The 2025 CISO Pressure Index
Why the role of today’s security leader is reaching a breaking point
Overview
CISOs face one of the toughest environments in memory. Cyber incidents are rising in number and severity, driven by rapid advances in agentic AI and bold threat actors. Meanwhile, boards demand clearer risk metrics, regulators increase expectations, and companies cut costs, expecting CISOs to achieve more with less. The 2025 Nagomi CISO Pressure Index reveals the daily strain on security leaders, the growing gap between security spending and results, and the cultural challenges that leave CISOs carrying burdens they shouldn’t shoulder alone.
%
say pressure has increased in the past 12 months
%
burned out weekly or daily
%
fear agentic AI attacks most
Five Pressure Points
CISOs Are Operating at Unsustainable Pressure Levels
80% report being under high or extreme pressure today
Sprawling Tool Stacks Fail at Critical Moments
58% of CISOs experienced incidents that their tools should have prevented.
Boards Are Now the Top Source of Pressure
44% say expectations from boards and executives are their number one source of stress,
Incidents Are Routine and CISOs Take the Blame
56% are personally blamed always or often when breaches occur.
AI Is Both the Top Threat and a Cost-Cutting Mandate
82% of CISOs cite pressure to reduce staff with AI.
Emanuel Salmona CEO
“CISOs are managing nonstop exposure with limited support and even less time. They’re expected to be strategic leaders and first responders all at once. The best way to support them is to share accountability across the business, make outcomes clearer, and give them the space to focus on what actually reduces risk.”
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