Health law attorney Matthew Fisher writes: Not a day can go by anymore without a report of at least one data breach (and likely more) or a cyber attack on a healthcare organization. The pace of attacks seemed to increase as the world shutdown in from COVID-19 and security concerns have only continued to increase….
Category: Commentaries and Analyses
New York Department of Financial Services Announces a $1.8 Million Settlement with Two Life Insurers for Data Breach Violations
Zachary Dyer, Steven Imber, Justin Liby, and Jennifer Osborn Nix of Polsinelli write: The New York Department of Financial Services (“NYDFS”) recently announced that it has entered into a Consent Order with two affiliated life insurers for alleged violations of New York’s Cybersecurity Regulation (the “NY Cybersecurity Regulation”). The NYDFS conducted an investigation and determined…
UK: ICO fines transgender charity for data protection breach exposing sensitive personal data
Bigger companies may pay bigger fines, but smaller fines do not mean smaller impact when it comes to dealing with sensitive information, as in this case. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has fined transgender charity Mermaids £25,000 for failing to keep the personal data of its users secure. The ICO’s investigation began after it received a…
Bug bounties: Here’s how much Microsoft paid out to security researchers last year
Liam Tung reports: Microsoft has revealed it awarded 341 researchers a total of $13.6 million during the past year for reporting security vulnerabilities in its bug bounty programs. The awards were issued between July 1, 2020 and June 30, 2021 and is slightly less than what it paid out in 2019. That year, Microsoft tripled the awards…
Sg: Spooked by website hacking, ad firm beefs up security, stops using default passwords
Kenny Chee reports: A simple, default password shared by employees was possibly the weak link that allowed hackers to break into advertising and creative agency Splash Productions‘ website and deface it. The incident, which happened about five to six years ago, was a wake-up call that spurred the company to drastically improve its cyber security…
Ransomware-hit law firm gets court order asking crooks not to publish the data they stole
Gareth Corfield reports on what sounds like a legal Hail Mary play: A barristers’ chambers hit by a ransomware attack has responded by getting a court order demanding the criminals do not share stolen data. 4 New Square chambers, which counts IT dispute experts among its ranks, obtained a privacy injunction from the High Court…