I think it's a fruitless effort to try and secure all of the data in the world. Our data is lying in too many places, the databases holding them are too complex

I think it's a fruitless effort to try and secure all of the data in the world. Our data is lying in too many places, the databases holding them are too complex, as another user stated, a breach is really just about money and time. Our systems are too complex to merely increase security standards. I think we can significantly improve the situation though with increased data collection laws, and then also more cryptography. Equifax shouldn't have all that data in the first place. A lot of the reasons that companies need data (besides machine learning) can be covered with cryptographic arguments that exclude the data itself. For example, cryptography exists that would allow me to use my driver's license to prove to you that I am over 21, without ever actually showing you my real birthday or name. You could be 100% convinced that I both have a valid ID and that ID indicates that I am over 21 without learning anything more than those two facts. If you can do things like that, you can make it illegal for companies to hold more sensitive information. If there's a big data breach that loses sensitive information, the company at fault can be charged for illegal data collection. I know it's a big step from the data driven world we currently live in, but I think it's the only way to avoid a scenario where pretty much all details of every person's life (including politicians, secret agents, military figures) are public knowledge. We're just collecting far too much data, putting it in far too many places, and it's technologically infeasible to protect all of that.