There were so many layoffs in the tech industry in 2023 that TechCrunch (called it a “reckoning” in its comprehensive list released at the end of April. To date, numerous organizations including Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Dropbox, and Zoom , to name a few, there have been nearly 169,000 layoffs Meta is expected to lay off 10,000 jobs in the coming months and Disney 7,000 And yet in cybersecurity there are still more “jobs open than people to fill them” (according to Anna Collard, SVP Content Strategy & Evangelist at KnowBe4 AFRICA (www.KnowBe4.com), the biggest challenge facing the cybersecurity profession right now is not the sudden loss of a job, but the long-term impact of skills shortages and stress.
“The cybersecurity skills shortage has meant that fewer roles in this profession have been affected by the layoffs,” she says. “However, there is an ongoing fear of job security for people in the technology industry, regardless of their position. Cybersecurity professionals juggle in-demand jobs that are highly stressful and they rarely switch off. Security is a 24/7 job where no one notices the hard work until something goes wrong.”
A fact echoed in a recent report on the state of SecOps and automation (which found that 93% of security professionals said their alerts had doubled in the past five years. 56% handle about 1,000 alerts per day. 83% have alert fatigue. Cybersecurity personnel knock down the defenses and battle it out on a daily basis, but, as Collard points out, once they slip it becomes a blame game, which can make this an intensely toxic environment.
This is reflected in the Tines State of Mental Health in Cybersecurity 2022 (report which reiterated this reality. About 27% of professionals believed their mental health had declined in the past year, 66% experience stress at work, 64% say that their work their mental health and 58% take medication to manage their mental wellbeing Only half are in good physical health with only 42% getting a much needed eight hours of sleep a night.
“This shifts the conversation from closing the gaps to making cybersecurity significantly healthier for those entering the profession,” says Collard. “The gaps created by limited access to skilled people will not be filled if security remains a space where stress can thrive. Amid the recession and economic crisis, cybersecurity roles remain empty, meaning the problem is not just a lack of skills development.”
Cybersecurity is a fascinating industry and for those who enjoy a challenge and thrive on solving problems, it’s a space where they can shine. But not if it is at the expense of their health. There are plenty of stories, told around the cybersecurity campfire, of a CISO suffering a heart attack during a security incident, or shortly after. The Tines survey found that nearly 30% of cybersecurity professionals believed their mental health was deteriorating.
“Cybersecurity is fun,” says Collard. “It’s interesting and dynamic. But these benefits are often overshadowed by that sense of dread that something will go horribly wrong. Incidents are unexpected, stressful and often leave teams exhausted, with no time to rest before the next incident hits. Cybercriminals are very well rewarded for their diligence when it comes to exploiting any vulnerability they can find. Cybersecurity teams must pursue these vulnerabilities and threats to ensure nothing is left to chance.”
To minimize the risk of losing talented security professionals, companies need to look beyond the skills gaps and provide truly holistic support to their security professionals. This goes beyond training. Now security teams need mental health support that kicks the toxic dynamics of the blame game out the door.
“To get more people into cybersecurity, you need to put in place controls that minimize stress and emphasize the value of your people,” Collard concludes.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of KnowBe4.
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