Grant Gross reports: Congress may need to create stiffer penalties for criminal computer hacking to deter the growing number of attacks on U.S. government agencies and businesses, some lawmakers said Wednesday. Congress may revisit the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA), the oft-amended law first passed in 1984, in an effort to counter widespread cyberattacks…
Category: Breach Laws
Belgian Privacy Commission issues new recommendation on data security and breaches
Julien Hick, Jacqueline van Essen and Vincent Wellens of NautaDutilh write: Belgium recently experienced two significant data breaches (involving, amongst other companies, the Belgian railway operator), which resulted in the online disclosure of personal data relating to thousands of people. These events led the Belgian data protection authority (the Privacy Commission) to issue a recommendation on the security…
Mandatory data breach notification law proposed in Canada
Nestor E. Arellano reports: With the Conservative government’s privacy reform bill sitting untouched after being introduced about two years ago, New Democractic Party MP Charmain Borg has introduced a private member’s bill that that would make it mandatory for organizations to report data breach incidents. Bill C-475, Borg’s proposed amendment to the federal Personal Information Protection and Electronics Document…
PA: Pileggi pushes for update to vague law on personal data theft
Melissa Daniels reports: Back in 2007, the theft of several state computers jeopardized the personal information of as many as 400,000 Pennsylvanians. Desktop computers from the Department of Public Welfare were taken from offices in Harrisburg and Philadelphia. Then, a laptop issued to the Department of Aging was stolen from a private residence. There’s no telling what someone might…
Vermont Offers Businesses Two Confusing Options For Notifying the Vermont AG of Security Breaches
Nathan D. Taylor writes: Last year, Vermont amended its security breach notification law to join the growing list of states that require notice to the state attorney general or other state regulator regarding security breaches. Unlike other states, Vermont offered businesses two options with respect to how and when notice must be provided to the…
EU proposes new cybercrime reporting rules
BBC reports: Over 40,000 firms, including energy providers, banks and hospitals could be required to report cyber-break-ins under new rules proposed by the EU. It is part of a move to intensify global efforts to fight cybercrime. Digital agenda commissioner Neelie Kroes said that Europe needed to improve how it dealt with cybersecurity. But firms…