Stressors, AI Forcing Changes to Cybersecurity Teams

CYBERSECURITY OPERATIONS CYBER RISK CYBERSECURITY CAREERS INSIDER THREATS NEWS Stressors, AI Forcing Changes to Cybersecurity Teams As threats proliferate and AI complicates cybersecurity, CISOs say the job is getting harder, but more companies still want cybersecurity expertise, if even on a part-time basis. Robert Lemos,Contributing Writer June 19, 2026 4 Min Read SOURCE: PIXEL-SHOT VIA SHUTTERSTOCK Chief information security officers (CISOs) are faced with overwhelming workloads, the need to keep up with the changes wrought by AI, and fears of liability if they get something wrong — causing some to leave the industry. More than two-thirds of cybersecurity and IT professionals (68%) consider their job more difficult today than two years ago, with more than half saying that the complexity and workload have both increased (55%), and that cyberthreats have become more overwhelming (52%); that's according to a survey-based report published by the Information Systems Security Association (ISSA) International and analyst firm Omdia. That has in part contributed to an exodus of full-time CISOs and an increase in part-time — or "fractional" — consultants, according to Shawn Murray former president of ISSA and a current fractional CISO himself. He adds that many say they do not have adequate support for their security mission. Related:Operation Escaneo Signals Shift in LatAm Threat Landscape "CISOs who have been in the business and have a 50-, 60-, 70-hour work week — they struggle with the things that are identified in the report, such as culture, business adopting technologies without strategic conversations, and getting the right stakeholders involved," Murray says. "CISOs are starting to go out on their own and consult, and they'll align themselves with organizations that are going to listen to them." Interestingly, concerns over liability — driven by the prosecutions of the CISOs at Uber and Solarwinds — have subsided somewhat, with the issue not making it into the top reasons for CISO stress. However, the pressure of keeping up with security needs of the latest IT initiatives, particularly AI deployments, is making the role more stressful than ever, the survey found. CISOs Under Pressure AI has indeed become a double-edged issue for CISOs. AI adoption, especially shadow AI adoption inside enterprises, has created even more headaches for cybersecurity management, says Melinda Marks, practice director for cybersecurity at Omdia. "We saw this with cloud adoption, where [employees] can just enable cloud security features and then they don't tell the security team," she says. "But then, when it comes to managing risk and responding to or detecting and responding to threats and attacks, then the security teams are at a disadvantage because they don't have the full visibility or understanding of what security processes and tools are in place."   Full-time CISOs are down, while part-time CISOs surge. Source: Omdia/ISSA However, many CISOs are also looking forward to AI tools that can help them manage security and compliance-reporting workloads, the study found. The vast majority of cybersecurity and IT professionals want to use AI to make their job easier, with 37% currently using AI solutions to solve cybersecurity issues and another 46% planning on it. The most frequently cited jobs cybersecurity teams want to hand off? Automated cybersecurity assessments and software testing, predictive risk analysis, and threat detection, according to survey respondents. Related:EU Gets a Head Start in Developing 6G Network Security In other words, a lot is changing, so it's important for cybersecurity professionals to get up to speed on the best ways to use AI and how to make business use of the technology secure, says Alex Hutton, CISO at Atlantic Union Bank, a regional bank. "It's hard to argue the job is getting easier," he says. "Whether or not you believe that frontier AI is going to have that significant impact or not, the fact of the matter is this is not the same environment that it was two or three years ago — and that calls for education, it calls for information, and it calls for action. And all of those things are going to cause a little more stress on the job." CISOs Not Likely to Disappear As mentioned, the stress is certainly turning off some CISOs. The number of companies with full-time CISOs dropped to 63%, from 76% in 2024, while the use of fractional CISOs has increased to 15%, from 6% in 2024, according to the survey. That's not a momentary blip, but a trend, says ISSA's Murray. However, the market for strategic cybersecurity advice is also growing, he adds. Related:Segmentation Works for OT If Operators Are Paying Attention "We're seeing medium- to smaller-sized businesses now having to demonstrate their cyber hygiene and a lot of it ties back to the requirement to have cyber insurance," he says, adding that companies need deep knowledge to manage the process of certifying that the company meets insurers' standards. "So that directly falls back on the CISO to provide that sound advice," he says. Atlantic Union Bank's Hutton sees the greater demand for such advice as the more likely reason for the shift away from full-time CISOs. "There is a huge portion of industry out there that has the same cybersecurity inherent risk and needs as those who have significant technology funding but just need somebody to help them out," he says. "I think fractional and virtual CISOs are a great way to address that need and spread the cost around, but I am not seeing a decrease in CISOs. I don't see any positions being eliminated." Read more about: CISO Corner About the Author Robert Lemos Contributing Writer Rob is an award-winning, veteran technology journalist of more than 30 years, reporting on global cybersecurity issues, the latest offensive and defensive technologies, malware incidents, cyber conflict, and AI's impact on software and cybersecurity.  A former research engineer, Rob has written for more than two dozen publications, including CNET News.com, Dark Reading, MIT's Technology Review, Popular Science, and Wired News. He has received five awards for journalism, including Best Deadline Journalism (Online) in 2003 for his coverage of the Blaster worm. Rob also analyzes data on various trends using Python and R for both his reporting and his clients. Recent reports include analyses of the shortage in cybersecurity workers, annual vulnerability trends, and annual threat reports. Rob holds degrees from Cornell University in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (double major). Want more Dark Reading stories in your Google search results? ADD US NOW More Insights Industry Reports How Organizations Are Managing Incident Response How Enterprises Are Developing Secure Applications Inside RSAC 2026: security leaders reveal the risks redefining your defense strategy Essential News & Insights from Black Hat USA 2025 How Enterprises Are Harnessing Emerging Technologies in Cybersecurity Access More Research Webinars Say Yes to AI: Securing Innovation Without Compromise Zero Trust Identity: Beyond Traditional Authentication Advanced Persistent Threats: A Practical Guide to Detection and Response The Frontier AI Era: Why Cybersecurity Must Move at Machine Speed Build vs. Buy: The Hidden Cost of Building Your Own AI Security Stack More Webinars You May Also Like CYBERSECURITY OPERATIONS Hand CVE Over to the Private Sector by Brian Martin JAN 27, 2026 CYBERSECURITY OPERATIONS China Imposes One-Hour Reporting Rule for Major Cyber Incidents by Robert Lemos, Contributing Writer OCT 01, 2025 CYBERSECURITY OPERATIONS CISA, FBI, NSA Warn of Chinese 'Global Espionage System' by Alexander Culafi AUG 28, 2025 CYBERSECURITY OPERATIONS Women Who 'Hacked the Status Quo' Aim to Inspire Security Careers by Elizabeth Montalbano, Contributing Writer JUL 16, 2025 Editor's Choice CYBERSECURITY OPERATIONS 20 Leaders Who Built the CISO Era: 2 Decades of Change byDark Reading Editorial Team MAY 12, 2026 41 MIN READ APPLICATION SECURITY It's Patch Tuesday for Microsoft & Not a Zero-Day In Sight byJai Vijayan MAY 12, 2026 5 MIN READ CYBERATTACKS & DATA BREACHES Instructure Breach Exposes Schools' Vendor Dependence byAlexander Culafi MAY 6, 2026 4 MIN READ Want more Dark Reading stories in your Google search results? Keep up with the latest cybersecurity threats, newly discovered vulnerabilities, data breach information, and emerging trends. Delivered daily or weekly right to your email inbox. SUBSCRIBE AUG 1-6 | MANDALAY BAY, LAS VEGAS USE CODE: DARKREADING & SAVE $200 ON A BRIEFINGS PASS OR $100 ON A BUSINESS PASS The premier cybersecurity event returns. GET YOUR PASS