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I would like to welcome you to the second conference entitled "Women in Cybersecurity", which is being held under the auspices of the Office of the Communications Commissioner (Digital Security Authority) of the Ministry of State for Research, Innovation and Digital Policy and the Office of the Gender Equality Commissioner.
It is my great pleasure and honour to be here today to share with you thoughts and actions taken in 2023 on issues relating to the critical aspect of cybersecurity, and to set out our views on the challenges that I hope we can address together.
Today at our conference we are honoured to host representatives from the European Network and Information Security Agency (ENISA) as well as guests of honour from the academic, private and public sectors, from Cyprus and Greece, who will talk to us about the actions, experiences and great perspectives offered by the cybersecurity profession.
Cybersecurity is now one of the most important issues of our time. In the digital world we live in, cyberspace is a place where countless transactions and communications take place every day, both on a personal and professional level. The security of data and information systems is vital for the protection of privacy and many other aspects of the public sphere, such as business, the economy, education, health and even the security of states themselves. As a result, the needs of the public and private sectors are constantly increasing in relation to the number of trained personnel who can carry out this important work in the very wide range of cybersecurity activities. The employment prospects are enormous since both women and men who graduate from cybersecurity-related programmes can work directly as engineers, as consultants of various specialities in the field of digital security, as researchers in research projects and programmes and in other areas that are constantly emerging due to the rapid evolution of the field.
Today we are faced with challenges related to the lack of necessary or sufficient skills required of staff, both in the private and public sector, in cybersecurity issues. From our daily interaction with public and private entities, we find that there is a lack of understanding of the enormous risks involved. This stems mainly from a lack of training, i.e. a lack of qualifications and skills, which we are called upon to address methodically, creatively and innovatively. This is not a phenomenon that is unique to Cyprus. It is now widely acknowledged that there is a shortage of the necessary human resources globally and even estimated at millions of positions.
Although the cybersecurity sector is widely seen as progressive, the reality is that to a large extent it remains a profession that is still male-dominated. According to recent surveys, such as Women in Cybersecurity 2022 Report, women worldwide in the year 2022 held just 25% of cybersecurity jobs. Encouragingly, an upward trend can be seen as this figure was 20% in 2019 and around 10% in 2013.
Today, in Cyprus, women account for only 15% of cybersecurity jobs. In the Office of the Communications Commissioner, taking into account the Digital Security Authority (DSA) and the Office of the Commissioner for Electronic Communications and Postal Regulation (BERET), a total of 102 people are employed, of which 40 are women.
Specifically, in the DSA and in the cybersecurity sector, 40 people are employed, of which 5 are women. It is important to mention here that during the call for applications for the 18 permanent posts of Digital Security Engineer, out of 222 applications received, only 28 were from women, which translates to 12.6%. Following written and oral examinations, 3 of the 18 posts were filled by women, representing 16.6%.
The Office of the Communications Commissioner has a duty to highlight the importance of this sector. Therefore, it will continue to promote awareness-raising among the public and all stakeholders, such as schools and universities, through various activities and campaigns so that we can create an environment conducive to participation by all regardless of gender.
The Office is already working in this direction through a series of actions carried out in 2023 and others to be carried out in 2024 such as. [*]Ongoing cooperation with relevant bodies and agencies to share information and respond to cyber threats. [*]Providing cybersecurity education and awareness programmes for citizens, businesses and organisations as well as schools, such as the European Cybersafety 5 Programme. [*]The announcement of new funding programmes "Cybersecurity Support to Cyprus Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) 2023" amounting to €1.000.000. [/LIST]
I want to assure you that the Office of the Communications Commissioner is determined to continue working both to raise public awareness and to encourage more women to get involved in the field of cybersecurity. Your ideas are welcome, come and talk to us.
In conclusion, I would like to congratulate and thank the staff who worked hard to organize the conference as well as the speakers and panelists for their valuable attendance.
I hope that this conference will be a source of inspiration and empowerment for all of us.
Thank you for your attention.
(MS/EATH)
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Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or PIO
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