Lucian Constantin reports: In a perfect example of how public wireless networks can be dangerous for privacy and security, an Israeli hacker showed that he could have taken over the free Wi-Fi network of an entire city. On his way home from work one day, Amihai Neiderman, the head of research at Israeli cybersecurity firm…
Category: Commentaries and Analyses
MI: Confidential information put at risk, state auditors say
Justin A. Hinkley reports: The state did not properly secure certain confidential records that included Social Security numbers, tax information and personal health information, state auditors reported Thursday. Auditors found no instances of a security breach at the state Department of Technology, Management & Budget’s Records Management Services, but found several issues that put Michiganders’ personal information…
UK: TLT v SoS: How do you quantify damages for data breaches?
Cynthia O’Donoghue and Chantelle Taylor write: A recent High Court decision, TLT and others v Secretary of State for the Home Office [2016] EWHC 2217 (QB) (“TLT v SoS”), paves the way for the greater recognition of distress in cases of data breaches and the misuse of private information. The victims of a data breach, in this case asylum…
UK: Vicarious liability for data security breaches by employees
James Hyde writes: Précis Axon v Ministry of Defence and News Group Newspapers Ltd [2016] EWHC 787 (QB) The High Court dismissed a claim for misuse of private information and breach of confidence brought by a former Commanding Officer of a Royal Navy frigate, against the Ministry of Defence where a fellow employee disclosed confidential…
Anxiety not a claim for damages in Barnes & Nobles data breach case
Karen Kidd writes: Plaintiffs in a data breach class action lawsuit against Barnes & Noble fixed their standing problem but still couldn’t adequately allege damages, a Pittsburgh attorney says. “Upon analyzing the facts, this was not a particularly surprising ruling,” Brian Willett, an associate with Reed Smith, said. “However, it was significant in the data privacy…
FTC Issues Guidance for Responding to Data Breaches
Caleb Skeath writes: On Tuesday, the FTC issued new guidance for businesses on responding to data breaches, along with an accompanying blog post and video. The data breach response guidance follows the issuance of the FTC’s “Start with Security” data security guidance last year and builds upon recent FTC education and outreach initiatives on data security and cybersecurity issues. The FTC’s data…