As October’s Mental Health Month and Cybersecurity Awareness Month draw to a close, new research from the nonprofit cybermental health support initiative, Cybermindz.org, shows signs early signs of burnout among e-professionals, signaling a potential loss of skills for a vital part of the economy.
The organization is quick to recognize that stress and burnout are not unique to cyber, but points out that systemic weaknesses in our human cyber defenses would tend to have a massive impact on society, particularly if essential services like the water, energy, telecommunications, health, finance, services, food distribution and transport are affected.
As the nation digests the continued fallout from breaches of Optus, Medibank and MyDeal and others that come to light, the organization warned that unless policymakers recognize the mental health impacts of the cyber hand In the struggling Australian workforce, a deterioration in the mental health of key defenders can accelerate, creating a cascading effect of reduced effectiveness and increased risk.
While the research is ongoing and will continue through the end of the year, Cybermindz founder and veteran internet industry leader Peter Coroneos explained the importance of reporting the emerging trend by comparing it to the “canary in the coal mine of cybersecurity”.
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He observed: “Most of our critical systems are now exposed to cyber risk — it is not hard to see that a reduction in our national cyber capability due to psychological burnout can have downstream effects on the entire population. The pandemic, floods and bushfires have shown us that the systems we rely on should not be taken for granted. Cyberattacks happen daily and, unlike natural disasters, there is no conceivable endpoint in sight.
Mr. Coroneos added: “Cyberworkers are the unsung heroes of our time. Their daily work is invisible, but a single failure from a breach that can affect millions of people makes headlines. The rapidly changing and relentless attack environment defies any sense of a “job well done”.
The only successful attack that could end their careers could be imminent. They are mission-oriented with a strong protective ethic. But a sense of hopelessness will eventually take its toll on even the most committed worker. It is therefore important to recognize their efforts and invest in their well-being. We need to build a strong and resilient cyber workforce. If they fall, we all fall.
Cybermindz.org’s Director of Organizational and Behavioral Research, Dr. Andrew Reeves, is leading the study.
Dr Reeves said: “Although these are preliminary results, they indicate a worrying trend. On the key burnout measure of “job efficacy” — or how well cyber workers feel they are performing in their current jobs — they scored significantly lower than the general population. . We also compared their burnout rates on this metric to another highly burnt-out industry: frontline healthcare workers, and found that cyber professionals score significantly lower than this group on this metric.
Dr Reeves added: “It is concerning because this metric is a predictor of intention to quit. As a result, I think we are seeing the first signs of a cohort of professionals questioning their own effectiveness and concluding that their efforts are wasted. When good people leave the industry, we lose so much knowledge and expertise. This then increases the pressure on those who remain. As a psychological driver of burnout, it is something something we should all be concerned about.
Organizations concerned about the mental well-being of their cyber teams are invited to participate in the study. There is no cost to participate. Inquiries to researchdirector@cybermindz.org
Below is more information about Cybermindz, from the launch of Cybermindz in Melbourne on October 20, 2022, including the full launch video, and four video interviews afterwards, with the article below originally published here .
The title of this article is:
EVENT LAUNCH VIDEOS: Cybermindz.org launches in Melbourne and announces Deloitte as new partner
Cybermindz.org is a new non-profit organization whose mission is to change the human face of cybersecurity. ensuing discussion – please watch and read on.
Australian cybersecurity professionals are under sustained and increasing stress, and the well-being of these cyber defenders has never been more important.
Motivated by compassion and a shared concern for the deteriorating mental health of cyberworkers and those dealing with the consequences of cyberattacks, Cybermindz.org is Australia’s premier cybersecurity mental health support program, founded by the global cybersecurity leader and CyAN’s international vice president, Peter Coroneos.
As the organization demonstrates through its initial pilot program with Allianz, its two-day sessions at the AISA CyberCon conference earlier in October 2022, and through ongoing programs at CyberCX and other organizations, Cybermindz.org brings scalable, effective and convincing elements. mental health-based support and on-the-ground resilience building for cyber teams and beyond.
Deloitte is now an official partner of Cybermindz, and this follows the success of AISA CyberCon, and also follows the news that the Hon. Michael Kirby AC CMG has accepted Cybermindz.org’s invitation to become its first patron, details of which you can read here.
At the Melbourne launch event, which you can see below in full, Founder and CEO Peter Coroneos was joined by a host of peers and partners, including Michael Do Rozario, Partner Cyber Group at Corrs Chambers Westgarth, Dr Richard Miller of iRest (who joined via pre-recorded video), John O’Driscoll, Justice Sector CISO, Victoria State Government, Kevin Shaw, vCISO (retired) and Ambassador Cybermindz, Dr. Andrew Reeves, Cybermindz Director of Organizational and Behavioral Research, Richard Mogg, Executive Director, Cybermindz, and more in an excellent discussion that covered a lot of ground in cybersecurity and mental wellness.
The event outlined the program’s vision and approach and invites you to take part in an exciting journey of restoration and empowerment.
Below is the full launch event, followed by more information and four participant videos following the conclusion of the launch event – so please watch and read the after !
You can also read and watch the Cybermindz launch event in Sydney in June here.
Here are four short video interviews recorded after the conclusion of the Melbourne launch event.
1. The first is with Greg Janky, Head of Cyber Practice at Deloitte:
2. The second is with John O’Driscoll, Justice Sector CISO, Victoria State Government:
3. The third is with Izzy Dean, Data Analyst at Deloitte’s Cyber Division:
4. The fourth video is with Andrienee Maxted, Partner at Deloitte:
You can find more information about Cybermindz.org here.
