Research conducted by the National Security Agency has found that after five hours of cyber operations, performance drops and frustration begins to increase among staffers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Those longer missions caused roughly 10 percent more fatigue and frustration compared to operations that lasted less than five hours, Celeste Paul, a senior researcher at the NSA, said during the Black Hat conference in Las Vegas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The reason? Extended operations are more tiring and mentally demanding, the research found. Hacking is stressful because it is complex, unpredictable and operates in a high-risk and high-reward environment, Paul said. In addition, NSA cyber operators are highly motivated and \u201cthey put success of the mission above all else, even themselves,\u201d Paul said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Paul added that as frustration goes up, self-assessment of performance go down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe only thing that is really affecting how well people think they are doing in their operation is how frustrated they are,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If a simple break won\u2019t help, staffers can eventually face \u201cchronic and episodic stress conditions,\u201d Paul said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The NSA conducted a survey of 126 cyber operators to better understand their stress levels. The agency will be posting the survey materials on its website.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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