HR is Helping Cyber Threat Actors to Take Over Your Organization

Legacy hiring practices are leaking critical information to cyber threat actors.

As the demand for cybersecurity talent continues to soar, HR departments, Talent Acquisition professionals, and hiring managers are tasked with filling these critical roles. But in the rush to secure top-tier professionals, many organizations are ironically failing to follow the very principles of cybersecurity they are hiring for.

The core tenets of cybersecurity—Confidentiality, Integrity, and Availability (CIA Triad)—should not only guide internal security measures but also extend to hiring practices. Yet, many companies continue to overlook these concepts when looking to fill positions, leading to failure to attract the best talent as well as generating more cyber risk.

1. Confidentiality: Oversharing (Leaking Sensitive Data) in Job Listings

One of the core pillars of cybersecurity, confidentiality, is often the first and major item to be violated in job postings. Many job descriptions reveal too much about the organization’s internal security and technology. Details about upcoming projects, security upgrades, or gaps in their current systems often appear in job listings, putting the company at risk before a candidate has even been hired.

For example, when a job listing outlines specific vulnerabilities that a future hire will address, or technologies and tooling they will use, it provides valuable insight for potential attackers. HR and hiring managers must remember that a job post is a public-facing document and should be treated with the same level of confidentiality that their internal data requires.

“Must have experience running Palo Alto Firewalls” or “Patching Windows Server 20xx.” Both expose what you are using behind the scenes and potential ways to get around it. Use the phrase, “Able to lead and mature cyber phishing campaigns” or “manage email gateway” to get phished out of existence!

My personal favorite is “Lead implementation of software bill of materials,” which essentially means you have zero idea what software libraries you are using to develop software. This is a huge vulnerability from a supply chain attack akin to SolarWinds or Log4j.

When in doubt, use the following analogy to assist with the job description: Imagine you are advertising a job to hire someone to install a security system for your house. Would you mention the brands of door locks, how old they are, or the condition they are in? Would you say, “Need to secure/mature the operation of the double-hung windows to be compliant with building standards?” If a burglar saw this, they would just be itching to get your address!

2. Integrity: Transparency vs. Reality in Job Postings

Another crucial element is integrity, ensuring that job descriptions are accurate and reflect the true nature of the role. Unfortunately, it’s all too common for job postings to be unclear or overly demanding, listing every possible skill or certification instead of focusing on the specific expertise needed.

A common mistake is posting unrealistic requirements such as asking for 10+ years of experience in technologies that haven’t even been around that long. This undermines the integrity of the hiring process and sends a message that the company may not understand what it really needs in a cybersecurity professional. Worse, it could deter the right candidates from applying altogether.

Limiting the hiring pool to only those who apply further compounds this issue. Relying solely on active applicants ignores the wider talent pool of passive candidates—professionals who may not be actively searching but are perfect fits for the role. These individuals are often some of the best cybersecurity professionals, and modern recruitment strategies should proactively engage this passive talent rather than waiting to see which resumes come in before the hiring window closes.

3. Availability: Long Hiring Processes Lead to ‘Ghosting’

Availability, in the context of hiring, means having a smooth, responsive, and accessible recruitment process. Yet, in cybersecurity hiring, many companies still have lengthy, convoluted hiring pipelines that leave candidates waiting for weeks or even months and have zero merit in the hiring process. This outdated legacy approach directly conflicts with the principle of availability.

Cybersecurity professionals, especially those in high demand, don’t wait around for drawn-out hiring processes. If your company is unresponsive or slow to move forward, candidates are more likely to lose interest or ghost you—disappearing from the process without a word. Modern hiring practices require agility and clear communication. If a candidate "ghosts" your process, it's often a reflection of poor availability on your part.

Furthermore, relying only on those who apply through traditional job postings and neglecting more modern, targeted recruitment practices leaves companies scrambling for the best talent. Instead of only considering the applicants who come to you, modern HR practices should focus on actively seeking out the right talent, ensuring that you’re selecting from the best, not just those who applied to your application along with hundreds of automated bots.

Solutions for Modern Cyber Recruitment

There are solutions to each of these challenges, but they require a non-legacy approach that organizations may not yet be up to speed with. Confidential, targeted searches take time and effort, which is likely why they aren't more widely practiced today.

Another option is to use CyberTalent.ai, which addresses all three of these issues:

• Confidentiality: CyberTalent.ai ensures your organization’s technology stack or security posture isn't exposed, we are not a job board. Instead we match talent based on your requirements confidentially!
• Integrity: CyberTalent.ai focuses on realistic, tailored talent candidates that align with the actual skills and experience required for the role based on industry requirements and previous matches.
• Availability: CyberTalent.ai streamlines the hiring process to prevent delays and keep top candidates engaged, while tapping into the passive candidate pool.

With CyberTalent.ai, companies can move away from legacy hiring methods and embrace a modern, cyber-safe approach to recruiting the best cybersecurity professionals.