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In an attempt to tackle cyber-security, two-thirds (70%) of IT professionals believe that hiring ex-hackers could be the solution, if they have the right skills needed to do the job.

A survey, conducted by IT recruitment specialists CWJobs.co.uk, found that tech professionals (56%) believe that business aren’t currently taking IT security seriously enough – this comes despite high profile examples of data breaches of late, such as those involving Evernote, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Furthermore, the survey found that 4 in 10 don’t believe that there are currently enough skilled security professionals in the UK technology industry that are able to take on the challenges of constantly evolving threats.

Richard Nott, Website Director, CWJobs.co.uk said:  “These findings present an interesting tactic for those keen to find new ways to meet the demand for security professionals within their organisations – though perhaps one that should be treated with some caution.  What is clear though, is that cyber threats are growing and evolving on an almost daily basis, so having skilled candidates who understand and can navigate this environment to protect the business is now crucial.”

With more and more data being created every day, two-thirds (70%) of those surveyed stated that demand for professionals with security skills is growing, and specifically, 95% believe that large organisations are in the greatest need.

Respondents identified that the business’ focus on hiring IT candidates, should be in recruiting security professionals.  In recognising the demand, 66% of tech professionals surveyed stated that they would consider re-skilling in order to take on a role in IT security.