While preparing a speech to be delivered in Korea, NIST's Ron Ross wanted to convey the message of the importance of computer security. He hit on five themes - threat, assets, complexity, integration and trustworthiness - which form the acronym TACIT.

The breach at Target stores that may have affected as many as 40 million credit and debit card account holders is a watershed moment that could greatly raise awareness of cybersecurity risks, says privacy attorney David Navetta.

Cyberthreats increasingly target mobile devices, and simple security measures could help end-users slash these incidents by 50 percent. This is the key finding of ENISA's new Threat Landscape Report, says Louis Marinos, the prime author.

While the U.S. migration toward EMV card technology may have been jolted by a July court ruling, Randy Vanderhoof of the Smart Card Alliance contends the movement toward EMV will accelerate in 2014.

Most fraud on the Internet is linked to unsecured identities, which is why a new global identification framework is needed, says Paul Simmonds, who heads a coalition working on a framework model.

Cybersecurity risks posed by inadequate IAM and IT asset management are mounting. Now the National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence has drafted guidance to address banking institutions' unique risks, says Nate Lesser, the center's deputy director.

Managers at all levels must understand their responsibilities in providing role-based cybersecurity training, says Patricia Toth, a computer scientist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

The NIST cybersecurity framework will help U.S. banking institutions assess their security strategies, but some institutions fear the framework could trigger unnecessary regulations, says Bill Stewart of Booz Allen Hamilton.

The theft of 2 million credentials reminds security professionals that their organizations are at risk because many employees use the same passwords and devices for personal and business purposes, data security lawyer Ronald Raether says.

U.S. banking institutions need to develop payments strategies to deal with virtual currencies, such as Bitcoin, even if the security risks are not yet fully understood, says Fiserv's Mike Urban.