Dissatisfaction, burnout, and their consequences for CISOs

The State of the CISO 2023-2024 Report, from IANS Research and Artico Search, found that CISO job satisfaction sits at 64%, down from 74% in 2022 and 69% in 2021. The percentage of CISOs open to changing jobs is 75%. The 2023 Voice of the CISO report, from security software company Proofpoint also uncovered some troubling figures, revealing that 73% of US CISOs experienced burnout in the prior year.

Meanwhile, the Cybersecurity Burnout Survey: Quick Read Report from Wakefield Research on behalf of security software maker Devo Technology found that 83% of the security professionals it surveyed said they or someone in their departments had made an error in their roles that resulted in a security breach due to burnout. Some 77% said their stress levels at work have had a direct impact on keeping private customer data safe. And 85% admitted that they would have to switch their roles, leave their companies, or leave both their companies and switch careers in the upcoming year as a result of burnout.

All that, experts say, is leading to churn. The average tenure for a CISO is only 18 to 26 months (well under the general C-suite tenure of 4.9 years), according to the CISO Workforce and Headcount 2023 Report from Cybersecurity Ventures.

Furthermore, research firm Gartner estimates that nearly half of cybersecurity leaders will change roles by 2025, with 25% transitioning to different positions due to work-related stressors.

What’s driving CISO dissatisfaction?

It would be easy to only blame the stressful nature of security work for such figures, especially as the volume and velocity of threats increase as the amount of infrastructure and data requiring protection expands.

But that would be an oversimplification, says Chris Mixter, a Gartner vice president and analyst. After all, the typical CISO advanced to the top security spot after years of working in the security profession and is used to the pressure, long hours, and all-hands-on-deck moments. They’re mission-driven, and they’re well aware of the high stakes.