Opening Hook

If I had a yen every time an anime protagonist shouted “I’ll protect everyone!”… well, I’d probably be able to buy out a few zero-day exploits on the dark web. But in our world—where cyber threats are real and not stylized mechas—we desperately need more defenders. Unfortunately, we’re facing a very real problem: a major shortage of cybersecurity professionals.

I recently read this insightful piece over at ShellSharks about the current cybersecurity workforce crisis, and wow—it’s a mix of Shingeki no Kyojin levels of chaos and Gintama-level absurdity (where are all the qualified people, seriously?). The shortage is bigger than most think, and the implications extend far beyond missed patch cycles and understaffed SOCs.

Let’s break it down—what’s causing this, why it matters, and how we (yes, us, the community!) can start turning the tide.

The Cybersecurity Talent Gap: Worse Than a Server with Port 22 Open to the World

According to ShellSharks, the global cybersecurity workforce needs to grow by over 3.4 million professionals to meet demand. Yes, million. That number is staggering, and it’s growing faster than a botnet-controlled IoT army. Organizations are scrambling to find skilled defenders, while attackers are innovating and scaling like they’ve unlocked a cheat code.

Here’s the TL;DR: demand for cybersecurity is surging because of cloud adoption, IoT expansion, AI misuse, and increasingly sophisticated ransomware attacks. But the supply of talent? Static at best, declining at worst. This imbalance creates a perfect storm—one where even the best intentions won’t shield us from preventable breaches.

And let me just say this—this isn’t a matter of poor recruitment or bad job postings (although those don’t help). It’s systemic, woven into the fabric of how we educate, hire, and train.

Root Causes: It’s Not Just a Skill Issue—It’s a System Issue

A lot of articles stop at “we need more cyber pros.” ShellSharks goes deeper, pointing to systemic factors, and I appreciate that. Let’s build on that lens:

• Gatekeeping in job descriptions: “Entry-level” jobs asking for CISSPs and 5 years of experience? That’s like expecting a first-year ninja from Naruto to lead the ANBU Black Ops.
• Lack of mentorship: Many capable individuals never make it into cyber because they don’t know how to start. They might have the curiosity, but not the pathway.
• Burnout and turnover: Even skilled professionals are leaving the field because of overwork and stress. Defenders are constantly “on call,” facing mentally exhausting incidents regularly.
• Lack of diversity: Marginalized groups remain underrepresented. Diverse teams bring broader threat modeling capabilities—a.k.a., a more effective shield against unpredictable threats.
• Training isn’t keeping pace: Universities and bootcamps sometimes teach outdated material. We’re fighting polymorphic malware with static skillsets. Let’s be clear—this is not just bad for people, it’s bad for security.

Security Implications: When Your SOC is Understaffed, Your Risk Multiplies

As someone who’s worked with open-source security tools and contributed to network hardening projects (shout-out to Zeek and Snort communities!), I’ve seen what talented people can do when they have the time, mentorship, and support.

But what happens when that’s missing?

• Incidents get missed. Lack of 24/7 coverage means slower response times. One attacker can wreak havoc in minutes.
• Poor configuration becomes a norm. Proper hardening, logging, and detection require skilled oversight. You can’t just “set it and forget it.”
• Threat intel goes unprocessed. With no time for proactive analysis, orgs rely only on reactive measures.

And here’s the kicker—attacks are increasingly automated and AI-assisted. Tools like WormGPT are enabling low-skill threat actors to craft phishing campaigns with shocking effectiveness.

Let that sink in while imagining a 3-person SOC trying to monitor a hybrid cloud environment, dozens of endpoints, OT devices, and remote users. It’s like giving Sailor Moon a stick and asking her to block a meteor.

The Open-Source (and Community) Angle: A Powerful Force, If We Use It Right

Here’s where my open-source heart beats loudest. The ShellSharks piece rightly encourages community-driven action—but let’s not understate the incredible potential of the open-source world in solving this.

• Mentorship platforms like TryHackMe, Hack The Box, and CTF communities like picoCTF are lowering entry barriers.
• More projects are creating “good first issue” labels and encouraging contributions—even non-code ones (docs, threat detection rules, etc.).
• Tools like MITRE ATT&CK, Sigma, Suricata, and OSQuery are open and teach valuable detection engineering skills.

A special nod to Outreachy and Radicle as well—programs that train contributors and decentralize collaborative development.

If you’re in cybersecurity or want to be, start contributing. It counts just as much—if not more—than traditional credentials.

Anime Sidebar: Cybersecurity Needs More Dekus, Not Just All Mights

Think of the current workforce like U.A. High. We’re relying too much on the top 5 pros (aka the All Mights of cyber). But we need more Midoriyas—passionate, less experienced folks with heart and a willingness to learn.

Give them the training arc they deserve. Let them intern on internal red teams, shadow during CTFs, or contribute to open-source blue-team tools.

And maybe, just maybe, we stop scorning people who learned security via anime-themed CTFs—looking at you, people who criticized the Evangelion-themed cryptography puzzles.

Where Do We Go From Here?

Here’s what I think the next steps should look like, both individually and systemically:

1. Employers: Rethink your hiring pipelines. Hire for mindset and train the rest. Remove unrealistic barriers for entry-level roles.
2. Professionals: Mentor someone! Be the sensei. Whether you’re a blue teamer or pentester, help someone up the ladder.
3. Candidates: Don’t wait for job offers to learn. Tinker with open-source projects. Build your lab. Share what you learn.
4. Educators: Stop teaching security like it’s a 1998 Windows NT admin guide. Embrace modern tools and attack simulations.
5. Community: Celebrate all paths into cyber. Bootcamp? Self-taught? CTF-addict? Welcome them like you would a new guild member in SAO. No level gatekeeping.

Closing Thoughts (and Call to Action)

Cybersecurity isn’t just a technical field—it’s a mission. It protects privacy, infrastructure, and livelihoods. But we’re losing the battle, not because the adversaries are too strong—but because too many defenders haven’t been given the chance to pick up their swords.

We need to build bridges—between entry-level hopefuls and their first jobs, between the open-source world and professional orgs, between diversity and the hiring table.

So here’s a question for you: Are you part of the solution?

Whether it’s mentoring a newcomer, contributing to a GitHub repo, or just reworking that job description you posted last week—take a step today. The community needs you.

And hey, if you’re building some cool open-source blue team tools or writing detection rules… hit me up. Let’s make the internet a little less scary—one PR at a time.

Until then, stay patched, stay paranoid, and keep learning.