Conducted by research firm Censuswide and published by Proofpoint, the 2023 Voice of the CISO report garnered insights from 1,600 chief information security officers into their new and continued challenges, expectations, and priorities.

The report delved into the mental and emotional challenges that CISOs experience, with 62% saying they’re worried about personal liability following a successful cyber-attack.

This perception of pressure varies by industry, however, with those working in retail (72%) and IT (68%) feeling the pressure of liability the most.

In light of the potential ramifications and repercussions for CISOs following a successful cyber-attack, 61% of respondents said they wouldn’t join an organisation that doesn’t offer directors and officer insurance (or something similar) to protect them from financial liability resulting from an attack.

The same number (61%) of CISOs also agree that they face excessive expectations — which is a 12% increase from 2022.

Again, this picture differs slightly depending on geography. CISOs in both Japan and France (75%), as well as the UK (74%), are most likely to agree that they face excessive expectations.

The rising pressure CISOs face has profound knock-on effects, which the report further highlighted. 60% of respondents say they’ve experienced burnout in the last 12 months, with only 15% disagreeing.

As Celeste Lowe, Group Director of IT Security at entertainment company Nine, said: “CISOs have always had a stressful job, but the additional pressures—like board expectations to deliver risk reduction faster and challenges in influencing middle management on delivering it, budget challenges and shortages of skilled talent—are creating an untenable situation for many.

“That’s why more CISOs are changing roles or leaving the cybersecurity field altogether. Finding a better balance may sound impossible, given the 24/7 nature of the role, but it’s absolutely necessary for maintaining resilience in the face of burnout.”

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Worry, stress, and burnout aside, the report also shed further light on the current state of cybersecurity, and the cybersecurity preparedness of global organisations working across various sectors.

Nearly two-thirds (63%) of CISOs say they’ve dealt with the loss of sensitive information in the last year, with energy (71%), professional services (68%), and retail (68%) organisations bearing the brunt of the data loss incidents.

Further, 82% of CISOs agree that employees leaving their company played a role in a data loss event.

When looking forward, 68% of CISOs feel their organisation is at risk of experiencing a material cyber-attack in the next 12 months, with 25% rating the risk as very likely.

To read the 2023 Voice of the CISO report, click here.