Employee burnout identified as major cybersecurity risk

Corporate cybersecurity strategies are increasingly vulnerable to human factors, specifically chronic employee burnout. While many organizations focus on technical defenses like firewalls and software updates, cybercriminals often bypass these by exploiting human behavior through compromised credentials and social engineering.

Research indicates that the human element is a primary driver of security incidents. According to Mimecast’s State of Human Risk Report, user-driven errors and credential misuse account for the majority of modern incidents, with an estimated average cost of US$13.1 million per insider-driven incident. Furthermore, the Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report suggests that approximately 60% of all data breaches involve human error or unintentional mistakes.