Cybersecurity is a method to protect your data and systems. Cyber resiliency is a way of doing business in the face of the inevitable. When Hurricane Michael struck the Florida Panhandle earlier this month, it wiped away wide swaths of Mexico Beach, a coastal town on the Gulf of Mexico.…
Cybersecurity Lawyer Forum
Lessons From the Record-Setting Uber Data Breach Settlement
Uber has had a hard time getting data security right. This past week, the ride-sharing company agreed to pay $148 million in a settlement with 50 state attorneys general and the District of Columbia after it intentionally concealed a 2016 data breach. According to the New York Attorney General, it…
Webinar: Data protection and information security in EU, India and California – what next?
JMBM’s Cybersecurity & Privacy Group is pleased to announce that the Group’s Co-Chair, Michael A. Gold, will be participating as a panelist for the webinar Bristows Legally Speaking! Data protection and information security in EU, India and California – what next? Sponsored by the London-based law firm Bristows, the webinar…
California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 – How You Can Prepare
On June 28, 2018, Governor Brown signed the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018, which goes into effect on January 1, 2020. But – because of certain look-back features in the new law – significant compliance will be required by January 1, 2019. The Act is enforceable by the California…
Responding to Ransomware
Agreeing to ransom terms is a losing proposition; spend your time and energy preparing for an attack. Ransomware attacks are on the rise, partly because of the ease and anonymity of crypto-currencies. In a typical ransomware attack, cyber criminals invade a computer system and encrypt key data, then threaten to…
A Field Guide to “Social Engineering” Cyber Scams
Any hobbyist will tell you that a proper guide is a must to mastering a craft. However, a hobby is a part-time occupation; most of us know that our businesses need full-time attention. Because cybersecurity threats can impact core business activities, addressing those threats, especially those known as “social engineering”…
California Adopts the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 – What you need to know
It didn’t take long. On June 28, 2018, just more than a month after the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation went into effect, imposing broad obligations and restrictions on any entity collecting personal information of EU citizens and residents, the California legislature has passed AB 375, and the governor has…
Cybersecurity Incident Response Plans – A Corporate Multi-Use Tool
The stakes have been raised as the EU’s new General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR, mandates notification within 72 hours. Once that happens, social media and public opinion give you only hours to get it right. It’s often said that one can do something well, or quickly, but not both. …
SEC Ramps Up Its Interest in Cryptocurrency Companies with Scores of Subpoenas
By David Ma and Robert Braun The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) could be on target to make 2018 the year of cryptocurrency regulation—or at least the start of it. In January, Jay Clayton, chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission, and J. Christopher Giancarlo, chair of the Commodity Futures…
The U.S. Treasury Wants to Know Your Customers, No Matter What the Currency
FinCEN, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, has indicated that cryptocurrencies will not get an enforcement “pass.” By David Ma and Robert Braun The Treasury Department has outlined its efforts to police electronic currencies in a letter to Sen. Ron Wyden after the lawmaker asked what the department was doing to…