China loses status as leading source of cyberattacks

China loses status as leading source of cyberattacks
China is no longer the world's leading source of cyberattacks, according to a new report from Akamai Technologies that estimates that nearly 40% of malicious activity now originates in Indonesia. While Indonesia barely registered on the cyberthreat landscape last year, analysts attribute the nation's ascendance as the world hacking capital to a triple-digit increase in average broadband speeds.

New CompTIA Certification Addresses Mobile App Development Security

New CompTIA Certification Addresses Mobile App Development Security
 CompTIA has introduced a new skills certification designed to raise security awareness and preparedness in the mobile app development universe. CompTIA Mobile App Security+ is a vendor-neutral certification that validates the skills required to securely create a mobile application, while also ensuring secure network communications and backend Web services. CompTIA launched two unique editions of the certification exam for both native Android and iOS mobile applications

Experts: Higher compensation, perks needed to fill security talent shortage

Experts: Higher compensation, perks needed to fill security talent shortage
Finding IT security experts is only going to get tougher, given increasing attacks and a push in the private and public sectors to shore up defenses, F-Secure's Christian Fredrikson says. That likely means earmarking more spending on compensation and providing more attractive perks to lure needed talent. "As with anything, it really comes down to human capital, and there simply isn't enough of it," says Chris Finan, former White House director for cybersecurity. "They will choose where they work based on salary, lifestyle and the lack of an interfering bureaucracy, and that makes it particularly hard to get them into government."

Ranks of contractors swell across IT sector

Ranks of contractors swell across IT sector
A rise in demand for application developers combined with a reluctance among many firms to invest in workforce expansion has led to a rise in the number of IT specialists who are employed on a contract basis, according to new data from Computer Economics. An analysis by the group found there are now more IT contract workers than at any time since the period leading up to Y2K at the end of the 1990s, and while about 1 in 5 companies are expanding hiring in the fourth quarter, more than 15% of IT departments at large firms currently consist of contractors.

Firms in 8 states to benefit from federal cybersecurity grants

Firms in 8 states to benefit from federal cybersecurity grants
The Energy Department took a step toward protecting the nation's critical infrastructure with the distribution of about $30 million in grants to companies working to bolster cybersecurity in the energy sector. The funding, part of a broad strategy to enhance the security of the nation's power grid, is going to projects in eight states, including California, where the company Viasat will get $3.3 million to develop technology to improve utilities' ability to respond to cyberattacks

Reports: Cloud skills are in big demand

Reports: Cloud skills are in big demand
Companies are having a tough time finding needed skill sets for cloud projects, which may bode well for IT professionals looking for a new career focus, according to reports. A CompTIA study says hiring managers are scrambling to find skills tied to building migration plans and risk assessment. "We're seeing cloud technology move beyond the realm of curiosity, beyond early experimentation, and into a second- or third-stage technology evolution," says CompTIA's Carolyn April.