Is cybersecurity a dying field?

No, cybersecurity is not a dying field, in fact it is one of the fastest growing fields in Australia and globally, with huge demand and skills shortages. The idea that cybersecurity might be dying comes from misconceptions about AI automating security jobs, but AI is actually increasing the need for cybersecurity professionals because it creates new threats like AI-powered phishing, deepfakes and automated hacking. In Australia, the Australian Cyber Security Centre reported a cybercrime every 7 minutes in 2023-2024, with small businesses losing average $46,000 per incident and large businesses losing millions. The Australian Government's Cyber Security Strategy 2023-2030 is investing $2.3 billion to grow the cybersecurity workforce, aiming for 1.2 million cybersecurity workers needed nationally by 2030. Job growth for cybersecurity specialists is projected at 30% over next 5 years, far above average, with salaries of $90,000 to $180,000 for analysts and $180,000 to $300,000+ for architects and CISOs. Roles like security analyst, penetration tester, security engineer, governance risk and compliance specialist, and incident responder are all in high demand. Universities like UNSW, RMIT and Deakin have expanded cybersecurity degrees, and TAFEs offer Certificate IV in Cyber Security. Rather than dying, cybersecurity is evolving to include cloud security, OT security for critical infrastructure, and AI security, making it a future-proof career.