It’s Friday and the first day of Spring! Get a recap of this week’s cybersecurity news with our picks for this week’s hottest articles from the IT and security presses:

1. “10 Ways To Measure IT Security Program Effectiveness” by Ericka Chickowski
   Measuring the ROI and overall effectiveness of security operations can be a daunting task for CISOs. However, with the progression of infosec as an industry, new methods have been developed to evaluate performance and foster continuous improvement of security programs. In this article, Chickowski provides 10 innovative ways you can measure your IT security program effectiveness.
2. “Hackers May Have Taken Medical Records From Insurer Premera” by Kim Zetter
   Only two months after the large scale Anthem breach, another health insurer has been hacked. Earlier this week, Premera Blue Cross revealed that the medical records of over 11 million people could have been exposed. Despite affecting less customers than the Anthem breach, this breach exposed not only Social Security numbers, but also birth dates, member ID numbers, banking information, and possibly medical claims records and sensitive clinical information. To learn more, check out this article by Zetter.
3. “Most Companies Expect To Be Hacked In The Next 12 Months” by Kelly Jackson Higgins
   "Security is finally waking up to the new reality that's more of a question of 'when' than 'if.'"  Steve Piper, CEO of CyberEdge Group, explains how companies are coming to the realization that breaches are inevitable. As a result, companies have been beefing up their security budgets, but is this enough? Read this article to for more.
4. “The Military’s Cybersecurity Budget in 4 Charts” by Aliya Sternstein
   The U.S. military plans to ramp up their cyber spending in the next few years. For 2016, the White House is going to pitch a $5.5 billion budget. This funding will be used to hire “cyber pros,” as well as security operations, maintenance, and innovation. To get a detailed breakdown of this budget as well as visual representations, give Sternstein’s article a read.
5. “A third of Americans have changed online and phone behaviours post-Snowden” by Lisa Vaas
   About two years ago, Eric Snowden began leaking documents belonging to the National Security Agency. Since then, about 87% of Americans have become aware of the NSA’s surveillance programs. It has been observed that this incident has had a direct impact on the way Americans behave both on and offline. For an in-depth look at how Americans are changing their ways in an effort to maintain their privacy, direct yourself to Vaas’ article.