Summary: Emerging regulations and shifting buyer expectations have transformed embedded security into a critical requirement. For enterprises, specialized training is critical to maintain global market access. For individuals, it is the key to career longevity in an automated world.

As devices become more connected and autonomous, protection against cyber security incidents is of paramount concern for companies aiming for global market access and consumer loyalty. In the modern digital economy, security has transitioned from a defensive cost to a primary brand differentiator. To maintain a competitive edge, technical professionals and business leaders must shift toward developing skills in embedded security, which involves reinforcing the hardware-software interface.

Catalysts for the Shift: Trust and Regulation

This widespread transformation, driven by evolving regulations as well as market demands, is why industries across the globe are reevaluating how they prioritize and develop security talent. Two changes are currently acting as catalysts for this shift:

• The “Trust Premium”: The increased willingness of consumers to pay more for devices and brands they trust to secure their data and protect their privacy, and to abandon those they don’t
• UN Regulation No. 155 (UN R155) and UN Regulation No. 156 (UN R156): Mandatory compliance measures that require automotive manufacturers and suppliers in signatory markets to implement cyber security management systems and software update management systems

Today, whether a product is a software-defined vehicle or a smart wearable, the fundamental commodity being sold is security.

Capturing the IoT Trust Premium

As smart devices integrate deeper into our private lives, the ability to protect consumers’ information is even more vital to market success. In fact, 64% of consumers report significantly higher confidence in brands that implement advanced security and data protection technologies.

To earn consumer loyalty, brands must move beyond data minimization and embrace systemic resilience. Companies must safeguard their infrastructure down to the hardware, which provides a level of protection that simple software patches can’t match. But defense is only half the battle. True systemic resilience stems from designing systems that can withstand, adapt, and recover from attacks while upskilling talent to stay ahead of evolving threats to sensitive digital information.

From Trust to Loyalty

Consumers are increasingly voting with their wallets by abandoning brands that fail to protect their digital footprints.

With the global smart home market projected to reach nearly US$180 billion in 2026, security has evolved from a technical checkbox into a high-stakes business requirement. For manufacturers and service providers, secure-by-design infrastructure isn’t just an ethical choice; it’s a commercial accelerator.

Measurable Impact by Design

Building trust has a clear, measurable impact on the bottom line:

• Accelerated Sales Cycles: Retailers and platform providers are tightening their compliance requirements. Companies with hardware-level security can streamline or bypass lengthy vendor audits and risk assessments, closing deals faster than less-secure competitors.
• Trust Premium: Consumers who trust a brand are more likely to pay premium prices, use extra services, and become a brand advocate, meaning security-conscious brands can command higher margins.
• Customer Retention: Following an incident or negative press, brands with a reputation for resilience are less likely to lose customers as they remain confident in the company’s ability to recover.

As household and industrial adoption of smart devices continues to rise, the demand for engineers with the specialized skills required to move from standard tech to secure-by-design products will only intensify. Position yourself or your organization at the forefront of this consumer shift by mastering the fundamentals of Internet of Things (IoT) security.

Realizing Global Ambitions for Automotive Security

The automotive cyber security market is expected to grow to US$10.4 billion by 2034. As vehicles become more software-dependent, they offer unprecedented benefits in personalization and fuel efficiency but also present new safety implications. Cyber attacks and data breaches introduce new risk vectors, threatening public safety and infringing on user privacy. These threats can be addressed through compliance with widespread regulations and gaining a better understanding of the steps necessary to secure the vehicular network.

Speeding Toward Mandatory UN R155/R156 Compliance

Automotive manufacturers and tier-one suppliers have been sprinting toward phased mandatory compliance with UN R155 and UN R156 cyber security requirements in recent years.

• UN R155 mandates that vehicles be protected over their entire lifecycle via a verified cyber security management system (CSMS).
• UN R156 requires that vehicle software update management systems (SUMS) ensure over-the-air software updates are secure.

While the U.S. is not a formal signatory of these regulations, its influence is inescapable for any manufacturer or supplier with global ambitions. Non-compliance can mean being shut out of some of the most lucrative U.S. automotive export markets. The more than 50 signatory countries include Japan, Korea, and the European Union. Even within U.S. boundaries, mastering CSMS requirements early could offer future flexibility, helping organizations avoid the considerable costs of retrofitting security into finished platforms.

How Specialization Protects the Individual and the Enterprise

For the individual, mastering new protocols and skills in cyber security offers a path to becoming an indispensable asset, with the demand for senior engineers outpacing graduation rates. While AI can automate general coding tasks, it lacks the nuanced problem-solving required to architect embedded security systems.

For enterprise leaders, internal upskilling is the most efficient bridge to meeting future market demands. Investing in your current team optimizes operational costs and fosters the loyalty to retain top performers in-house. It’s a dual win: meeting complex regulations while future-proofing the organization’s most valuable asset.

Take the Next Step in Your Technical Evolution

Whether you’re an engineer seeking in-demand skills or an employer looking to educate and grow your team, industry shifts like these have implications you can’t afford to ignore.

While 70% of organizations expect the demand for technical contributors to rise, a mere 29% currently provide the training necessary to transition staff into specialized cyber security roles. This widening gap presents a critical opportunity for business leaders and professionals alike to gain a professional edge.

To invest in your career longevity and develop your skills in these critical areas, sign up for the All About IoT Security and Automotive Cyber Security: Protecting the Vehicular Network course programs. Participants earn professional development credit and a shareable digital badge, and IEEE members receive a US$100 discount.

Or, at the enterprise level, connect with an IEEE Content Specialist today to discuss bringing IoT security and automotive cyber security training to your organization.

Summary: Data privacy is now a core business priority, driven by new regulations and rising enforcement. Organizations must embrace privacy‑by‑design operational excellence to protect sensitive data, maintain trust, and stay competitive.

In today’s hyper-connected economy, data is often called “the new oil.” Unlike oil, data is deeply personal, increasingly regulated, and carries a high risk of “spillage.” Such spillage can shatter an organization’s reputation in a single afternoon. As we move through 2026, the conversation around data privacy has shifted from a niche legal concern to a core business imperative. For professionals and organizations alike, the question is no longer if privacy matters. Instead, it is how to build systems that respect it by design.

The Rising Stakes: Data Privacy in the 2026 News Cycle

The start of 2026 has marked a turning point in the privacy landscape.

Recent headlines highlight that regulators are moving toward enforcement:

• The Rise of Neural Data: Connecticut has become a pioneer in 2026 by expanding its privacy laws to include “neural data,.” This change reflects the growth of brain-computer interfaces. Moreover, it highlights the need to protect our most intimate biological information.
• Targeting “Dark Patterns”: California and Connecticut regulators have recently stepped up enforcement against websites using deceptive user interfaces (dark patterns). These interfaces make it difficult for users to opt out of data tracking.
• Global Modernization: On 28 January 2026, the Council of Europe and the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) will cohost an in person and virtual event to modernize Convention 108+. That document is the global standard for privacy. The event will ensure it can withstand the era of AI and quantum computing.

Data Privacy Day 2026: From Awareness to Action

Every year on 28 January, the international community celebrates Data Privacy Day. Meanwhile, the broader Data Privacy Week takes place from 26–30 January . For 2026, the theme is “Take Control of Your Data.”

While the day often focuses on individual habits like changing passwords or enabling two-factor authentication (2FA), for professionals, it serves as a strategic launchpad. Data Privacy Day is a reminder for organizations and professionals to:

• Audit your current stack: Assess if your data inventory is up to date.
• Foster a Privacy Culture: Move beyond onboarding videos and engage teams in role-specific privacy challenges.
• Bridge the Skills Gap: Use the momentum of the week to advocate for professional certifications and specialized engineering training.

Why Privacy is Your Competitive Advantage

Beyond avoiding regulatory fines, there are significant competitive advantages for companies that prioritize privacy. In 2026, Privacy-as-a-Service (Paas) and transparent data handling will become major market differentiators.

1. Consumer Trust: A 2025 study showed that 70% of consumers will switch brands if they feel their data is being used without clear, usable consent.
2. Operational Resilience: Organizations that operationalize privacy reduce their “attack surface” by practicing data minimization. In other words, if you don’t store it, it can’t be stolen.
3. Future-Proofing for AI: As the EU AI Act enters full implementation, having a robust privacy framework is the only way to safely deploy generative AI tools.

How IEEE Prepares You for This New Reality

Navigating this complex landscape requires more than just reading the law; it requires engineering and operational expertise. This is where IEEE Educational Activities, in collaboration with IEEE Digital Privacy, provides a critical bridge.

Protecting Privacy in the Digital Age is a specialized four-course series. It is designed to move privacy from a legal document to a living part of your organization’s workflow.

What the Program Covers:

• Operationalizing Privacy: Move beyond theory and learn how to implement privacy frameworks in a real-world organizational context.
• Engineering Trust: Discover how to build privacy into the software development lifecycle (SDLC). This is wiser than “bolting it on” at the end.
• Usability for End Users: Address the “Privacy Paradox” by making privacy controls intuitive and accessible.
• Emerging Technical Challenges: Stay ahead of the curve on hurdles like AI governance and biometric security.

Take the Next Step

Whether you are an individual professional looking to future-proof your career or an organizational leader aiming to protect your company’s future, IEEE has the resources to guide you.

• For Individuals:
  Interested in access for yourself? Visit the IEEE Learning Network (ILN) to explore the Protecting Privacy in the Digital Age program. Participants earn professional development credit and a shareable digital badge. IEEE members save US$100.
• For Organizations:
  Connect with an IEEE Content Specialist today to learn how to get access to this program for your organization.

You are most vulnerable to cyber attacks when you are traveling. According to a recent research report conducted on behalf of IBM Security, those who are traveling do not take all of the necessary precautions, connecting to unsecured public Wi-Fi, charging their devices at public USB stations, and using their private information on publicly accessible computers.

What should be especially worrying to companies is that people are more likely to engage in these risky behaviors when traveling for business rather than for pleasure, with only 13% saying that they have never connected to public wifi. Because employees often work while traveling, many business travelers connect to public hotspots and surf the web.

More than 1 in 7 travelers surveyed admitted to having their information stolen while traveling.  In 2017, the travel and transportation industry was the tenth most targeted industry for cyber attacks, but the rankings have shifted dramatically. Recent data shows that attempted attacks on IBM customers revealed that in 2018, it was the second-most targeted industry.

Here are 15 tips to help you avoid putting your personal and business data at risk while traveling:

1. 1. Know your rights and the local laws before you go to a foreign country. Your local privacy rights, not to mention your federally protected rights as a citizen of your country, disappear at the border. If border guards request access to the digital contents of your laptop, you may have no choice but to provide it. Plan ahead and know your legal rights in that country and the rights the country may have to your data.
   2. Before leaving, reset all of your frequently used passwords. This includes PINs for a safe or security box in your hotel room. Take the effort to make sure your personal information is safe. Avoid using easy phrases or numerical sequences, including the all-too common “123456”. In the National Cyber Security Centre’s worldwide analysis of passwords belonging to breached accounts, 23.2 million accounts used this code. And if you’re a big music-lover or superhero fan, try to stay away from “blink182” and “superman”, the most common musical artist and fictional character used in passwords.
   3. Set up temporary email and cloud storage accounts. When it’s necessary to use a computer that doesn’t belong to you, work from these throwaway accounts. This is especially important if you plan to use hotel business center computers, which are clear targets for malware, keystroke recording equipment, and other cyber attacks while traveling.
   4. Leave personal data at home. Chances are, all your data is stored in the cloud. Before traveling, delete the local copy after disabling the sync feature on your laptop, so that there’s no important data left on your laptop. Make all your updates and edits on cloud-based copies while you’re away and re-enable the local cache when you return home.
   5. Protect copied data. Encrypt your information using products like Microsoft’s Active Directory Rights Management Service to make sure others cannot access it. Even if border guards or thieves gain access, it’s unlikely they’ll be able to view it later.
   6. Disable auto-connect on your phone. Although it’s a handy feature when used at home, it’s risky to use auto-connect while abroad. Before traveling, change this setting on your device so that you must manually connect each time you connect to the internet.
   7. Install anti-virus protection, host-based firewall, and host intrusion prevention software. This is one of the most effective ways to keep your personal data secure while aboard. Use a trusted brand of security software and update it regularly as new versions become available to make sure all security patches are applied. Also, turn off any file or network sharing features.
   8. Only work on secure network options. No matter where you go, steer clear of free Wi-Fi connections. Free internet access is appealing, but it’s also particularly vulnerable to security issues. If you must use internet cafes and free Wi-Fi hotspots, make sure it is not a fake Hotspot set up by hackers and do not log into personal accounts or use sensitive data.
   9. Disable Bluetooth connectivity. If Bluetooth is left on, nearby assailants can connect to your phone and potentially hack into your device.
   10. Make sure all your web surfing is protected by TLS-enabled HTTPS. Try to connect to secure websites only and avoid those trying to put fake digital certificates on your computer, which is a common practice among hackers. Remember that your two-factor authentication (2FA) methods may not work while you are out of the country due to the changes in your service plan.
   11. For business, Use your corporate VPN. If your company’s VPN connection uses split-tunneling, ask a member of the IT team to explain which traffic is secure and which is not secure. You can even use your own personal VPN router when traveling to make sure all connections are secure.
   12. Use a good privacy screen over your laptop display. This will keep wandering eyes off of your screen.
   13. Lock your computing devices anytime you’re not using them. This applies even in your hotel room when showering. Change the PIN numbers you regularly use on your phone, computer, and any other device you plan on accessing. This will help prevent a security breach should you misplace any of your devices.
   14. Be wary of accepting that free flash drive. Although malicious thumb drive attacks are generally uncommon, you may want to think twice about plugging in a USB drive that someone hands to you at a conference. All untrusted media should be approached with caution.
   15. Don’t share your current location with the world. Excessive sharing can create security threats in both your hotel room and at home. Think twice before using social media to advertise that your hotel room is empty while you’re out eating dinner or that your spouse and kids will be home alone for the next week. Wait until you return home to post about your travels so you can protect your assets and your loved ones.

Improve Your Security Techniques

Keep your staff members from making careless and costly mistakes that could put your organization’s information at risk while traveling. Cyber Security Tools for Today’s Environment, an 11-course program, is designed to help businesses improve their security techniques. It’s ideal for professionals in IT, computer science, and related fields who need to stay up-to-date on how to protect enterprise networks from potential threats. Connect with an IEEE Content Specialist today about training your organization on how to stay secure.

 

Resources

8 cyber security tips for business travelers. Norton.

Barlow, Caleb. (21 May 2019). How Cyber-Secure Are Business Travelers? New Report Says Not Very. Security Intelligence.

Grimes, Roger A. (1 Jul 2016). 11 essential data security tips for travelers. CSO.

Picheta, Rob. (23 August 2019). How hackable is your password? CNN Business.

Grauer, Yael. (30 October 2015). Should You Plug That USB Drive Into Your Computer? (Beware Of Malware). Forbes.

Following several recent high-profile cyber attacks, it is more critical than ever for organizations to evaluate their cyber defenses and ask themselves a number of basic cyber security questions to assess their vulnerability.

Each year brings new technological developments that improve people’s lives. At the same time, these advances also introduce new cyber security threats and more attack surfaces.

Moreover, dwindling resources, slow budget growth, increasingly hostile threats, the evolution of the Internet of Things, and expanding ransomware are major reasons why it is becoming more difficult to keep up with the changing threat landscape. Such reasons highlight the need for renewed organizational attention to cyber security. Is your organization vulnerable to a breach or cyber attack?

To evaluate readiness, here are some of the cyber security questions every business should be asking.

• Do You Require Employees to Use Strong Passwords?
  Weak passwords cause of more than half of all data breaches, yet just 24% of small businesses enact policies requiring employees to have a strong password. It is critical to have a strict password policy in place to protect your network.
• Are Your Employees Required to Change Their Passwords Regularly?
  Employees must be required to change their passwords regularly to protect data. Nearly 65 percent of businesses do not strictly enforce their password policy, despite having one in place.
• When Possible, Does Your Business Use Two-Factor Authentication?
  Wherever possible, you should add an additional layer of data security by enforcing two-factor authentication, such as SMS authentication.
• Are Employees Using Their Personal Smartphones for Work Purposes?
  Personal phones and devices significantly increase the chance of malware attacks when employees use them on the office network.
• Do You Back Up Your Files?
  A cyber attack can make confidential files completely inaccessible. Protect them by keeping local backups of all critical files and storing copies on an offsite server.
• Does Every Company Device Have Antivirus and Malware Software Installed?
  Make sure your organization installs the most up-to-date versions of antivirus and malware software on all organizational devices, and that they run properly.
• Do You Limit the Number of Employees with Administrative Access to Only Those Who Need it?
  Administrative access rights should be assigned sparingly and given only to those employees who absolutely need it to conduct their jobs. Additionally, employees who are granted admin access must be trained and well-educated on security issues.
• Do You Encrypt Databases and Customer Information?
  Without encryption, your organization’s sensitive data and customer information is accessible to hackers. To reduce data vulnerability, take steps to ensure all your information is encrypted.
• Have You Trained Your Employees to Recognize Phishing Emails?
  Phishing emails account for nearly half of all cyber attacks, and employees often fail to spot them. It is crucial that every business train their employees to not respond to suspicious emails.

How does your organization prepare to handle a cyber attack? Are you looking for ways to strengthen your organization’s cyber security? If you identified gaps in any of these areas, IEEE provides cyber security and ethical hacking training to help organizations prepare. Learn more about organization pricing and request a quote here.

References:

Bose, Shubhomita. (2017, August 28). 11 Cyber Security Questions Every Small Business Should Ask. Small Business Trends.

Gillin, Paul. (2017, January 30). Two-Factor Authentication: A Little Goes a Long Way. IBM Security Intelligence.

IEEE Cybersecurity Vulnerability Navigator, 2017.

Lindros, Kim. (2016, September 7). A Small Business Guide to Computer Encryption. Business News Daily.