Cybersecurity incidents extend far beyond technical breaches and numbers. They profoundly affect the people on the ground. Incident responders, working long hours under unrelenting pressure, often endure burnout, anxiety, and emotional exhaustion. They are the ones stabilizing chaos, restoring operations, and speaking to victims. Yet their sacrifices and experiences are rarely acknowledged, buried beneath headlines that focus only on financial costs or technical metrics.

Critical infrastructure sectors such as healthcare, power, oil and gas, water, and finance are frequent targets of cyber attacks. These aren’t isolated crimes, they are acts of aggression in an undeclared war, waged not with bombs and bullets but with code. In this new era of warfare, civilians are the targets. State-sponsored intrusions, ransomware incidents in hospitals, and attacks on financial institutions disrupt daily life and can cause lasting harm to individuals and entire communities. These impacts go far beyond what insurance payouts or public statements can fix. They touch the core of people’s lives, damaging personal well-being, creating long-term stress, and shaking trust in essential systems.

Drawing from direct experiences responding to major cyber incidents, this talk will highlight the real stories behind the headlines. Attendees will gain insight into the psychological and emotional weight carried by responders and the devastating ripple effects of attacks on victims.