A survey found that 9 out of 10 IT and security workers in the United States, Britain and Germany feel stressed enough to be uncomfortable at work due to cybersecurity risks. It showed that AI boosts work efficiency while also increasing the burden of responding to cyber threats.

On Aug. 22, TechRadar reported that backup storage company Object First surveyed 1,100 IT and security workers in July and found that 91 percent said they were stressed by security risks. The figure was 7 percentage points higher than 84 percent in last year's survey, but last year's survey covered only 500 workers in the United States, so caution is needed in making a direct comparison.

Responses to AI were mixed. Some 90 percent said AI tools improved productivity, but 70 percent said the spread of AI-based cyber threats affected their work stress. Only 24 percent said their organisation was sufficiently prepared to respond to such threats.

The most commonly cited causes of stress were the risk of cyberattacks and excessive workloads or staff shortages, at 50 percent each. Pressure to prevent service disruptions was 44 percent, and concerns about the effectiveness of backup and recovery systems were 41 percent. Some 74 percent said recovery tools were so complex that they required security expertise to use. Another 19 percent said they felt helpless and overwhelmed during or after a security incident.

The pressure also affected work. Some 78 percent said stress had a negative impact on job performance, and 39 percent said they were considering quitting. Object First Chief Executive David Bennett (데이비드 베넷) said "corporate cyber resilience depends not only on technology but also on the workforce that protects and restores data."