Cybersecurity on a budget: Strategies for an economic downturn
Summary: Cisco Talos notes the FBI recorded a 22.3% increase in cybercrime complaint submissions from 2008 to 2009, a period when unemployment reached 10%, and warns a similar downturn today could swell the number and skill of ransomware operators because most corporate networks are now remote- or hybrid-enabled by default. The post cites an ISC2 survey finding 24% of cybersecurity departments faced layoffs in 2024, with 67% of respondents saying they no longer had staff to meet their goals.
Key Takeaway: Talos argues that as budgets tighten, businesses will postpone upgrades past end of life, and it points to the Salt Typhoon incursions into telecommunications networks as the cost of running legacy hardware and software. It also warns that layoffs pushing mid-career professionals into entry-level jobs, combined with reduced entry-level hiring, could produce a shortage of skilled mid-career defenders in 5 to 10 years.
Read the original at Cisco Talos ↗
- Topics
- Threat Actors & Nation-State
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