More than three quarters of CISOs are now worried about personal liability for security incidents, a sharp jump from last year when just over half expressed similar fears.

Nearly four out of five CISOs report their role has become significantly more complex.

More than four out of five CISOs oversee secure software development (DevSecOps).

Nearly all CISOs now report that their responsibilities include AI governance and risk management.

72% of CISOs agreed that their role has evolved to include leading their organization’s ability to recover continuity following a cyberattack or security incident.

In 2025, 83% of CISOs reported that Cyber Resilience was more critical for their organization than traditional cybersecurity measures, compared to 90% in the previous year.

In 2025, 98% of organizations reported spending between $1 and $5 million to recover from cyber incidents, with the average recovery cost per incident being $2.5 million.

67% of CISOs stated they are the primary executive responsible for ensuring Cyber Resilience within their organization.

40% of CISOs plan to invest in OT/IT security convergence over the next 12 months as part of their hybrid infrastructure strategies.

88% of CISOs agree that the convergence of OT and IT security exposes new challenges that many organizations are not yet prepared to address.

47% of CISOs report being completely confident that AI-powered security tools can effectively defend against autonomous, AI-driven cyberattacks.

96% of Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) agree that the convergence of operational technology (OT) and information technology (IT) security is essential for protecting critical infrastructure from emerging threats.

97% of CISOs agree that hybrid infrastructure provides greater resilience and risk management capabilities than relying solely on cloud or on-premises environments.

94% of CISOs agree that emerging threats are forcing them to rethink and reprioritize their cybersecurity and infrastructure strategy.

70% of CISOs receive equity, which can represent up to half of total pay among top earners.

In 2025, overall CISO compensation increased by an average of 6.7% compared to the previous year.

15% of CISOs changed employers in 2025, an increase from 11% in 2024.

In 2025, 71% of CISOs received executive perks, an increase from 40% to over 50% this year for D&O insurance.

The top 1% of CISOs earn more than $3.2 million in total compensation, which is approximately 10 times the median and 20 times the bottom 10%.

CISOs who remained at their companies and took on expanded responsibilities saw an average compensation increase of 8.1% in 2025, compared to a 5% increase among those who switched jobs.