The annual Cost of a Data Breach Report (Report) published by IBM is reliably full of helpful cybersecurity data. This year is no different. After reviewing the Report, we pulled out some interesting data points. Of course, the Report as a whole is well worth the read, but if you don’t have the time to

The healthcare sector is a prime target for data breaches. According to a summary by the HIPAA Journal, 32% of all data breaches between 2015 and 2022 were in the healthcare sector, “almost double the number recorded in the financial and manufacturing sectors.” Industry analysts cite to many reasons for this, including the sensitivity

FTC Safeguards Law (and Car Dealerships)

June 9th marked the deadline for financial institutions, including certain non-banking institutions that collect or maintain sensitive customer information (e.g., car dealerships), to implement a comprehensive information security program to comply with the Federal Trade Commission’s updated Safeguards Rule. For additional information, see our post: Reminder: The

On May 27, 2023, Texas’ Governor signed Senate Bill 768 amending Texas’ data breach notification law. The law in question, Section 521.053 of the Texas Business and Commerce Code, sets out the specific requirements any person conducting business in the state who owns or licenses sensitive personal information in a computerized format must follow in

Ransomware is a scary term for many business leaders and CISOs who dread being hit with a malware attack that locks up their data and could shut down operations. They expect to find that oddly-worded ransom note advising how they could recover access to their data, for a sizable fee of course. For a variety

As noted in a prior post, New York’s Attorney General (“NYAG”) has made enforcement of the New York SHIELD Act  an enforcement priority. The SHIELD Act requires organizations handling personal information related to New York residents to maintain reasonable safeguards to protect that information.  Maintaining its focus on this area, the NYAG recently released

This post deals with another data breach, yes, hackers were able to compromise the organization’s systems and exfiltrate personal information relating to over 45,000 Pennsylvania and Ohio residents. However, there are several important takeaways from this case, including cybersecurity in corporate transactions, data retention and destruction, and incident response planning.

According to the Assurance of

To celebrate Data Privacy Day, we present our top ten data privacy and cybersecurity predictions for 2023.

1. Healthcare and Medical Data Security and Tracking

The healthcare industry has been facing increased scrutiny for the protection of healthcare information both online and on apps.

2023 will see a significant increase in the number of lawsuits

Much is being written about “remote work” – is it productive, will demand for it continue or be curtailed in a recession, is cybersecurity compromised, does it inhibit workplace culture, collaboration, etc. Lots of questions, few clear answers. The discussion seems largely centered on office workers, professional services providers like me, who generally can perform

It usually happens after a reported data breach. The organization experiencing the breach sends notifications to affected individuals, as well as federal and or state agencies where appropriate and perhaps other parties. Not long thereafter, the organization receives an inquiry from one or more government agencies. These inquiries typically seek more information about the breach