CISO fatigue is the ongoing strain that builds when a Chief Information Security Officer faces constant pressure, high expectations, and nonstop decision making. It is not just general stress: it comes from carrying security accountability while also handling alerts, risk reviews, executive reporting, and competing business demands.
In cyber security, this matters because exhausted leaders can lose time, focus, and the ability to push through remediation. When a CISO is fatigued, governance can weaken: approvals slow down, priorities blur, and risk decisions become harder to sustain. Attackers do not target fatigue directly, but they benefit when organizations delay patching, underfund controls, or leave unclear who can approve urgent fixes. Strong defenses reduce CISO fatigue by sharing responsibility, defining decision rights, and giving security leaders the authority and resources to act.