Stress Is Driving Cybersecurity Professionals to Rethink Roles

The stress and strain of cyberattacks on the staff tasked with protecting businesses is driving droves of desperately needed security practitioners to rethink their roles.

New research from Mimecast reveals a huge mental health toll being exacted from cybersecurity professionals with every ransomware, data theft, or other cybersecurity incident.

More than half (54%) of those surveyed told researchers ransomware attacks have put a strain on their mental health, while a full 56% say their job gets harder with each passing year.

The constant barrage of attacks has also eroded a feeling of personal responsibility when an attack is successful. For comparison, Mimecast reported that last year 71% of respondents said they would "feel very personally responsible" for a successful breach — this year it was only 57%.

"With the profession facing a pressure cooker of ongoing attacks, disruption, and burnout, it’s critical that organizations support security teams by giving cyberattacks the focus and resources needed — or face losing critical employees," according to Mimecast's State of Ransomware Readiness 2022: Reducing the Personal and Business Cost report.