"Base Salary of 300 Million Won with 600 Million Won in Bonuses"... This Occupation's Value Soars Amid Labor Shortage

Security Officer Base Salary + Performance Bonus Over 1 Billion KRW

As advanced technology rapidly develops, cyber threats are also increasing. Issues such as the expanded possibility of personal information exposure and the sophistication of attack methods are emerging in various forms, but it is pointed out that the shortage of cybersecurity experts makes resolution difficult.

On the 20th, Forbes reported that there is currently a shortage of nearly 4 million cybersecurity professionals worldwide. With the commercialization of generative artificial intelligence (AI), the demand for cybersecurity personnel is expected to grow further, making talent development urgent.

According to the World Economic Forum (WEF)'s Global Cybersecurity Outlook, most executives of global companies (90%) reported experiencing a 'lack of cybersecurity technology and related talent.' The majority (71%) responded that 'immediate action is needed to address the shortage of cybersecurity talent.'

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics also announced that cybersecurity-related jobs in the U.S. will increase by about 32% by 2032. This growth rate is more than ten times the average growth rate of all U.S. jobs (3%) during the same period.

Market research firm MarketsandMarkets analyzed that the global generative AI cybersecurity market will grow at an average annual rate of 9.4%. It is expected to expand from $190.4 billion (approximately 259.64 trillion KRW) last year to $298.5 billion (approximately 407.12 trillion KRW) by 2028.

Many companies and institutions are increasing investments to recruit security experts. Okta has decided to invest $50 million (approximately 67.725 billion KRW) over the next five years to nurture cybersecurity talent. They plan to cultivate cybersecurity professionals internally. In addition, global tech companies such as Alphabet, Microsoft (MS), Twitch, PayPal, and Cisco have pledged to continuously develop cybersecurity talent.

Forbes predicted that "cyberattacks, which have a huge impact on the global economy, will incur costs of about $10.5 trillion (approximately 1,401.33 quadrillion KRW)." It added, "As cyberattacks such as the recent CrowdStrike incident have drawn attention, companies can establish cyber risk mitigation measures and focus on strengthening cyber resilience strategies."

Accordingly, the value of cybersecurity experts is also expected to rise. The Economic Research Institute (ERI) calculated the average base salary of Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs), who manage physical and digital security in companies, to be $275,000 (approximately 372 million KRW). They receive an additional $500,000 (approximately 680 million KRW) annually as performance bonuses.

As of last year, the average annual salary of information security analysts in the U.S. was $120,360 (approximately 163 million KRW). Cybersecurity managers earn between $150,000 and $225,000 (approximately 203 million to 348 million KRW), software and application security engineers earn between $130,000 and $200,000 (approximately 176 million to 270 million KRW), and white-hat hackers employed by companies earn about $125,000 (approximately 170 million KRW).