“Congratulations! Your Data Has Been Stolen (Again). Enjoy Your Free Credit Monitoring.”

I received another letter in the mail this week. You probably did too. It had all the usual elements:

• A calm, reassuring tone

• A vague explanation of a “security incident”

• A timeline that somehow stretches back months before anyone noticed

• And, of course, the grand finale...

“We are offering you 12 months of complimentary credit monitoring.”

Ah yes. The modern-day equivalent of putting a Band-Aid on a bullet wound.

The Loyalty Program Nobody Asked For

At this point, I’ve lost track of how many times my personal data has been “potentially exposed.” If these credit monitoring offers stacked, I’d be covered until the year 2247. It’s almost like a rewards program:

• 1 breach = Bronze Tier Monitoring

• 5 breaches = Silver Tier Identity Protection

• 10 breaches = Congratulations, you’re now a Platinum Victim

Hey! Let’s Call This What It Is... No Real Consequences

For many organizations, a data breach is not a catastrophic failure. It’s a manageable business event. Think about that...

• The fines? Often negligible compared to revenue

• The lawsuits? Settled quietly

• The reputational damage? Fades faster than you’d expect

• The “remediation”? Outsourced to a credit monitoring vendor

And just like that, business continues.

Where the Incentive Model Breaks

If you step back and look at this from a risk perspective, the problem becomes obvious...

There is no meaningful financial or operational incentive to truly prioritize data protection.

Compare it to other industries:

• If a car manufacturer ignores safety --> recalls, lawsuits, massive penalties

• If a bank mishandles money --> regulatory action, leadership fallout

• If a tech company leaks millions of identities --> “We regret to inform you…”

Somehow, the consequences don’t scale with the impact.

Security Theater vs. Security Reality

Many companies will tell you they take security seriously. And to be fair, some truly do. But in far too many cases, what exists is security theater.

• Compliance checkboxes instead of real controls

• Annual audits instead of continuous monitoring

• Policies that look great on paper but fail in practice

And when something goes wrong, a press release… and a coupon for credit monitoring.

The Real Cost ;)

Let’s talk about who actually pays the price. Not the organization. You do!

• Your SSN is out there, forever

• Your data is sold, resold, and aggregated

• Your risk of fraud increases permanently

• Your time is spent freezing credit, monitoring accounts, dealing with fallout

And in exchange? A year of a service you didn’t ask for… to protect you from a problem you didn’t create.

What Would Real Accountability Look Like?

If we actually wanted to fix this, the model would need to change.

Imagine a world where...

• Penalties scale with the volume and sensitivity of data exposed

• Executives are personally accountable for gross negligence

• Mandatory minimum security standards are enforced (not just “recommended”)

• Breach response includes long-term identity protection, not a 12-month gesture

• Repeat offenders face escalating consequences

Suddenly, security becomes a priority, not a cost center. But, until then…we’ll keep getting the letters, we’ll keep seeing the headlines, and we’ll keep adding to our ever-growing collection of “free” credit monitoring subscriptions. At some point, you have to wonder...

Is the system broken… or is it working exactly as designed?

Cybersecurity professionals spend countless hours trying to prevent these incidents. But until the consequences of failure are real... truly real...we’re not fixing the problem. We’re just managing the optics.