{"id":15436,"date":"2026-09-24T17:08:22","date_gmt":"2026-09-24T11:38:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/threatcop.com\/blog\/?p=15436"},"modified":"2026-09-24T17:08:24","modified_gmt":"2026-09-24T11:38:24","slug":"security-fatigue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/threatcop.com\/blog\/security-fatigue\/","title":{"rendered":"Security Fatigue: What It Is and Why More Training Backfires"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Security fatigue is the mental exhaustion and growing indifference employees feel after repeated exposure to security demands: password resets, MFA prompts, phishing warnings, and mandatory training. First documented by researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in 2016, it explains why well-trained employees still click, reuse passwords, and approve requests they shouldn&#8217;t, not from ignorance, but from depletion.<\/p><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_88 ez-toc-wrap-center counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-light-blue ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #414141;color:#414141\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #414141;color:#414141\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/threatcop.com\/blog\/security-fatigue\/#Where_the_Term_Comes_From\" >Where the Term Comes From<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/threatcop.com\/blog\/security-fatigue\/#The_Psychology_Behind_the_Exhaustion\" >The Psychology Behind the Exhaustion<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/threatcop.com\/blog\/security-fatigue\/#Book_a_Free_Demo_Call_with_Our_Expert\" >Book a Free Demo Call with Our Expert<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/threatcop.com\/blog\/security-fatigue\/#Why_More_Training_Doesnt_Fix_It_and_Can_Make_It_Worse\" >Why More Training Doesn&#8217;t Fix It, and Can Make It Worse<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/threatcop.com\/blog\/security-fatigue\/#Blameless_Reporting_Reduces_Fatigue_It_Doesnt_Just_Feel_Nicer\" >Blameless Reporting Reduces Fatigue, It Doesn&#8217;t Just Feel Nicer<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/threatcop.com\/blog\/security-fatigue\/#Reducing_Security_Fatigue_Without_Reducing_Security\" >Reducing Security Fatigue Without Reducing Security<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/threatcop.com\/blog\/security-fatigue\/#Fatigue_Is_a_Design_Problem_Before_Its_a_Discipline_Problem\" >Fatigue Is a Design Problem Before It&#8217;s a Discipline Problem<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/threatcop.com\/blog\/security-fatigue\/#Frequently_Asked_Questions\" >Frequently Asked Questions<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Where_the_Term_Comes_From\"><\/span>Where the Term Comes From<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nist.gov\/news-events\/news\/2016\/10\/security-fatigue-can-cause-computer-users-feel-hopeless-and-act-recklessly\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">NIST researchers Brian Stanton and Mary Theofanos<\/a> weren&#8217;t looking for fatigue when they interviewed 40 computer users about their security habits and beliefs in 2016. It showed up anyway, consistently, across nearly every interview. Their study defined security fatigue as a weariness or reluctance to deal with computer security, and found it drove people toward the path of least resistance: reusing an old password because it&#8217;s easier to remember, dismissing a certificate warning without reading it, or deciding a decision isn&#8217;t worth the mental effort it demands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Theofanos later summarized the underlying shift in plain terms: security used to mean remembering one password at work. Now employees are expected to manage dozens of passwords, MFA prompts, and security decisions across every tool they touch, with no corresponding reduction in how much attention each one demands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Psychology_Behind_the_Exhaustion\"><\/span>The Psychology Behind the Exhaustion<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Security fatigue isn&#8217;t laziness. It&#8217;s a predictable response to cognitive overload, and it shows up in a few recognizable patterns:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Desensitization.<\/strong> Repeated exposure to security warnings, especially ones that turn out to be false alarms, trains people to dismiss them automatically. This is the same mechanism behind alert fatigue in security operations centers, applied to the individual employee&#8217;s inbox.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Learned helplessness.<\/strong> Employees who&#8217;ve seen breaches happen anyway, despite following the rules, start to believe their own caution doesn&#8217;t change the outcome. That belief quietly erodes the motivation to keep trying.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Decision fatigue.<\/strong> Every MFA prompt, every &#8220;does this link look right&#8221; pause, every password rule draws from the same limited pool of mental effort. By the end of a long day, that pool is emptier, and judgment gets worse exactly when an attacker is most likely to test it.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A concrete, well-documented example of security fatigue being weaponized directly is the MFA fatigue attack: an attacker who already has a stolen password sends repeated MFA push notifications until an exhausted employee approves one just to make the prompts stop. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.infoq.com\/news\/2022\/09\/Uber-breach-mfa-fatigue\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">The 2022 Uber breach<\/a> followed exactly this pattern. The attacker didn&#8217;t need to break MFA. They needed an employee tired enough to tap &#8220;approve.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<meta charset=\"UTF-8\">\n<meta name=\"viewport\" content=\"width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0\">\n<title>Threatcop \u2013 Book a Free Demo<\/title>\n<link href=\"https:\/\/fonts.googleapis.com\/css2?family=Outfit:wght@300;400;500;600;700&#038;display=swap\" rel=\"stylesheet\">\n<style>\n  .tc-wrap , .tc-wrap ::before, .tc-wrap ::after { box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0; padding: 0; }\n  .tc-wrap { font-family: 'Outfit', sans-serif; width: 100%; display: flex; justify-content: center; padding: 20px 10px; }\n  .tc-card { width: 100%; max-width: 820px; background: #fff; border-radius: 20px; overflow: hidden; box-shadow: 0 20px 60px rgba(24,57,148,0.13), 0 4px 16px rgba(24,57,148,0.07); display: flex; flex-direction: row; }\n  .tc-left { background: linear-gradient(160deg, #1e44b0 0%, #183994 40%, #0e2570 100%); width: 320px; flex-shrink: 0; padding: 40px 32px; display: flex; flex-direction: column; justify-content: center; 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}\n  .tc-btn-submit svg { width: 16px; height: 16px; stroke: #fff; stroke-width: 2.2; fill: none; flex-shrink: 0; }\n  .tc-trust { margin-top: 10px !important; display: flex !important; align-items: center !important; justify-content: center !important; gap: 5px; font-size: 13px !important; color: #a0b0cc !important; font-family: 'Outfit', sans-serif !important; }\n  .tc-trust svg { width: 12px; height: 12px; stroke: #a0b0cc; stroke-width: 2; fill: none; flex-shrink: 0; }\n  @media (max-width: 680px) {\n    .tc-card { flex-direction: column !important; }\n    .tc-left { width: 100% !important; padding: 28px 24px 24px !important; }\n    .tc-right { padding: 24px 20px !important; }\n    .tc-grid { grid-template-columns: 1fr !important; }\n    .tc-field.full { grid-column: 1 !important; }\n  }\n<\/style>\n\n<div class=\"tc-wrap\">\n  <div class=\"tc-card\">\n    <div class=\"tc-left\">\n      <div class=\"tc-panel-inner\">\n        <div class=\"tc-badge\">\n          <span class=\"tc-badge-dot\"><\/span>\n          People Security Management\n        <\/div>\n        <h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Book_a_Free_Demo_Call_with_Our_Expert\"><\/span>Book a Free<br><em>Demo Call<\/em><br>with Our Expert<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n        <p class=\"tc-sub\">Discover how Threatcop protects your workforce from modern cyber threats.<\/p>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    <div class=\"tc-right\">\n      <div class=\"tc-form-title\">Your Details<\/div>\n      <form action=\"https:\/\/threatcop.com\/thankyou-blog\" method=\"get\" target=\"_blank\">\n        <input type=\"hidden\" name=\"BlogForm\" value=\"BlogForm\">\n        <input type=\"hidden\" name=\"PageSource\" id=\"tc-page-source\" value=\"\">\n        <div class=\"tc-grid\">\n          <div class=\"tc-field\">\n            <label>Full Name<\/label>\n            <div class=\"tc-input-wrap\">\n              <input type=\"text\" name=\"FullName\" placeholder=\"Jane Smith\" required=\"\">\n              <svg class=\"tc-fi\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" stroke-linecap=\"round\"><circle cx=\"12\" cy=\"8\" r=\"4\"><\/circle><path d=\"M4 20c0-4 3.58-7 8-7s8 3 8 7\"><\/path><\/svg>\n            <\/div>\n          <\/div>\n          <div class=\"tc-field\">\n            <label>Company Name<\/label>\n            <div class=\"tc-input-wrap\">\n              <input type=\"text\" name=\"CompanyName\" placeholder=\"Acme Corp\" required=\"\">\n              <svg class=\"tc-fi\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" stroke-linecap=\"round\"><rect x=\"3\" y=\"3\" width=\"18\" height=\"18\" rx=\"2\"><\/rect><path d=\"M9 3v18M3 9h6M3 15h6\"><\/path><\/svg>\n            <\/div>\n          <\/div>\n          <div class=\"tc-field full\">\n            <label>Corporate Email<\/label>\n            <div class=\"tc-input-wrap\">\n              <input type=\"email\" name=\"email\" placeholder=\"jane@yourcompany.com\" required=\"\">\n              <svg class=\"tc-fi\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" stroke-linecap=\"round\"><rect x=\"2\" y=\"4\" width=\"20\" height=\"16\" rx=\"2\"><\/rect><polyline points=\"2,4 12,13 22,4\"><\/polyline><\/svg>\n            <\/div>\n          <\/div>\n          <div class=\"tc-field full\">\n            <label>Phone Number<\/label>\n            <div class=\"tc-input-wrap\">\n              <input type=\"number\" name=\"Phone\" placeholder=\"98765 43210\" required=\"\">\n              <svg class=\"tc-fi\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" stroke-linecap=\"round\"><path d=\"M22 16.92v3a2 2 0 01-2.18 2A19.79 19.79 0 013.09 4.18 2 2 0 015.07 2h3a2 2 0 012 1.72c.13.96.36 1.9.71 2.81a2 2 0 01-.45 2.11L9.09 9.91a16 16 0 006 6l1.27-1.27a2 2 0 012.11-.45c.91.35 1.85.58 2.81.71A2 2 0 0122 16.92z\"><\/path><\/svg>\n            <\/div>\n          <\/div>\n        <\/div>\n        <button type=\"submit\" class=\"tc-btn-submit\">\n          <svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" stroke-linecap=\"round\"><path d=\"M22 2L11 13M22 2L15 22l-4-9-9-4 20-7z\"><\/path><\/svg>\n          Book My Free Demo\n        <\/button>\n        <div class=\"tc-trust\">\n          <svg viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" stroke-linecap=\"round\"><rect x=\"3\" y=\"11\" width=\"18\" height=\"11\" rx=\"2\"><\/rect><path d=\"M7 11V7a5 5 0 0110 0v4\"><\/path><\/svg>\n          Your data is safe &amp; never shared with third parties\n        <\/div>\n      <\/form>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<script>document.getElementById('tc-page-source').value = window.location.href;<\/script>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_More_Training_Doesnt_Fix_It_and_Can_Make_It_Worse\"><\/span>Why More Training Doesn&#8217;t Fix It, and Can Make It Worse<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The instinctive response to a security failure is often more training, more warnings, more reminders. Against security fatigue, that instinct backfires. Adding more security decisions to an already-overloaded employee doesn&#8217;t build resilience; it accelerates the exhaustion that caused the problem in the first place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">NIST&#8217;s own researchers proposed three design principles instead of more volume:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Limit the number of security decisions employees have to make.<\/strong> Every unnecessary prompt is a withdrawal from the same finite attention budget.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Make the right action the easy action.<\/strong> If reporting a suspicious email takes five clicks and a ticket number, most employees will quietly delete it instead.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Design for consistency.<\/strong> Security cues that look and behave the same way every time require less cognitive effort to process than ones that vary by tool, team, or moment.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is also why <a href=\"https:\/\/threatcop.com\/blog\/role-based-security-awareness-training\/\">role-based security awareness training<\/a> tends to outperform one-size-fits-all annual modules: it cuts the volume of irrelevant decisions a given employee has to process, rather than adding another generic layer on top of what&#8217;s already overwhelming them. Programs built on <a href=\"https:\/\/threatcop.com\/security-awareness-training\">strong security awareness training fundamentals<\/a> apply the same logic at the platform level, sequencing content instead of dumping it all at once.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Blameless_Reporting_Reduces_Fatigue_It_Doesnt_Just_Feel_Nicer\"><\/span>Blameless Reporting Reduces Fatigue, It Doesn&#8217;t Just Feel Nicer<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There&#8217;s a direct link between security fatigue and how an organization responds when someone makes a mistake. <a href=\"https:\/\/threatcop.com\/blog\/insider-threats-malicious-misguided\/\">Insider incidents are rarely malicious<\/a>; far more often they&#8217;re a tired, overloaded employee who made a reasonable-sounding call and got it wrong. An employee who fears blame for reporting a mistake late learns to avoid reporting altogether, which is learned helplessness with an audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Organizations that treat a reported near-miss as useful data, not a disciplinary event, get two things in return: earlier warning when something does go wrong, and a workforce that hasn&#8217;t concluded that staying quiet is safer than raising a hand. That shift costs nothing to implement and directly counters the &#8220;why bother&#8221; resignation NIST&#8217;s research identified as security fatigue&#8217;s most damaging symptom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Reducing_Security_Fatigue_Without_Reducing_Security\"><\/span>Reducing Security Fatigue Without Reducing Security<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A few concrete changes lower the cognitive load without lowering the bar:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Cut the volume of low-value alerts<\/strong> so the ones that matter aren&#8217;t buried in noise the way phishing warnings get buried when they fire on every external email regardless of actual risk, an approach <a href=\"https:\/\/threatcop.com\/blog\/how-do-phishing-simulations-contribute-to-enterprise-security\/\">phishing simulation programs<\/a> can help calibrate by showing which warnings employees actually act on.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Shorten the path to reporting something suspicious<\/strong> to one click, not a form, a ticket, and a wait.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Replace long annual training blocks with short, frequent touches<\/strong> embedded in the flow of work, since <a href=\"https:\/\/threatcop.com\/blog\/gamified-cyber-security-awareness-training\/\">gamified, bite-sized formats<\/a> ask for less sustained attention per session and are easier to sustain over a year than a single 90-minute module nobody remembers by March.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Standardize security prompts across tools<\/strong> wherever possible, since employees who see five different-looking MFA screens across five different apps carry a heavier cognitive load than those who see one consistent pattern.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Track fatigue indicators, not just training completion.<\/strong> A rising rate of dismissed warnings or declining phishing report rates over time is often a fatigue signal, not a discipline problem, and <a href=\"https:\/\/threatcop.com\/blog\/best-practices-for-employee-training\/\">best practices for employee training<\/a> increasingly treat these behavioral signals as the metric that matters, not completion checkmarks.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Fatigue_Is_a_Design_Problem_Before_Its_a_Discipline_Problem\"><\/span>Fatigue Is a Design Problem Before It&#8217;s a Discipline Problem<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nearly a decade after NIST first named it, security fatigue remains one of the most underestimated risks inside organizations, precisely because it looks like carelessness from the outside and feels like exhaustion from the inside. Treating every lapse as a training gap misses what the research actually found: the fix is reducing unnecessary friction and decision load, not adding more of both.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Programs that measure human risk rather than just tracking training completion are better positioned to catch fatigue before it shows up as a breach, because the warning signs (declining report rates, rising dismissal of warnings, growing password reuse) are visible well before the incident is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Frequently_Asked_Questions\"><\/span>Frequently Asked Questions<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\t\t<div class=\"sp-easy-accordion-block sp-eab-regular-accordion alignwide\"\n\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"sp-eab-wrapper sp-eab-vertical-accordion sp-eab-535038c16cf8\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class='sp-eab-accordion sp-eab-mode-vertical sp-eab-vertical-one sp-d-flex' data-accordion-settings=\"{&quot;mode&quot;:&quot;vertical&quot;,&quot;activeEvent&quot;:&quot;click&quot;,&quot;defaultAccordionOpen&quot;:&quot;first-item&quot;,&quot;selectedItemOpen&quot;:0,&quot;openMultiItemAtaTime&quot;:false,&quot;scrollToTopOnLoad&quot;:false,&quot;scrollToTopOnClick&quot;:false,&quot;accordionItemToUrl&quot;:false,&quot;animationEffect&quot;:false,&quot;applyAccessibility&quot;:true}\">\n        \t    \t\n\t\t\t<div\n\t\t\t\tid =\"sp-eab-item-ed57f34fdbb2\"\n\t\t\t\tclass=\"sp-eab-accordion-item eab-item-c16cf8\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"sp-eab-accordion-item-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class='sp-eab-accordion-heading sp-d-flex sp-align-center eab-heading-c16cf8'\n\t\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t<span class='sp-eab-accordion-header-wrapper sp-d-flex sp-align-center eab-icon-position-end'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class='sp-eab-accordion-header-start sp-d-flex sp-justify-left sp-align-center'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='sp-eab-title-subtitle-wrapper sp-d-flex'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='sp-eab-accordion-title-wrapper sp-d-flex sp-align-center'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='sp-eab-accordion-title-text'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWhat is security fatigue?\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class='sp-eab-accordion-header-end eab-icon-animated'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='sp-eab-expand-collapse-icon sp-d-block'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<i class='sp-eab-expand-icon eab-icon-angle-down-solid'><\/i>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<i class='sp-eab-collapse-icon eab-icon-angle-up-solid'><\/i>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<!-- accordion body -->\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class='sp-eab-accordion-content eab-content-c16cf8'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class='sp-eab-accordion-content-wrapper'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class='sp-eab-accordion-body'>\n\t\t\t    \t\t\t\t\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Security fatigue is the mental exhaustion and growing indifference employees develop after repeated exposure to security demands like password rules, MFA prompts, and warnings, first documented by NIST researchers in a 2016 study of everyday computer users.<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\n\t\t\t<div\n\t\t\t\tid =\"sp-eab-item-bb2a2c5c1005\"\n\t\t\t\tclass=\"sp-eab-accordion-item eab-item-c16cf8\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"sp-eab-accordion-item-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class='sp-eab-accordion-heading sp-d-flex sp-align-center eab-heading-c16cf8'\n\t\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t<span class='sp-eab-accordion-header-wrapper sp-d-flex sp-align-center eab-icon-position-end'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class='sp-eab-accordion-header-start sp-d-flex sp-justify-left sp-align-center'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='sp-eab-title-subtitle-wrapper sp-d-flex'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='sp-eab-accordion-title-wrapper sp-d-flex sp-align-center'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='sp-eab-accordion-title-text'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWhat causes security fatigue?\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class='sp-eab-accordion-header-end eab-icon-animated'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='sp-eab-expand-collapse-icon sp-d-block'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<i class='sp-eab-expand-icon eab-icon-angle-down-solid'><\/i>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<i class='sp-eab-collapse-icon eab-icon-angle-up-solid'><\/i>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<!-- accordion body -->\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class='sp-eab-accordion-content eab-content-c16cf8'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class='sp-eab-accordion-content-wrapper'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class='sp-eab-accordion-body'>\n\t\t\t    \t\t\t\t\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">NIST&#8217;s research identifies decision fatigue from too many security choices, desensitization from repeated warnings that often turn out to be false alarms, and learned helplessness after employees conclude their caution doesn&#8217;t change outcomes.<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\n\t\t\t<div\n\t\t\t\tid =\"sp-eab-item-a9aeec4e493b\"\n\t\t\t\tclass=\"sp-eab-accordion-item eab-item-c16cf8\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"sp-eab-accordion-item-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class='sp-eab-accordion-heading sp-d-flex sp-align-center eab-heading-c16cf8'\n\t\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t<span class='sp-eab-accordion-header-wrapper sp-d-flex sp-align-center eab-icon-position-end'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class='sp-eab-accordion-header-start sp-d-flex sp-justify-left sp-align-center'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='sp-eab-title-subtitle-wrapper sp-d-flex'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='sp-eab-accordion-title-wrapper sp-d-flex sp-align-center'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='sp-eab-accordion-title-text'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tHow is security fatigue different from alert fatigue?\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class='sp-eab-accordion-header-end eab-icon-animated'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='sp-eab-expand-collapse-icon sp-d-block'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<i class='sp-eab-expand-icon eab-icon-angle-down-solid'><\/i>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<i class='sp-eab-collapse-icon eab-icon-angle-up-solid'><\/i>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<!-- accordion body -->\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class='sp-eab-accordion-content eab-content-c16cf8'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class='sp-eab-accordion-content-wrapper'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class='sp-eab-accordion-body'>\n\t\t\t    \t\t\t\t\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Alert fatigue specifically describes desensitization to security warnings and pop-ups. Security fatigue is the broader condition, including alert fatigue alongside password fatigue, MFA fatigue, and general weariness toward security decisions of any kind.<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\n\t\t\t<div\n\t\t\t\tid =\"sp-eab-item-0ee13cfe0510\"\n\t\t\t\tclass=\"sp-eab-accordion-item eab-item-c16cf8\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"sp-eab-accordion-item-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class='sp-eab-accordion-heading sp-d-flex sp-align-center eab-heading-c16cf8'\n\t\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t<span class='sp-eab-accordion-header-wrapper sp-d-flex sp-align-center eab-icon-position-end'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class='sp-eab-accordion-header-start sp-d-flex sp-justify-left sp-align-center'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='sp-eab-title-subtitle-wrapper sp-d-flex'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='sp-eab-accordion-title-wrapper sp-d-flex sp-align-center'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='sp-eab-accordion-title-text'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tWhat is an MFA fatigue attack?\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class='sp-eab-accordion-header-end eab-icon-animated'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='sp-eab-expand-collapse-icon sp-d-block'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<i class='sp-eab-expand-icon eab-icon-angle-down-solid'><\/i>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<i class='sp-eab-collapse-icon eab-icon-angle-up-solid'><\/i>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<!-- accordion body -->\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class='sp-eab-accordion-content eab-content-c16cf8'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class='sp-eab-accordion-content-wrapper'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class='sp-eab-accordion-body'>\n\t\t\t    \t\t\t\t\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An MFA fatigue attack, also called MFA bombing, is when an attacker who already has a stolen password sends repeated multi-factor authentication push notifications until an exhausted employee approves one just to stop the prompts, as happened in the 2022 Uber breach.<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\n\t\t\t<div\n\t\t\t\tid =\"sp-eab-item-250a82696d11\"\n\t\t\t\tclass=\"sp-eab-accordion-item eab-item-c16cf8\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"sp-eab-accordion-item-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class='sp-eab-accordion-heading sp-d-flex sp-align-center eab-heading-c16cf8'\n\t\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t<span class='sp-eab-accordion-header-wrapper sp-d-flex sp-align-center eab-icon-position-end'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class='sp-eab-accordion-header-start sp-d-flex sp-justify-left sp-align-center'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='sp-eab-title-subtitle-wrapper sp-d-flex'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='sp-eab-accordion-title-wrapper sp-d-flex sp-align-center'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='sp-eab-accordion-title-text'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDoes more security training reduce security fatigue?\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class='sp-eab-accordion-header-end eab-icon-animated'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='sp-eab-expand-collapse-icon sp-d-block'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<i class='sp-eab-expand-icon eab-icon-angle-down-solid'><\/i>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<i class='sp-eab-collapse-icon eab-icon-angle-up-solid'><\/i>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<!-- accordion body -->\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class='sp-eab-accordion-content eab-content-c16cf8'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class='sp-eab-accordion-content-wrapper'>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class='sp-eab-accordion-body'>\n\t\t\t    \t\t\t\t\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Not automatically, and it can worsen it. NIST&#8217;s research points toward reducing the number of security decisions employees face and making the right action the easiest one, rather than simply adding more training volume on top of an already-overloaded workforce.<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Security fatigue explained: the NIST-documented exhaustion behind risky clicks, MFA approvals, and password reuse, and how to actually reduce it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":15444,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[42],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15436","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cybersecurity-awareness"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Security Fatigue: What It Is and Why More Training Backfires<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Security fatigue explained: the NIST-documented exhaustion behind risky clicks, MFA approvals, and password reuse, and how to actually reduce it.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/threatcop.com\/blog\/security-fatigue\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Security Fatigue: What It Is and Why More Training Backfires\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Security fatigue explained: the NIST-documented exhaustion behind risky clicks, MFA approvals, and password reuse, and how to actually reduce it.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" 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