The UK’s data privacy regulator, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), is investigating Microsoft over potential privacy concerns with its recently announced AI-powered “Recall” feature for Windows PCs. Microsoft Recall is designed to continuously capture screenshots of a user’s PC activity and use AI to create a searchable computer usage history. While these screenshots would be
United Kingdom
U.K. Unveils Replacement GDPR, then Retracts It
By Robinson+Cole's Data Privacy + Cybersecurity Team on
Posted in Data Privacy
When the U.K. withdrew from the European Union (EU), its General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) status was one of many headaches for regulators to figure out. After drawn-out negotiations over points such as requiring opt-in or opt-out models, lawmakers had settled mainly on a GDPR-like solution called the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill.
The…
Intelligence Points to Likely Russian Attacks on Critical Infrastructure
By Linn Foster Freedman on
Posted in Cybersecurity
The cybersecurity authorities of the United States (including CISA, FBI, NSA and DOE), Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom released a joint Cybersecurity Advisory (CSA) on April 20, 2022, “to warn organizations that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could expose organizations both within and beyond the region to increased malicious cyber activity.”
According to…
CISA Issues Alert on Top Exploited Vulnerabilities
By Linn Foster Freedman on
Posted in Cybersecurity
On July 28, 2021, the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) issued a cybersecurity alert entitled “Top Routinely Exploited Vulnerabilities” in collaboration with the Australian Cyber Security Centre, the United Kingdom’s National Cyber Security Centre, and the FBI.
The Alert concludes that cyber criminals are exploiting vulnerabilities in unpatched systems, but that many of the…
Worldwide Plans for Apps and Cards to Prove Your Vaccination Status: Are There Privacy Concerns?
By Kathryn Rattigan on
Posted in Coronavirus, Data Privacy
A new commercial has hit the airwaves in Israel. It begins with a door swinging open to reveal a beautiful seaside patio with a couple awaiting their dinners as a voiceover says, “How much have we missed going out with friends?” Well, with the Green Pass “a door simply opens in front of you” and…
U.S. Users Targeted with Phishing Scams More than Users in Other Countries
By Linn Foster Freedman on
Posted in New + Now
The statistic that cybercriminals have been unleashing 18 million phishing emails laced with malware on a daily basis into cyberspace during the pandemic is mind boggling, and one that executives should pay attention to when prioritizing resources for user education. Math was never my strongest subject, but 18 million malicious emails targeted at all of…
C-Suite + Managers Pose Higher Security Risk to Organizations
By Linn Foster Freedman on
Posted in Cybersecurity
You executives and managers who are in my age group (that is, you didn’t grow up with mobile devices and computers) listen up. According to several studies, you pose a higher security risk to your organization than the up-and-comers you manage.
According to a new survey of 2,000 workers aged 16 to 55+ in the…
GEO Group Hit with Ransomware Attack
By Linn Foster Freedman on
Posted in Cybersecurity
The GEO Group, Inc. (GEO), a publicly held company located in Boca Raton Florida, announced on November 3, 2020, that it is beginning to notify individuals following a ransomware attack that “impacted a limited amount of personally identifiable information and protected health information for some inmates and residents contained on certain servers for a small…
UK National Cyber Security Centre Issues Security Alert for SharePoint Vulnerability
By Linn Foster Freedman on
Posted in Cybersecurity, Data Security
The UK National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) issued an alert on October 16, 2020, to raise awareness “of a new remote code execution vulnerability (CVE – 2020 – 16952)”, which affects Microsoft’s SharePoint product. According to the alert, “successful exploitation of this vulnerability would allow an attacker to run arbitrary code and to carry out…
Chinese and Russian Hackers Targeting COVID-19 Vaccine Makers in U.S. Crosshairs
By Linn Foster Freedman on
Posted in Coronavirus, Enforcement + Litigation
Last week, authorities from the United States, United Kingdom and Canada accused a well-known hacker group tied to the Russian government, APT29 a/k/a Cozy Bear of using malware to exploit security vulnerabilities to enable it to steal COVID-19 vaccine research from companies located in these countries working to develop a vaccine. This was after a…