Alison Frankel reports: Shiyang Huang is not a lawyer. Nor is he a professional objector who makes a living from demanding payments to drop filing vexatious objections to class action appeals. By his account, he’s just a pro se litigant from Topeka who doesn’t think federal courts should be called upon to adjudicate claims by…
Category: Of Note
What Does the Fifth Circuit’s Vacating of HHS HIPAA Fines Mean for Companies This Year?
Here is some more commentary on the Fifth Circuit opinion in MD Anderson v. HHS. Elfin Noce, Liisa Thomas & Susan Ingargiola of SheppardMullin write, in part: On the ruling regarding the disclosure of ePHI, the Fifth Circuit held that HHS had failed to establish that MD Anderson disclosed ePHI to someone outside of the covered entity. The…
The M.D. Anderson Case and the Future of HIPAA Enforcement
Privacy law scholar Daniel Solove writes: The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit just issued a blistering attack on HIPAA enforcement by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). In University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer v. Department of Health and Human Services (No. 19-60226, Jan. 14, 2001), the 5th Circuit struck down a fine…
Hackers try to contaminate Florida town’s water supply through computer breach
This is the stuff nightmares are made of. Chris Bing reports: Hackers broke into the computer system of a facility that treats water for about 15,000 people near Tampa, Florida and sought to add a dangerous level of additive to the water supply, the Pinellas County Sheriff said on Monday. The attempt on Friday was…
Taiwan Mobile operator’s security breach hits headlines
Arthur Shay of Shay & Shay writes: On 15 January 2021 the National Communications Commission (NCC) issued an official order of recall against Taiwan Mobile, one of the country’s top three mobile operators. The order concerned Taiwan Mobile’s self-branded smartphone (the Amazing A32), which had been supplied by a Chinese company and was sold to…
Blockchain transactions confirm murky and interconnected ransomware scene
Catalin Cimpanu reports: A report published today by blockchain investigations firm Chainalysis confirms that cybercrime groups engaging in ransomware attacks don’t operate in their own bubbles but often switch ransomware suppliers (RaaS services) in a search for better profits. The report analyzed how Bitcoin funds were transferred from victims to criminal groups, and how the…