The cybersecurity field is always evolving—new threats pop up, technology advances, and the way we defend against attacks changes. But with all this progress, some jobs in cybersecurity won’t survive the next decade. Automation, AI, and smarter tools are making certain roles obsolete.
If you’re in cybersecurity (or thinking about joining), you need to know which jobs are at risk. Here are the five cybersecurity roles that will disappear first—and what you should do if yours is on the list.
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1. Manual Penetration Testers
Why They’re Disappearing:
Penetration testers (or “ethical hackers”) manually probe systems for weaknesses. But AI-powered tools like Burp Suite, Nessus, and automated red-teaming platforms are getting scarily good at finding vulnerabilities faster (and cheaper) than humans.
Companies no longer need to pay a high-priced pentester to spend weeks on a manual assessment when an automated scan can find 80% of the flaws in hours.
What’s Replacing Them:
- Automated pentesting platforms (like Cobalt, Intruder, Synack)
- AI-driven vulnerability scanners
- Red team automation tools
How to Stay Relevant:
If you’re a pentester, shift into advanced red teaming, exploit development, or adversarial AI testing—areas where human creativity still beats bots.
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2. Basic SOC Analysts (Tier 1)
Why They’re Disappearing:
Security Operations Center (SOC) analysts spend most of their time triaging alerts—checking logs, investigating false positives, and escalating real threats. But AI and SOAR (Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response) tools now handle this faster and with fewer mistakes.
Why pay a team of analysts to stare at dashboards when automated systems can detect, analyze, and even respond to threats in real time?
What’s Replacing Them:
- AI-driven SIEM tools (like Splunk AI, Microsoft Sentinel)
- Automated incident response platforms
- Self-healing security systems
How to Stay Relevant:
Move up to threat hunting, incident response leadership, or security engineering—roles that require deeper analysis and decision-making.
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3. Password and Identity Management Specialists
Why They’re Disappearing:
Passwords are dying. Biometrics, passkeys, and passwordless authentication (like Windows Hello, FIDO2 keys) are taking over. Companies like Microsoft and Google are pushing for a “passwordless future”, meaning fewer people will be needed to manage password policies, resets, and basic IAM (Identity and Access Management).
What’s Replacing Them:
- Zero Trust frameworks (which automate access controls)
- AI-driven behavioral authentication (checks if it’s really you based on habits)
- Decentralized identity systems (blockchain-based logins)
How to Stay Relevant:
Shift into Zero Trust architecture, advanced IAM, or identity threat detection—skills that go beyond basic password management.
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4. Compliance Auditors (Manual Checklist Types)
Why They’re Disappearing:
Compliance (like GDPR, HIPAA, SOC 2) used to require manual checks, paperwork, and endless spreadsheets. Now, automated compliance tools (like Drata, Vanta, SecureFrame) continuously monitor controls and generate reports instantly.
Why hire someone to manually verify controls when software does it in real time?
What’s Replacing Them:
- Continuous compliance monitoring platforms
- AI-powered risk assessment tools
- Automated policy enforcement systems
How to Stay Relevant:
Move into GRC (Governance, Risk, Compliance) strategy, risk management, or privacy engineering—roles that require human judgment, not just box-ticking.
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5. Traditional Firewall & VPN Administrators
Why They’re Disappearing:
Old-school network security (managing firewalls, VPNs, and ACLs) is being replaced by Zero Trust, SASE (Secure Access Service Edge), and cloud-native security.
Companies no longer need experts to configure hardware firewalls when cloud services like Zscaler, Cloudflare, and Azure Firewall handle everything automatically.
What’s Replacing Them:
- Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) solutions
- Cloud-based security services
- AI-driven network monitoring
How to Stay Relevant:
Upskill in cloud security, Zero Trust architecture, or SASE implementation—these are the future of network security.
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Final Advice: Adapt or Get Left Behind
The cybersecurity jobs disappearing are the repetitive, manual, and rule-based ones. But new opportunities are opening up in AI security, cloud defense, and advanced threat hunting.
What You Should Do Next:
✅ Automate or get automated – If your job can be scripted, learn to work with AI tools instead of against them.
✅ Move up the value chain – Focus on strategy, creativity, and complex problem-solving.
✅ Specialize in emerging tech – Cloud, AI security, and Zero Trust are booming.
The future of cybersecurity isn’t about doing the same old tasks—it’s about staying ahead of the curve. If your role is on this list, now’s the time to pivot.
What do you think? Is your job safe, or do you need to upskill? Drop your thoughts below! 🚀
