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.

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Source: www.darkreading.com