What Do Cybersecurity Leaders Want? 3 Skills Beat Certifications and Experience
ZDNET, Friday, August 7th, 2026
Curiosity, instinct, and risk-based decision-making now matter more to security hiring managers than certifications.
AI-assisted vulnerability discovery is accelerating the pace of bug reports, creating a mismatch between what machines surface and what humans can triage, and nearly half of cybersecurity professionals say they want to quit.
Aston Martin Aramco Formula One CIO Fabrizio Pilotti says digital leaders are rethinking team structure and job descriptions around agentic and non-agentic work, putting cyber at the top of the priority list.
As agentic AI absorbs elements of the traditional IT security role, experts say successful candidates will distinguish themselves in three areas: curiosity-led critical thinking, instinctive qualities that sit above the automation line, and the ability to turn ambiguous signals into confident risk-based decisions.