MashTalk

How to hold companies accountable for data breaches, with guest Todd Thibodeaux

10.06.2017 - By MashablePlay

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Download on the App StoreGet it on Google Play

Another day, another data breach. That would definitely be an apt catch phrase for 2017, with major, high-profile hacks or breaches coming with disturbing regularity. Equifax and HBO were all hit hard, and the WannaCry ransomware crippled infrastructure around the globe. Even Instagram wasn't spared. With every breach, another refrain is typically heard: That it was preventable. If only the people in charge had invested more in cybersecurity, or updated their systems, or simply weren't incompetent, then the hack never would have happened. Yet those same people often face little or no direct consequences. Some people want to change that, and one of them is Todd Thibodeaux, CEO of CompTIA, a technology association that promotes standards and helps guide the IT industry. Thibodeaux thinks, when it comes to poor network security, accountability for private companies needs to happen at the highest level: the board of directors. Joining the show this week, Thibodeaux goes into detail how such an approach would work and shares his thoughts on why it feels like breaches and hacking -- especially ransomware -- have taken a sharp rise. He also takes a minute to clarify that there actually is a framework for cybersecurity standards that any company can use, but clearly not nearly enough do. Follow MashTalk on Twitter.

More episodes from MashTalk