NIST's Ron Ross points out that its seminal security control guidance, Special Publication 800-53, contains only one privacy control, requiring agencies to conduct a privacy impact assessment. That will change by year's end.

You know your organization's social media policy is a good one when it starts sounding less like a checklist and more like common sense, says Sherrie Madia, social media expert and author.

An important component of preparing for a potential HIPAA compliance audit is to complete a "walk through" to make sure privacy and security policies and procedures are practical and effective, former HIPAA enforcer Adam Greene advises.

The long-overdue HIPAA compliance audit program likely will launch late this year or early in 2012 after up to 20 test audits are completed, says Susan McAndrew, deputy director of the federal agency overseeing the program.

Eddie Schwartz didn't shy away from the offer to become RSA's first chief security officer after the security firm experienced a sophisticated advanced-persistent-threat breach. Instead, Schwartz embraced the hack as the reason to take the job. (See RSA to Get Its First Chief Security Officer.)

Recent high-profile data breaches and heightened threats add up to one thing: a bright future for information security professionals who want to start or re-start a career in risk management.

RSA customers who feel victimized by last March's breach of the security vendor's computers have viable options that include continued use of the SecurID authentication tokens, those offered by competitors, or something entirely different: biometrics.

Today's top fraud threats recognize no global boundaries, says James Ratley, head of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners. And they require a stronger global workforce than ever before.

Eddie Schwartz, the new - and first - chief security officer of RSA, says the IT security provider hit by a sophisticated advanced-persistent-threat attack in March is focusing internal security on efforts to reduce the time an intruder can go undetected.

A key factor in minimizing the risk of a breach when working with business associates is to provide these partners with the minimum amount of information they need to perform their services, says security expert Brian Lapidus.