Fifth of CISOs Take Time Off to Avoid Patch Tuesday
Infosecurity Magazine, Tuesday, October 13th, 2026
A Socura poll of 500 UK security leaders finds 22% have dodged Patch Tuesday amid rising patch volumes and stress.
Socura polled 500 UK CSOs, CISOs and heads of IT security about Patch Tuesday.
Forty-one percent have worked overtime to manage the patching cycle and 37% have worked late to deploy patches, while 22% have called in sick or booked leave to avoid the day entirely.
Twenty-nine percent report significant anxiety the night before, and the same share say they become more irritable that week.
The survey ties the stress to AI-powered vulnerability research driving record patch volumes, such as Microsoft's 974 CVEs in September 2026.