Data security

The Federal Trade Commission just updated its website with disappointing news: No, you aren’t getting $125 because of the Equifax Inc. data breach.

The FBI is looking into whether Italy’s largest bank was also hacked; about 4.5 million people have already inquired about getting a cash settlement with the credit bureau.

As management teams meet to set their priorities, there is a range of issues, including consolidation, cybersecurity and succession planning, that will likely come up.

The hack prompts renewed concerns about security of data held in the cloud; lawmakers acknowledge that Facebook’s proposed Libra cryptocurrency could have applications for law enforcement.

The ongoing availability of stolen account information used to perpetrate vishing and phishing was exacerbated by the Capital One data breach disclosed this week, affecting 100 million accounts, and is likely to increase fraud threats.

A breach that compromises personal data of more than 100 million people is never good, but the company did follow some security best practices.

In what's being called "one of the largest-ever data breaches of a large bank," Capital One said a Seattle hacker gained access to the personal information of more than 100 million customers; Citigroup plans to cut hundreds of jobs in its global markets division and combine its equity trading and prime brokerage units.

Capital One Financial lost data from as many as tens of millions of credit card applications after a Seattle woman hacked into a cloud-computing company server, federal prosecutors in Seattle said.

Consumers are looking forward to $125 settlement checks from Equifax Inc. stemming from a data breach two years ago. Hackers, however, are using the claims as another opportunity to steal their personal information.