The urgent needs for cybersecurity professionals is expanding. People from all backgrounds are needed and successful in this sector. There is no need to be a ‘super-nerd’ with advanced competences in ICT to transition in cybersecurity. Today’s guest on the podcast, Patrick Wheeler, talks about how people with diverse backgrounds from legal and communications and business can work in the cybersec domain.

Wheeler is an expert and educator in cybersec, as well as co-founder of the Cyberwayfinder program based in Brussels and Luxembourg. During this interview, we talk about the mission that professionals in cybersec are involved in, i.e. protecting civil society and organisations. We need to get used to new role models like cyber-firefighters and cyber-defenders that step in to protect our civil society and the organizations they work for.

Do we need to fear the attackers? Their training and competency? Make up your own mind as Wheeler offers a quick walk through the history and gradations of attackers from script kiddies and other low-level criminals until office-part industrialist and Nation State armies. Despite what we see in movies and Tv series, their tools are not always the best. But we need societal assistance, all hands on deck and good people to join the industrialized cyber-protection efforts and teams.