[BreachExchange] CISO Pressures: Why the Role Stinks and How to Fix It

[Destry Winant]

https://www.darkreading.com/careers-and-people/ciso-pressures-why-the-role-stinks-and-how-to-fix-it/a/d-id/1335292

Look around the boardroom. The average tenure of a CEO is 8.4 years. A
CFO will spend approximately 6.2 years in the position, while a COO
lasts 5.5 years. In stark contrast, a CISO will spend an average of
1.5 to 2 yearsbefore leaving behind the constant stress and urgency of
the job.

There's a serious problem in the cybersecurity industry, and all too
often, it's ignored because it's uncomfortable to address. Now is the
time to acknowledge the issue and understand the true challenges and
repercussions of the modern-day CISO role.

A Running List of Immediate Challenges
When CISOs come to work, there's a growing list of issues to face.
Perhaps the most ominous is the constant cyberattacks threatening
organizations of all sizes and spanning all industries. Add to this
dilemma the fact that today's cyberattacks are increasingly
sophisticated, with many fueled by geopolitical tension and clever
cybercriminal techniques such as lateral movement, island hopping, and
counter-incident response to stay invisible. We recently foundthat the
average organization's protected endpoint was targeted by two
cyberattacks per month throughout 2018. At this rate, an organization
with 10,000 endpoints is estimated to see more than 660 attempted
cyberattacks per day — leading to immense pressure for CISOs and their
teams at the front lines.

In many organizations, there's also an assumption that security is the
sole responsibility of the CISO. In reality, it's a business
imperative — everyone from the CEO to the seasonal intern should
prioritize secure best practices to keep the organization protected.
This could be as simple as attending regular cybersecurity trainings
and learning not to click on the suspicious phishing link shared via
an unknown email alias. These small steps can aid security teams
immensely and take some pressure off of the CISO.

Add to these challenges the accelerated rate of evolving business
technology. With most organizations laser focused on digital
transformation efforts, the constantly shifting legal and regulatory
environment consisting of legislation such as GDPR and the California
Consumer Privacy Act, and the fact that everyone thinks they're an
expert at the job, you have a recipe for a burned-out CISO with no
finish line to the job's responsibilities in sight.

The Daunting Repercussions
While these CISO challenges sound daunting, what's even more alarming
is the repercussions they're having on the people in the role. With
60% of CISOs admitting that they rarely disconnect from work, and 88%
working more than 40 hours — (some much more, since most cyberattacks
seem to strike on weekends — mental health is often ignored. In fact,
nearly 17% of CISOs are either medicating or using alcohol to deal
with job stress. Others give up altogether, with less than a third
remaining in their job for more than three years.

What can be done to change these devastating effects? To begin, let's
examine the talent gap. CISOs need support and they must fill this gap
— but not just by looking for external candidates. Look internally for
support, and ensure all candidates are being onboarded/trained
properly. Next, offer continual education from internal and external
resources, and retain by advancement — reward a job well done and be a
regular advocate for promotions and/or raises in the industry before
it's too late.

CISOs also need help from other business leaders and functions. CISOs
are known to support every department, but that support isn't always
returned. Look to leaders in finance, marketing, customer service, and
HR, who often take priority when allocating budgets, for support, not
only financially but for sound business advice based on what they're
seeing across the organization.

Most importantly, from a CISO's perspective, the role requires a
mindset shift. It's time to change traditional strategy because it's
not effective. First, let's stop buying technology because the bells
and whistles sound promising, especially as the industry careens
toward $124 billion in global security spending, according to Gartner,
this year. Instead, let's start understanding where the true security
problem lies within the organization and work from there.

Finally — and this holds true across the board — CISOs must understand
that sometimes being "perfect" in the role is impossible. It's OK to
fail, attempt new ways to solve problems, and explore other options.
While this won't immediately solve the burdens, it does provide an
opportunity to breathe during the never-ending battle against the bad
guys.