Raising the next generation of cybersecurity experts

Kaspersky has introduced its popular SafeBoard internship programme to APAC with Singapore selected as the only country in the region for this pilot programme. Kaspersky’s HR Director for Asia Pacific, Anastasia Shamgunova, explains how this initiative can help bridge the talent gap for cybersecurity professionals in the region. 

As the business world increasingly transitions to digital operations, the need for cybersecurity becomes more critical. To address this, global cybersecurity company Kaspersky is expanding its SafeBoard internship programme to include roles across Europe and the Asia Pacific. 

In the Asia Pacific, Singapore was chosen to pilot this programme in the region, giving local students the advantage of working with a leader in cybersecurity solutions. The fully-paid, six-to 12-month internship aims to address the gap for the rising need for cybersecurity experts. 

We have been offering the SafeBoard programme in our HQ office in Moscow, along with other internships, since 2013. But this year marks the first time that the SafeBoard internship programme is being expanded to Kaspersky’s other locations in London, Milan, Paris, Prague, Singapore, and Utrecht.

More intelligence, more entries for cyberthreats

Asia Pacific has been grappling with a cybersecurity workforce talent shortage, more so starting in 2020 as companies scrambled to expedite their digital transformation and develop online solutions to address the customers’ needs as a safe way to perform transactions amidst COVID-19.

This technology-led revolution is replacing manual and face-to-face processes and technologies with more intelligent and automated solutions. This increasing industrial digitalisation, however, has become more appealing to cybercriminals than ever.

According to a Forbes report, 2020 saw 41% of ransomware attacks aimed at operational technologies, a 700% leap in attacks on the Internet of Things (IoT) during the pandemic, and a 100% jump in infected IoT devices.

Based on our own telemetry, in 2020, we have detected an average of 360,000 new malicious files per day—an increase of 5.2% when compared to the previous year.

Meanwhile, the clamor towards digitalisation has seen about 2.6 million cybersecurity roles left unfilled since 2020, with Singapore alone anticipating about 1,110 cybersecurity-related job vacancies.

Against this backdrop, the expanded SafeBoard internship programme intends to bridge the gap by equipping the next generation IT workforce with more and deeper cybersecurity skills. This cements cybersecurity as one of the most attractive and stable career paths, not just today but for many years ahead.

Singapore: amongst the world’s best 

Singapore’s educational system consistently ranks as among the top in the world, anchored on rigorous teaching methods and excellent teachers in mathematics, reading comprehension and science. Opening the Safeboard internship not only affirms this ranking, but also the island-state’s position as a haven for future technical roles in industry such as cybersecurity.

Providing the right environment for aspiring cybersecurity professionals to deepen their skills and knowledge plus giving them opportunity to grow their careers have always been priorities for us at Kaspersky. The SafeBoard internships programme offers an excellent jump-off point for students to launch their career in the sector, especially in these times when many young people face an uncertain job market following the pandemic.

As of now, the pilot Safeboard programme here in Singapore has kicked off and we look forward to seeing our interns develop both personally and professionally. We believe that this experience will offer them lessons beyond the confines of any book or classrooms also whilst kick-starting their career in cybersecurity through hands-on experience working for the world’s largest private global cybersecurity company.

For more information about the SafeBoard internship, feel free to visit safeboard.kaspersky.com

===============

About Kaspersky

Kaspersky is a global cybersecurity and digital privacy company established in 1997. Kaspersky’s deep threat intelligence and security expertise are constantly transforming into innovative security solutions and services to protect businesses, critical infrastructure, governments and consumers around the globe. The company’s comprehensive security portfolio includes leading endpoint protection and a number of specialized security solutions and services to fight sophisticated and evolving digital threats. Over 400 million users are protected by Kaspersky technologies and we help 240,000 corporate clients protect what matters most to them.