One in five security leaders skips Patch Tuesday, Socura finds
The Cardiff-based provider links the absences to rising patch volumes and stress, in research from a vendor that sells round-the-clock support to security teams
- 29% feel significant anxiety the night before Patch Tuesday
- 29% become more irritable with colleagues or family in Patch Tuesday week
- 40% say AI automates routine work and frees time for strategic tasks
- 37% say AI helps protect core infrastructure against active threats
- Microsoft’s August 2026 release addressed more than 400 CVEs, according to Socura
The exposure sits with organizations where a single senior security lead owns the patching cycle, the role Socura surveyed. Where no deputy or outside provider holds the authority to rank fixes, an absence on release day leaves the decision on which vulnerabilities go first without an owner until that person returns.
“You expect your accountant to be available for your tax return deadline, and your lawyer for your court date. It speaks volumes about the unhealthy levels of stress and burnout in our industry that cyber security leaders would deliberately avoid the office during their most consequential day of work.”Andrew Kays, chief executive, Socura
One in five (22%) cybersecurity leaders has taken sick leave or holiday specifically to avoid Patch Tuesday, Microsoft’s monthly security release, according to research published by Socura on 12 October 2026. Socura is a managed detection and response (MDR) provider. The survey covered 500 UK chief security officers (CSOs), CISOs and heads of IT security, according to Infosecurity Magazine.
The same research found that 41% of respondents have worked overtime, paid or unpaid, to manage the patching cycle, and 37% have worked late or through the night to deploy patches. Socura’s own release gives neither the sample size nor the fieldwork dates.
Microsoft fixed a record 974 common vulnerabilities and exposures (CVEs) in its September 2026 release, according to Infosecurity Magazine, close to the 1,130 published across the whole of 2025.
The findings follow Socura’s earlier Sleepless in security report, in which eight in 10 cybersecurity leaders said their career had harmed their physical health, mental health or both. In the new survey, 22% said AI threatens their job security, and respondents named governing AI and emerging technology as the greatest strategic challenge in cybersecurity. Socura said security teams should be properly resourced on Patch Tuesday and pointed to specialist support such as round-the-clock MDR, the service it sells.
Sources
- Socura, “Patch sick day: 1 in 5 cyber security leaders avoids Patch Tuesday”, press release, 12 October 2026. https://www.socura.co.uk/press-releases/patch-sick-day-1-in-5-cyber-security-leaders-avoids-patch-tuesday
- Infosecurity Magazine, “Fifth of CISOs Take Time Off to Avoid Patch Tuesday”, news article, 13 October 2026. https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/fifth-cisos-take-time-off-avoid/
- Socura, “Contact us”, company website, accessed 13 October 2026. https://www.socura.co.uk/contact-us
