Working in cybersecurity is not easy. Professionals in the sector feel so stressed and exhausted that many are even considering quitting their jobs.
In any case, this is revealed by a study by VMWare, which indicates that 47% of responders to cybersecurity incidents say they have been victims of exhaustion or extreme stress in the last 12 months.
The good news is that this number is down slightly from 51% last year. But the number of respondents who thought about leaving their job, unsurprisingly, increased slightly: in 2021, 65% said they had considered leaving their job due to stress and burnout. This year, they were 69%.
Incidents are on the rise
Working in the cybersecurity industry can be very stressful: staying on top of threats posed by cybercriminals, monitoring ransomware gangs, and beware of state-sponsored hacking campaigns.
But that’s not all: cybersecurity professionals also need to make sure users have the tools they need to stay secure, often on a limited budget and an extended team that doesn’t always understand what they’re doing.
Added to this is the challenge of managing security vulnerabilities, especially when significant zero-day exploits emerge, and they can quickly be exploited by attackers.
According to the survey, 62% of respondents had encountered a zero-day exploit in the past 12 months, up from 51% the previous year. In addition, two-thirds of respondents say the number of cyberattacks has increased since Russia invaded Ukraine, something cybersecurity agencies predicted at the start of the war.
A lack of personnel could lead to an increase in successful attacks
And all of this is happening while many cybersecurity teams are still struggling with a shift towards hybrid working. For many, this way of working has many advantages. But in terms of cybersecurity, it represents additional challenges, and new threats that attackers may well want to exploit.
If these pressures drive cybersecurity professionals out of their jobs, the negative repercussions could be bad for everyone. Indeed, fewer cybersecurity teams could make it easier for attackers to penetrate networks – and stay there undetected.
In an effort to combat burnout, many companies are implementing strategies to help cybersecurity personnel manage their work-life balance.
Support professionals
According to 72% of respondents, the most useful of these strategies is flexible working hours, while investing in ongoing training and access to therapy and coaching are also cited as helpful.
“Generally speaking, companies are taking the right steps to mitigate burnout among cybersecurity professionals,” said Rick McElroy, principal cybersecurity strategist at VMware.
“But solving this problem is not a simple, one-time solution. It’s time to redouble our efforts on wellness, including offering flexible hours, further training, support and access to therapists,” he adds.
Source: ZDNet.com