Every organization’s IT department manages the daily computer issues that arise, from lockouts to hardware issues. Just as we provide working computer keyboards and reset passwords when they’ve been forgotten, we also manage the overall online security environment as well. These three things are the bread and butter of employee security practices for any organization: 1) safe email procedures, 2) protected computing devices and 3) credential management.

Many of the apps we add to our phone not only rely on our location to give us the information we’re looking for but also make a note of and keep a history of it. The location history created through our phone every day reveals much about our personal habits. We can adjust the settings on our phone to limit how each app accesses our location information, and location services can be turned off for many apps. But, of course, some apps – like Find My Phone or Find My Friends – always need location services on.

Every company must strike a balance between getting work done efficiently and following information security procedures that can slow us down. Accomplishing work is our core purpose, but now we must be vigilant against every sort of cyber intrusion.

The General Data Protection Regulation, known as GDPR – the massive regulatory framework that was approved by the European Union and will take effect May 25, 2018. . Not only does it require European companies to take steps to protect consumer data, it also requires all organizations that handle data from European citizens to protect consumer data, even if that company isn’t based in the EU.

Since the Equifax breach, many voices – including the White House – have argued in favor of replacing Social Security numbers, and the suggestions are as intriguing as they are wide-ranging. Giving out new numbers that are separate from Social Security accounts is one potential solution, but such numbers would still be subject to hacking. Biometrics, including fingerprinting and voice or facial recognition, are another common suggestion.

In just a few short weeks, the internet landscape we've all become accustomed to will change dramatically. The European Union is implementing new regulation for online data collection. The General Data Protection Regulation, known as GDPR, will create new, far stricter rules on how organizations can handle consumer data.

Employee data fraud poses a real challenge to organizations of all shapes and sizes. Whether it's a worker at a gas station or restaurant using a skimmer to steal card information from unsuspecting customers or a government employee downloading personal information of thousands of his coworkers, no employer is immune to threat. ​Here are some initial steps you can take to mitigate threats and minimize the risk of employee theft:

Senator Elizabeth Warren's office recently released a 15-page report that highlighted the ways in which the company went wrong, from ignoring several notifications of issues in their systems to delaying before making consumers aware of the issues. The most alarming, however, is the fact that the breach didn't just allow data thieves to see the data. According to the report, "the data was exfiltrated - stolen - from their systems and downloaded by the hackers."

Although the Olympics are designed to promote international peace and cooperation, they recently have become the stage of international cyberattacks. Whether it's state-affiliated organizations hacking for political ends or individual cyber-thieves trying to make a quick buck on the multi-billion-dollar event, we've seen a good deal of criminal activity online around the Olympics.

​"Do you own Bitcoin?" "Should I invest in Bitcoin?" "What makes Bitcoin different from Ethereum?" "Is Bitcoin really anonymous?" ​You've probably asked or been asked one of these questions over the course of the past several months. And with all the buzz around Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, many have started to wonder when they'll actually be able to jump in and start using Bitcoin to buy anything from coffee to a new television to a house.

​As we enter 2018, cyber security and privacy breach risks are top of mind for major technology and consumer-centric organizations. Certainly, organizations that include citizens of European Union nations in their customer base are keenly focused on meeting the compliance regulations of GDPR, the General Data Protection Regulation, which mandates that strict new rules be addressed by May 25, 2018.

So as we begin a new year, those of us tasked with finding better ways to protect private data have asked ourselves – what will things look like in 2018?​ It looks like things will get worse before they get better. As the digital landscape grows more and more complex and ubiquitous, the number of opportunities for thieves to exploit weaknesses grows. Here are some cybersecurity trends and predictions you should keep an eye on in the new year:

Tax season can fill many of us with fears and anxieties. Thanks to large data breaches in 2017, individuals can now add a new worry to their tax process: hoping that someone hasn’t already filed on their behalf. Tax identity theft has become so prevalent and persistent that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) declared January 29 to February 2 Tax Identity Theft Awareness Week.

The GAO report states that CMS has taken steps to create a culture conducive to fraud risk management, but could enhance and supplement antifraud training for its +4,000 employees.

Increasingly, companies are offering identity protection services as a benefit to their employees in addition to more standard benefits like health care and retirement planning. A study conducted by Willis Towers Watson found that while 35 percent of employers provided identity theft protection in 2015, that number was likely to rise to around 70 percent by 2018.

Data losses, including the exposure of personally identifiable information (PII), happen. Whether the exposure is on a piece of paper left on a printer or a system being hacked, having a plan helps ensure a thoughtful, speedy and compliant response.

​It is time to re-examine the way that we think about and what we expect from organizations impacted by cybersecurity breaches. A frank conversation on the responsibilities of company leadership, for both the C-Suite and the board, is long overdue. An organization’s responsibilities around consumer privacy in many ways remain somewhat ambiguous. Only by creating and upholding a consistent standard can corporate America ready consumers for the risks inherent in 21st-century levels of connectivity.

The exposure of 145 million Americans’ personal data through the recent Equifax breach was an unfortunate wake-up call for internet users everywhere. It forces us to confront the reality that, due to the “Internet of Things” and the nature of our increasingly interconnected lives, no matter how strong our defenses, data breaches are not a question of “if,” but rather a question of “when.”

Asked to do more with less, agencies are getting better at using the tools available to enhance cyber security and implement innovative approaches to address ongoing cyber risks.

Thanks to recent data breaches like Equifax, identity theft and identity protection is now an international subject. The conference goers already knew the value of identity protection services and wanted to know how they could get protected now and how their employer could help.

​What top three issues for the financial services industry are keeping their Chief Privacy Officers and Enterprise Risk Managers up at night? At the recent SANS Data Breach Summit in Chicago, two leading U.S. financial institutions weighed in on where they are focusing their time and resources to mitigate what most industries today have accepted as the inevitability of a data breach.

​The Equifax breach brings new urgency to the question of how we establish and protect our personal identities. By exposing the Social Security numbers (SSNs) of over 145 million Americans, the breach set millions up for what one expert called "a lifetime game of Whack-a-Mole," with identity theft cropping up over and over in unexpected places.

Financial fraud, unfortunately, is but one risk from this incident and the next incident may be exploited for child identity fraud, social security fraud, driver’s license fraud, and other criminal behavior.