As technological development and AI interact with sensitive data, becoming part of critical decisions, new vulnerabilities are exposed that require more robust and integrated cybersecurity approaches from the beginning. This change has driven double-digit growth in projects related to cybersecurity in the last year, according to the Malt Tech Trends 2025 report, prepared by Malt, Europe’s leading freelancer platform.
Cybersecurity and technological sovereignty are no longer secondary issues: they are now key aspects of making AI viable at scale. AI is redefining the map of threats, so cybersecurity has ceased to be a layer and has become a pillar. In this way, aspects such as risk simulation systems, DORA regulations or the management of cybersecurity solutions are some of the skills most in demand by companies.
More than any previous technological advance, AI exposes the most vulnerable elements of the system, as models interact with private data, customer information and decision-making processes. In this context, the need for robust cybersecurity has grown exponentially, driving new protection strategies based on automation and AI applied to cybersecurity.
Growth opportunities
Additionally, the global market size for governance, risk and compliance platforms is expected to reach around €95 billion by 2034, creating a growth opportunity for cybersecurity solutions and the freelance experts who can build and monitor them.
So much so that, according to Malt Tech Trends 2025, in Europe projects aimed at cybersecurity experts grew by 35% during the last year, and nearly half of the new specialists in this field now focus on audits, compliance and risk governance. Thus, freelance talent associated with cybersecurity in Malt grew by 41%, thanks to the new DORA and NIS2 regulations.
Along these lines, among the skills most in demand by companies are:
● Pentesting: It consists of the simulation of an attack on a software or hardware system with the aim of finding vulnerabilities and reinforcing cybersecurity, preventing external attacks.
● DORA: Specialists in the Digital Operational Resilience Regulation (DORA), a European Union regulation that seeks to strengthen the operational resilience of the financial sector and ICT service providers, closely linked to cybersecurity.
● Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR): Protection system that combines traditional antivirus with monitoring and AI tools to offer quick and efficient responses to complex risks and threats, thus reinforcing corporate cybersecurity.
Nearly half of new specialists now focus on audits, compliance and risk governance
As highlighted by Irène Kleiber, security director at Malt, “hand in hand with cyber threats, regulations and the advancement of AI, SIEM solutions continue to grow, providing considerable opportunities for experts in this field.”
Freelance talent is thus presented as a fundamental asset to unlock the future of the technology sector in Europe, demanding more sovereignty in strategic areas such as cloud infrastructure or cybersecurity.
