts
• The most in-demand certifications

Cybersecurity remains one of the most promising industries in which to pursue a career, especially as demand shows no sign of slowing. With businesses relying more and more on data to drive revenue and growth, cybersecurity experts will play an integral part in our economic future.

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Cybersecurity by the Numbers [Infographic] Content

The High Cost of Data Breaches

The cost of a data breach rose 2.6% to 2022 from 2021 and 12.7% overall from the 2020 report.¹

Average Cost of a Data Breach¹

• $4.35 million globally
• $9.44 million in the United States (up from $9.05 million in 2021)

Cost per Lost Record

• $150 globally
• $242 in the United States

The number of reported data breaches rose 68% to 1,862 in 2021 from 1,108 in 2020.²

Annual Cost

The annual cost of global cybercrime damages is estimated to increase to $8 trillion by 2023.³

Cost of Data Breaches by Industry in 2022¹

• $10.10 million – Health care
• $5.97 – Financial
• $5.01 – Pharmaceutical
• $4.97 – Technology
• $4.72 – Energy

Data Breach Causes in 2021²

• 33% – Phishing/Smishing/Business Email Compromise
• 22% – Ransomware
• 9% – Malware
• 1% – Non-secured Cloud Environment
• 1% – Credential Stuffing
• 0.2% – Unpatched Software Flaw
• 0.2% – Zero Day Attack
• 27% – Not Specified
• 7% – Not Applicable

Demand for Cybersecurity Professionals

Over 714,500 cybersecurity job openings were estimated to exist in 2021.⁴

Top Roles

• Cybersecurity Analyst
• Software Developer
• Cybersecurity Consultant
• Penetration & Vulnerability Tester
• Cybersecurity Manager
• Network Engineer
• Systems Engineer
• Senior Software Developer
• Systems Administrator

From 2021 to 2031⁵

• Information security analyst careers expected to grow by 35%
• Additional 56,500 information security analyst jobs in the U.S.

The Cybersecurity Skills Gap⁴

Skills mentioned in job openings as categorized by the Workforce Framework for Cybersecurity

• Operate and Maintain – 474,768
• Securely Provision – 443,726
• Oversee and Govern – 329,318
• Protect and Defend – 279,062
• Analyze – 194,017
• Collect and Operate – 82,103
• Investigate – 53,210

Most In-Demand Certifications⁴

Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)—137,140 job openings requesting certification

CompTIA Security+—94,175

Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA)—80,685

Certified Information Security Manager (CISM)—55,561

Global Information Assurance Certification (GIAC)—59,326