Across my career from conducting threat intelligence investigations and digital forensics to advising Fortune 100 and SMB clients I've seen one universal truth emerge:
In my work helping organizations navigate cyber threats, incident response, identity-based attacks, insider risk, and compliance, I repeatedly see the same pattern: the biggest vulnerabilities aren't just technical. They're rooted in how the organization handles, stores, shares, and governs personal data.
Over the last decade, I've written and spoken publicly about the intersection of abuse, technology, and privacy whether in my investigative privacy articles, on podcasts, or through my client advisory work. And today, the message is clearer than ever:
Privacy is a core security function. It's easy to see where the shift happened. Attackers don't break into companies just for bragging rights; they're after personal data that can be weaponized.
Privacy Reduces the Severity of Attacks
When I investigate breaches or analyze compromise patterns, one factor consistently determines the damage:
How much unnecessary personal data the organization kept.
Privacy programs naturally enforce:
- Data minimization - collecting only what's needed
- Retention limits - automatic deletion of stale data
- Documented data flows - clear visibility into data movement
- Controlled access - principle of least privilege for personal data
You can deploy EDR, MFA, zero trust, and SIEM, but if you're hoarding stale or ungoverned customer and employee data, attackers will still turn it into profit.
Privacy Failures Are Now Treated as Security Failures
Regulators increasingly don't differentiate. If you mishandle personal data, you're out of compliance no matter how many security tools you've deployed.
That means security teams are directly affected when:
- Privileges grow unchecked across systems containing personal data
- Third-party tools collect more data than expected without proper vetting
- Systems store PII without governance or documented purpose
- Logs fail to reflect personal data movement during investigations
Incident Response Requires Privacy, Not Just Detection
One of the hardest parts of IR - whether you're responding in-house or on a consulting call - is answering basic questions:
Where is the sensitive data?
Privacy answers this with data inventories and mapping.
Who accessed it?
Privacy provides access controls and audit logs.
What third parties store copies?
Privacy programs oversee vendor data processing agreements.
How long has it existed?
Privacy sets data retention schedules and policies.
Privacy provides the map that incident response depends on.
The Bottom Line: Privacy is Everyone's Job
Once you understand how integral privacy is to security, you can see why privacy matters to the rest of the company as well. For instance, IT needs privacy to reduce technical complexity, and marketing needs privacy to maintain brand trust.
Organizations that treat privacy as a shared responsibility end up more secure, resilient, efficient, trustworthy, and competitive. Your investment in privacy pays off with:
This is the new baseline for modern business.
Take Action: Next Steps for Your Organization
Ready to bridge the security-privacy gap in your organization? Here's how to get started:
- Audit your current data inventory - What personal data do you actually protect?
- Map privacy controls to security frameworks - Align GDPR/CCPA requirements with your existing security program
- Include privacy in incident response plans - Practice breach scenarios that involve personal data