With President Xi Jinping of China beside him at a news conference in the White House Rose Garden last month, President Obama said the two had come to an agreement that China and the United States would refrain from cyberattacks aimed at pilfering company intellectual property or trade secrets for commercial advantage.

Are top executives getting a pass on cyber security responsibility? Eric Anderholm, CEO of Sergeant Laboratories, a cyber security firm, believes so. He notes that when the CIO is asked what happened after a breach, the answer is usually, "We don't know." Anderholm notes that answer is often viewed as acceptable, particularly when the CEO is loath to admit that he or she wouldn't understand the clear answer.