AI Expertise Is Increasingly Required for Cybersecurity Jobs
Summary
SANS counted 1,654 AI-focused cybersecurity vacancies in a snapshot of 6,193 postings, while CyberSN reported AI Security Engineer postings up 268% year over year. Experts say AI literacy is becoming baseline, but AI expertise remains ill-defined.
Key points
- SANS analyzed 6,193 active cybersecurity job postings collected over two days and identified 1,654 AI-focused vacancies by reviewing posting content and required skills.
- SANS identified four established AI-heavy roles: AI/ML Security Engineer, AI Security Architect, AI Governance and Security Risk Lead, and AI Red Team Engineer.
- Four additional roles were described as emerging: Agentic AI Security Engineer, AI Security Operations Center Orchestrator, AI Incident Response Orchestrator, and AI Threat Intelligence Analyst.
- CyberSN reported that overall cybersecurity job postings fell 26% year over year for January–September 2026, while AI Security Engineer postings rose 268% and Cyber Data Scientist postings rose 203%.
- The article reports that AI-specialist openings tend to be senior or expert-level, while SANS found no decline in entry-level cybersecurity postings in its data.
- Experts say AI literacy is becoming a baseline expectation, but the industry lacks consensus on what qualifies as AI expertise or the skills needed to secure AI systems.
Article Details
- Publisher
- Data Breach Today (ISMG)
- Report Period
- Two-day snapshot, September 15–17; CyberSN comparison covers January–September 2026 and the same period in the previous year.
- Scope
- Cybersecurity job postings and demand for AI-focused cybersecurity roles.
- Sample Size
- SANS snapshot: 6,193 active job postings; CyberSN figures cover postings aggregated from web scrapers.
- Key Statistics
- SANS identified 1,654 AI-focused vacancies within its 6,193-posting snapshot.
- CyberSN reported 235,786 cybersecurity job postings from January to September 2026, down 26% from 320,210 in the same nine months of the previous year.
- CyberSN reported AI Security Engineer postings up 268% year over year and Cyber Data Scientist postings up 203%.
- Many positions in the SANS report had pay ranges starting at $120,000 or more; the article does not specify how many.
People
Vendors
CyberSNOther data out this week told a slightly different story. CyberSN’s jobs report is aggregated from web scrapers, between January and September, with the various job titles analyzed and assigned to CyberSN’s taxonomy ofGIACto secure AI systems and defend against AI-enabled threats? The training organizations [like ISACA and GIAC Sans] have their certs, but that is just the beginning."ISACArequired to secure AI systems and defend against AI-enabled threats? The training organizations [like ISACA and GIAC Sans] have their certs, but that is just the beginning."NISTWhile AI frameworks and competency standards are emerging, thanks to NIST, Vega said, "what are the knowledge, skills, and practical experience required to secure AI systems and defend against AI-enabled threats? TheSANSstuff in real time and using real data," said Rob T. Lee, chief AI officer and chief of research at the Sans Institute, a training and certification organization. Lee said he gathered data through application
Industries
EnergyLeidos, Amazon, Mastercard and PepsiCo. "This isn't cybersecurity firms doing these hires. You've got the energy sector, healthcare, oil and gas," Lee said.Healthcareand PepsiCo. "This isn't cybersecurity firms doing these hires. You've got the energy sector, healthcare, oil and gas," Lee said.Oil and gasPepsiCo. "This isn't cybersecurity firms doing these hires. You've got the energy sector, healthcare, oil and gas," Lee said.