Many cybersecurity professionals with burnout in APAC have suffered in silence for years.
The Sophos report, The Future of Cybersecurity in Asia-Pacific and Japan, found burnout and fatigue are widespread, with nine out of 10 employees impacted on some level.
Organisations surveyed in the report acknowledge that burnout and fatigue have contributed to lower team productivity, the success of some cyber attacks and employees choosing to seek new roles or leave the industry entirely.
Burnout among cyber pros a known problem for years in APAC. Burnout in cybersecurity is a well-known problem.
Rew Pade, general manager of defence operations at the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, has said that since moving into cyber security at the Reserve Bank of Australia over two decades ago, many peers have left due to burnout.
A 2023 study from Cybermindz and University of Adelaide of 119 cyber professionals in Australia found these workers scored higher on the burnout scale than the general population and, in some cases, exceeded the burnout faced by frontline health workers.
A Lacework survey released in 2022 suggested a larger proportion of cyber pros in Australasia were either looking for new employers or considering leaving the industry; 87% who wanted to leave the industry cited burnout from workload as a reason.
The cyber security burnout problem was previously swept under the rug.
The Future of Cybersecurity in Asia-Pacific and Japan survey, conducted by Technology Research Asia for Sophos, found burnout and fatigue in cybersecurity is widespread in the region.
India among countries in the APAC region hardest hit by burnout.
Burnout has consequences for individuals and organisations.
Cybersecurity employees and organisations are both put at risk when burnout occurs.
Individual cyber security performance degraded by burnout problem.
Sophos found 41% of professionals with burnout felt they were not diligent enough in their performance, and 34% felt heightened levels of anxiety if subject to a breach or attack.
31% were feeling cynical, detached and apathetic towards cyber activities and duties, while 30% stated burnout and fatigue make them want to either resign or change careers.
A loss of 4.1 hours per week among cyber and IT pros due to burnout and fatigue.
Cybersecurity burnout or fatigue was identified as having contributed to, or been directly responsible for, a cybersecurity breach in 17% of organisations.
About 23% of cybersecurity turnover was attributed by organisations to burnout and fatigue.
A huge 38% of resignations were attributed to the problem in Singapore, while 28% of Malaysian organisations needed to 'move on' staff due to stress and burnout.
Technology could have a role to play in combating professional burnout.
This Cyber News was published on www.techrepublic.com. Publication date: Fri, 15 Mar 2024 16:13:07 +0000