Just as ending a relationship with an email or a text message is bad form, employers don’t usually terminate employees with an email. Nonetheless, since a message that appears to address a termination is so drastic and final, it is hard to resist opening it, if only to see if your severance is mentioned in … Continue Reading
It is being reported by ZDNet that the Maze ransomware group has attacked two companies that, apparently, refused to pay the requested ransom, so Maze, as it promises, recently released approximately 76GB combined of the companies’ data on the Internet. True to its threat, once Maze is able to infiltrate a company’s system, it exfiltrates … Continue Reading
I have never been a fan of TikTok [view related post]. In general, I do not trust any Chinese technology companies because of the influence and requirements the Chinese government wields over them. The Chinese government has been stealing U.S.-based companies’ intellectual property for decades, has required U.S.-based companies to provide computer code in order … Continue Reading
For those of you who don’t know, a fun fact is that Robinson+Cole one of the oldest law firms in Connecticut, and among our claims to fame is that we represented Mark Twain and Helen Keller. We are quite proud of our history and our reputation, and rightfully so. We are steeped in Connecticut law, … Continue Reading
Oregon became the latest state to require manufacturers of internet “connected devices” that make, sell or offer to sell the devices in the state to equip the device with “reasonable security features” according to Oregon House Bill 2395 amending ORS 646.607. According to the law, “[R]easonable security features” means methods to protect a connected device … Continue Reading
In my 25 years in the data privacy and cybersecurity profession, this is the first time that I believe a medical device has been recalled because of a cybersecurity risk. This week, Medtronic recalled its 508 Insulin pumps because of cybersecurity vulnerabilities. The FDA urged the recall, saying in a notice: “The FDA is concerned … Continue Reading
Researchers at cybersecurity firm AlienVault have discovered a computer virus of North Korean origin which infects and hijacks computers in order to mine Monero, a private digital currency which styles itself as “secure, private and untraceable.” Cryptocurrency mining is the resource-intensive process by which computers or “miners” running specific software verify cryptocurrency transactions. In exchange … Continue Reading
On the heels of Eddie Bauer’s notification of a cyber intrusion affecting all of its retail stores in the U.S. and Canada, KPMG has released a study showing that almost one-fifth of respondents to a survey said they would avoid a retailer that was a target of a successful cyber intrusion, even if the company … Continue Reading
With the revelations that the Paris and San Bernardino attackers used encrypted communications to recruit, communicate and plan their attacks, the U.S. government is again pushing the tech industry to provide it backdoor access to encryption protocols. Bypassing security mechanisms through a backdoor, law enforcement believes, permits it to more effectively track users and content, … Continue Reading
Cybersecurity, encryption, and government surveillance are daily challenges for public officials, corporations, and lawyers. On October 16, the Roger Williams University School of Law will present Cybersecurity and Law Enforcement: The Cutting Edge, featuring U.S. senators Sheldon Whitehouse and Jack Reed, Representative Jim Langevin, the Federal Trade Commission’s Jessica Rich, Google’s David Lieber, data privacy lawyer … Continue Reading
The 2015 US State of Cybercrime survey has been released and is worth a read. The Survey, co-sponsored by PwC, CSO, the CERT Division of the Software Engineering Institute at Carnegie Mellon University and the United States Secret Service is the result of survey responses from more than 500 US businesses, law enforcement services and government … Continue Reading
