2020 Cybersecurity and Privacy Developments: A Year in Review

Cybersecurity and data privacy, topics that were already top of mind for companies at the start of 2020, were pushed even further to the forefront due to the COVID-19 pandemic, significant data security enforcement actions, and the SolarWinds breach discovered in December.

The increased prevalence of remote work made it all the more critical for companies to manage cybersecurity risk. In a recent survey of business and technology executives, 96% of respondents said that they will shift their cybersecurity strategy due to COVID-19 and 50% say that they are more likely to consider cybersecurity in every business decision (up from 25% last year). While cyber and privacy risks were continuing to grow, 2020 also saw new legislation and regulations that increased both the cost and complexity of compliance and the penalties for failing to do so. And, on top of everything, cyber and privacy enforcement and litigation, already at high levels, were more active than ever.

In this Year in Review, we highlight the most significant cybersecurity and privacy developments of 2020 and predict key challenges and areas of focus for the coming year.