Stress, Burnout, and Security Fatigue in Cybersecurity: A Human Factors Problem

Abstract

Stress, burnout, and security fatigue continue as slight destroyers of strong cybersecurity and significant human factors concerns. The persistence of these human performance issues is concerning given the lack of mitigation and integration of human factors practitioners to mitigate these adverse risk circumstances. Security fatigue is not a new phenomenon but the evolving nature of cybersecurity results in various sub-categories of security fatigue; thus, making it a difficult problem to solve. Stress and burnout are major causes of short tenures in senior roles for security executives. Business decision-makers lack the expertise to explore the negative influences of stress, burnout, and security fatigue on cybersecurity. Technology-led cycles are organizations’ primary course of action to mitigate cybersecurity threats, resulting in complexity debt and making businesses more vulnerable to attacks. Human factors professionals can identify high-friction areas that degrade human performance and implement initiatives to reduce the risk. Human performance degradation in cybersecurity is a critical risk factor and requires immediate attention, given that cybercriminals continue to exploit human weaknesses to gain access to sensitive and critical infrastructure.

Digital Transformation and Cybersecurity Challenges for Businesses Resilience: Issues and Recommendations

“…It should also be considered that while aiming for digital transformation, human factors should also be considered. Human performance degradation is a critical factor in cybersecurity attacks [ 91 ]. As shown in the taxonomy of the literature in Figure 3 , every sector of the economy is benefiting from the advances in digital transformation and trying to minimize cybersecurity risks.…”

Human Resources’ Burnout

“…Burnout does not manifest itself as an immediate symptom, but as an evolving one, which makes it a difficult problem to solve. However, human resource professionals can identify the areas most prone to burnout and implement initiatives to reduce the risk [26].…”

“…In this sense, a better understanding of how burnout is perpetuated is crucial for the development of effective intervention efforts, especially given the effects it triggers in accidents and incidents in high-risk industries. In view of the above, rapid intervention can stop or prevent this syndrome from developing, with the aim of promoting well-being in the workplace, as well as promoting prevention [26].…”

Unveiling the Impact of Ownership Structure on SMEs’ Cybersecurity Perceptions

“…According to Ponsard & Grandclaudon [28], raising awareness of SME employees is inevitable (e.g., employees had to answer a cybersecurity quiz composed of a set of questions dealing with managing passwords, performing backups, and electronic signatures to urge participants to engage in the cybersecurity improvement process). Nobles [29] argued that SMEs must turn their attention to the cybersecurity skills and literacy of their workforce because cybersecurity incidents impact not only individuals or governments [30] but also corporations and small businesses. The latter (SMEs) are very important because they are one of the most vital parts of a nation's economy.…”