Cyber security leaders are burning out, are you next?
It’s one of the busiest and most stressful periods for IT teams - and cyber criminals know it.
Protect your business and your team with practical guidance and expert support.
THE FESTIVE SEASON IS HIGH RISK
62%
of cyber leaders report burnout, many feeling overworked and under-supported
44%
have experienced multiple burnout episodes, yet nearly half don’t disclose it
½
Around
of CISOs may change jobs, with 25% leaving the sector entirely due to stress.
CYBER CRIMINALS DON’T TAKE BREAKS
They deliberately strike when organisations are at their most vulnerable. The festive period creates the perfect storm for attackers to slip through unnoticed:
+ Staff availability is reduced as key personnel take annual leave, creating gaps in coverage and slowing down decision-making.
+ Workloads and pressure are higher, with technical teams juggling year-end projects, increased customer demand, and the operational chaos that often comes with the holiday rush.
+ Response capabilities are limited, as smaller on-call teams struggle to manage alerts, investigate anomalies, and react quickly to unfolding incidents.
Ransomware attacks in particular have surged during the festive season.
With threat actors targeting overstretched IT teams and under-resourced security operations. Once inside, attackers can spend days or weeks escalating privileges, exfiltrating data, and preparing large-scale encryption events - all while defenders are distracted or unavailable.
HOW CAN YOU REDUCE YOUR THREAT EXPOSURE?
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Avoid major IT changes. Complete critical projects early, minimise infrastructure changes, and limit updates to essential fixes only.
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Keep an up-to-date list of internal (IT, legal, management) and external (cyber security, law enforcement) contacts. Store securely in multiple formats, update regularly, and use pre-approved communication channels.
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Maintain a clear roster of responsibilities, ensuring critical IT and cyber security roles have trained backups. Provide all necessary documentation, tools, credentials, and escalation instructions.
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Ensure all software is patched before the holidays, prioritising internet-facing systems and actively exploited vulnerabilities.
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Turn off unused devices to reduce your attack surface, limiting entry points and lateral movement for attackers.
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Assign someone to monitor security alerts during busy periods. Consider utilising an MXDR (Managed Extended Detection & Response) platform for continuous monitoring and rapid threat response.
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Maintain offline backups disconnected from your network and regularly test by restoring critical data to ensure they work if needed.
YOUR STRESS LESS CYBER RESOURCES
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Why Choose PureCyber?
“Really pleased to recommend PureCyber for all your Pen Testing needs. Their CREST-certified team demonstrated exceptional expertise during our engagement, identifying vulnerabilities to our business. The detailed reports they provided not only highlighted issues but also offered practical remediation steps. Their communication throughout the testing process was clear and professional, keeping us informed at every stage. They've proven to be an invaluable partner in strengthening our security posture.”
Retail Sector Client, 2025
“The PureCyber penetration testing team are our trusted external security partner for internal, external, and physical testing. Their CREST-certified team are easy to work with, has excellent domain knowledge and provides clear and easy-to-understand results that allow us to take direct actions to remediate where necessary.”
Legal Sector Client, 2025
“PureCyber’s Threat Exposure Management solution gives us peace of mind that any exposures that could result in cyber attacks are known to us, and therefore, we can mitigate them as soon as possible.
Having this service enables the in-house team to focus on the day-to-day activities required to maintain operations, knowing that we have the PureCyber team working in the background monitoring these exposures on our behalf gives us full confidence that we’re being looked after.”
Manufacturing Sector Client, 2025
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