'I Quit!' - When CISOs Need to Take Charge of Their Careers

Security Needs to Document Risks and Push Back Against Retroactive Accountability Brandy Harris • December 17, 2025

A recent LinkedIn post has been circulating in cybersecurity circles, written as a CISO's resignation letter - "effective immediately." It resonates with security leaders who know the pattern - budget requests denied, risks that are documented and escalated, and a breach that follows a known vulnerability. Then the CISO was hit by inevitable question: "Why didn't you prevent this?"

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Whether the resignation letter is a true story or a parable, the LinkedIn post exposes a structural flaw in how organizations manage cyber risk. It's not just a story about a CISO walking away from the job. It shows what happens when risk is accepted quietly and accountability is enforced retroactively, and it's a cautionary tale about why CISOs need ...