40% of Cyberattacks Incident Responders Suffer Stress and Anxiety Regularly

IBM security survey report finds that responding to cyberattacks is extraordinarily stressful

IBM security survey report finds that responding to cyberattacks is extraordinarily stressful, but better planning, frequent practice, and the availability of mental health services can help IR professionals. It examines the critical role of cybersecurity incident responders at a time when the physical and digital worlds are increasingly converging. Incident response is a firehose of experience that professionals have to be able to handle, and companies need to support the team as much as possible. The real-world repercussions that cyberattacks now have are causing public safety concerns and market-stressing risks to grow.

Responding to cyberattacks is extraordinarily stressful:

Cybersecurity executives have also spotlighted the issue as one that affects the community and companies' ability to retain skilled workers. Organizations that are essential to the global economy, supply chains, and the movement of goods have become prime targets for disruptive attacks. Companies need not only be prepared to respond to an incident but also have practiced the response and have playbooks to make response-focused activity second nature and remove the stress from incident responders.

There is a lot of time when the responders are managing organizations during an incident because those organizations were not prepared for the crisis that occurs these attacks happen every day81% of respondents stated that the rise of ransomware has exacerbated the psychological demands associated with cybersecurity incidents.

The IBM study found that 68% of incident responders surveyed find it common to simultaneously need to respond to two or more cybersecurity incidents, highlighting a field that is constantly engaged. As well, 84% state they have adequate access to mental health support resources, with many respondents (64%) seeking out mental health assistance due to the demanding nature of responding to cyberattacks.