The “Year of the Hack” will probably be one way that 2014 will be remembered. But it actually began in 2013 with a phishing email sent to independent, mid-sized air conditioning vendor Fazio Mechanical.

2014 hacks kicked into high gear with the resignation of the CEO at one of the nation’s largest and most recognizable retailers — Target. It then steadily progressed to see similar attacks on other major retailers like Neiman Marcus and Home Depot, and even financial institutions like Chase and J.P. Morgan. It finally exploded in November with a monstrous cyber assault against a major entertainment brand, Sony, drawing concern by the private-sector and the ire of our own government.

There are clues to how…