It had been months since a data breach had consumed the news when Equifax burst on the scene in September, announcing that hackers may have accessed information on 145 million Americans. The absence of a large retail breach like Target or Home Depot doesn’t mean the threats have subsided, however. If anything, 2017 has shown how crucial cybersecurity preparedness can be.

A constant drumbeat of targeted but smaller attacks dominated much of 2017. The year started — as each year seems to — with a wave of tax-related phishing attacks. Attackers “spoofed” the email of a C-level executive, requesting that a front-line HR or finance personnel immediately provide sensitive employee information, such as W-2 data.

Read the full article here.