Jothi Dugar, CISO at the NIH Center for Information Technology, explains why defender burnout is a critical cyber vulnerability and how micro resets, recovery and psychological safety build resilience.
Cybersecurity defenses focus on technology and process, but the human layer is most critical and overlooked. Burned out and numb to alert fatigue, defenders make poor decisions, miss critical alerts and click dangerous links - turning burnout into a zero-day vulnerability. With 83% of CISOs reporting burnout, costs include lost talent, institutional knowledge gaps and weakened resilience. The solution: treat burnout prevention as a security control by building micro resets into the workday, normalizing recovery, distributing responsibility and creating psychological safety.
This video lesson, taught by Jothi Dugar, CISO at NIH Center for Information Technology, covers:
- Why burnout in defenders becomes a critical zero-day vulnerability;
- How chronic stress and alert fatigue drive poor decisions and talent loss;
- How micro resets, recovery and psychological safety build sustainable defense.
Here is the course outline:
Securing the Human Layer: Burnout Prevention as a Cyber Risk Strategy |
Completion
The following certificates are awarded when the course is completed:
 |
CPE Credit Certificate |
