The recent cyberattack that took down websites like PayPal, Amazon, Netflix and Twitter was just the latest reminder about the importance and vulnerability of the internet.

Coming, ironically, near the end of National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, the attack also reinforced how important it is that financial institutions regulators and lawmakers continuously up their game to protect our country's financial networks. It's little wonder that a recent National Association of Federal Credit Unions survey found data breaches are the top concern among credit unions right now.

Trying to track the number of financial transactions processed over the internet each day would be like trying to count the grains of sand on a beach. Amazon, one of the companies hit last week, processes an estimated 35 orders every second, and that number can increase by a factor of 10 during big sales. Hackers, thieves and terrorists are constantly probing the networks through which those transactions flow, looking for ways to get in and steal money, pilfer information or cause disruption, as in the case in last week's attack. So, it's not enough for us to stay constantly vigilant; we also must keep working to do a better job of protection.