In this article, we take a look at the impact of burnout on CISOs and how it can be prevented by adopting strategies that limit the amount of stress placed on security leaders.
Security teams and Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) are under immense pressure to protect their organisations from data breaches and cyber threats. With the cost of a data breach reaching $4.45 million in 2023, it’s no wonder those in leadership positions are feeling the strain.
This constant pressure can lead to burnout, a state of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion caused by prolonged stress, which can lead to long term sickness, and chronic levels of unhappiness among staff. Understanding and addressing the root causes of burnout is essential for maintaining a healthy, productive workforce.
According to Vendict’s 2024 CISO Burnout Report, an overwhelming 80% of CISOs classed themselves as “highly stressed”, with 63% indicating they receive little to no formal support in managing their roles, resulting in heightened stress levels. If this stress is sustained over a long period of time, the result is burnout that manifests in cognitive, emotional, and physical symptoms.
Individuals may experience mental fog, difficulty concentrating, and a sense of detachment from their work. Physically, burnout can lead to chronic fatigue, headaches, and other stress-related ailments. Emotionally, it can cause feelings of helplessness, cynicism, and decreased motivation.
This is often a result of CISOs feeling that the responsibility of protecting the business falls solely to them - a heavy weight to bear when individuals are often overburdened, and operating with limited resources in the first instance. The fear of scapegoating—being blamed for mistakes and errors—exacerbates this stress. When staff fear repercussions for any slip-up, no matter how minor, it creates a toxic work environment that further fuels burnout.
A stark reminder of the consequences of burnout is the Equifax data breach of 2017, which exposed the personal data of up to 145 million people. This breach was linked to human errors where key vulnerabilities were overlooked by one member of staff, seemingly a direct result of the overwhelm this individual experienced in their role within the security team.
Burnout can also lead to ethical crises. CISOs and security professionals, burdened with the enormous responsibility of safeguarding sensitive data, may resort to covering up mistakes, falsifying reports, avoiding issues, tampering with data, or failing to disclose incidents.
These actions, while often driven by fear and desperation, can have severe legal and ethical ramifications. Joseph Sullivan, CISO at Uber, for example, was sentenced to three years probation, and 200 hours community service, as well as receiving a $50,000 fine, for covering up a cybersecurity breach by paying the hackers the ransom they demanded, and obstructing an investigation by the Federal Trade Commission. Anyone with Sullivan’s level of experience would understand the consequences of his decisions, so it can only be surmised that he felt pressure to cover this breach up and protect the Uber brand at all costs.
Sharing the burden of security across all employees is crucial for building a human firewall within an organisation, and relieving some of the pressures put on the security team.
Every staff member should be trained to recognise potential threats, and understand who they should contact in the company if they face any issues. Regular training sessions can equip employees with the knowledge to identify phishing attempts, understand the importance of strong passwords, and follow best practices for data protection.
Bringing automation into the workplace can also enhance security efforts, allowing individuals to remediate their own risks. For instance, Metomic can send notifications via Slack to notify team members of the risks they have created, and offer solutions so they can resolve issues directly, without having to burden the security team.
Encouraging a culture of shared responsibility ensures that security becomes a collective effort, reducing the likelihood of breaches and enhancing overall organisational resilience. With 95% of cybersecurity incidents being a result of human error, this collaborative approach not only alleviates pressure on the security team but also fosters a proactive security mindset throughout the company.
Burnout is preventable, but it takes a holistic approach to keep it at bay. You should incorporate managerial, personal, and ethical approaches to keep your mental health in check. Let’s take a look at each of these:
As a manager, you have a duty of care to your team, as well as to yourself. Here are some strategies you can use to ensure everyone is well cared for:
You can’t pour from an empty cup so while you’re putting plans in place to support your team, you should also be looking to help yourself too. Here’s how:
Finally, there are ethical considerations to consider, to ensure you don’t go against your own beliefs:
Metomic helps alleviate burnout among security professionals by leveraging automation to handle routine and repetitive tasks, such as data classification, monitoring, and alerting. This reduces the cognitive and emotional stress associated with constant vigilance and manual oversight.
By minimising the risk of human errors and allowing teams to focus on more strategic activities, Metomic fosters a more balanced and less stressful work environment, ultimately contributing to a positive security culture and improved employee well-being.
Request a personalised demo with one of our data security specialists to see how Metomic can help your business today.