According to the report, 95% of organisations in India reported cybersecurity burnout this year, up from 83% in 2024. The growing fatigue is being fuelled by increased threat volumes, mounting pressure from boards and executive leadership, and overwhelming cyber alert loads.
AI’s double-edged role
The report highlights how AI is playing a dual role in shaping cybersecurity outcomes. On one hand, AI-powered security tools are improving incident triage and escalation, helping teams respond faster and with greater accuracy. On the other hand, shadow AI – unauthorised AI tools used by employees – is complicating efforts to secure organisations.
Aaron Bugal, field chief information security officer, APJ, Sophos, noted, “The triad of increased threats, executive demands, and alert overload is making cybersecurity unsustainable for many teams.
Cybersecurity stress and burnout are more than just operational concerns – they are cultural, strategic, and deeply human challenges. AI tools, when deployed thoughtfully, can provide relief by scaling operational capability and enabling faster incident response. But the surge of shadow AI poses new risks that many organizations are not prepared for.”
Burnout as a business issue
The report underscores that cybersecurity burnout is no longer just a technology problem but a pressing business concern. High stress levels affect productivity, incident response, employee retention, and even contribute to data breaches.
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Rising burnout levels: 47% of Indian organisations said burnout is frequently experienced, compared with 37% in 2024.
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Support structures: 87% of organisations now provide counselling for stress and burnout, up from 74% last year.
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Impact on performance: Underperformance of IT teams, slower response times, and growing detachment from security responsibilities were reported as the most visible effects.
Artificial intelligence (AI) was identified as a double-edged factor in the findings. While 97 % of Indian organizations are already using AI tools such as co-pilots, ChatGPT, and agentic AI, and 92% have a formal AI strategy, the rise of “shadow AI,”unauthorised tools used by employees, is creating new risks. Sixty-two per cent of organisations admitted to shadow AI usage, and a further 31 per cent said they were unsure whether it was present in their organisations.
