Building Cybersecurity Expertise to Combat Rising Threats

As digital transformation accelerates across industries, the cybersecurity landscape in the U.S. is becoming increasingly complex. Cyberattacks, including ransomware, phishing, and data breaches, are becoming more sophisticated and harder to detect. At the same time, there’s a critical shortage of professionals with the expertise to confront these challenges.

According to a recent FBI report, cybercrime cost U.S. businesses and individuals more than $10 billion in 2022. Cyberattacks can be crippling to organizations small and large; an IBM study found that the average cost of a ransomware attack now exceeds $4.5 million, with downtime and recovery efforts compounding these costs.

“There’s a tremendous amount of misinformation being disseminated right now globally, , and Americans overall are at risk of being swayed to act based on pure fiction,” says Mark Merkow, a cybersecurity instructor at the University of Denver. Cybercriminals often exploit this confusion to perpetrate fraud, and the risks are severe.

“The new-and-improved phishing attacks and threats to our personal data create an urgent need for educators like us to help try to reduce the noise,” says Merkow. As cybercriminals continually refine their tactics, skills-focused education becomes even more critical in equipping professionals to combat these threats.

Meanwhile, the cybersecurity workforce gap has reached a record high. Cybersecurity member organization ISC2 found that nearly 500,000 cybersecurity jobs in the U.S. are unfilled, and in a Fortinet survey, 67% of organizations said they face additional risks because of cybersecurity skills shortages.

Institutions like DU are responding to these growing challenges by preparing future cybersecurity leaders. DU graduate programs in concentration such as Information Systems Security and Cybersecurity Management are designed to prepare students with the knowledge and skills needed to manage modern cyber threats.

“We help students to recognize all forms of threats and attacks and improve their critical thinking to question everything they see online,” says Merkow. Recognizing when something is amiss requires both technical expertise and an ability to analyze information critically—a skill that DU’s programs emphasize.

In DU’s University College, programs are available 100% online, and are designed for busy adults who need flexibility and who also bring a variety of existing professional experience to the table. Students can gain insights not only from the faculty who are industry experts in the cybersecurity field, but also from their fellow students’ experiences.

As threats continue to grow in number and complexity, the need for well-rounded, well-informed cybersecurity professionals has never been more urgent. By fostering both practical skills and big-picture strategic analysis, DU’s cybersecurity programs are positioning students to be leaders in this rapidly evolving field.

See graduate certificate and master’s degree programs in cybersecurity and other IT specialties at UniversityCollege.du.edu/IT/