14 DAY TRIAL // Japan wants to make sure government and other critical systems are properly protected against cyberattacks. However, experts have determined that the country needs an additional 80,000 IT security engineers.
A government panel of IT security experts has also determined that more than 160,000 of the 256,000 individuals currently tasked with protecting information systems need further training, The Mainichi reports.
Programs to produce hackers, particularly among youths, have already been launched. In August, 41 students from high schools and universities took part in a five-day security camp hosted by the Information-Technology Promotion Agency (IPA).
While some of them said the camp offered high-level training, others were not convinced that they could use their skills somewhere else than in IT security companies.
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry says that it plans on establishing a special task force to hire a dozen cyber security experts each year and send them to organizations that are hit by attacks.
One of the reasons for which Japan is falling behind in this area stems from concerns that the hackers they hire might quit their government jobs after becoming acquainted with the country’s computer systems.