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On January 25, 2018, the Standardization Administration of China published the full text of the Information Security Technology – Personal Information Security Specification (the “Specification”). The Specification will come into effect on May 1, 2018. The Specification is voluntary, but could become influential within China because it establishes benchmarks for the processing of personal information by a wide variety of entities and organizations. In effect, the Specification constitutes a best practices guide for the collection, retention, use, sharing and transfer of personal information, and for the handling of related information security incidents. Continue Reading China Releases National Standard on Personal Information Security

On January 8, 2017, the UK Information Commissioner (“ICO”) issued an unprecedented monetary penalty of £400,000 against British mobile phone retailer, The Car Phone Warehouse Limited. Following an attack on their system in 2015, the ICO found that the company had failed to take adequate steps to protect the personal data it held on its system. Continue Reading UK ICO Issues Unprecedented Fine Against Mobile Phone Retailer for Lax Security

On August 18, 2017, the FTC published the fifth blog post in its “Stick with Security” series. As we previously reported, the FTC will publish an entry every Friday for the next few months focusing on each of the 10 principles outlined in its Start with Security Guide for Businesses. This week’s post, entitled Stick with Security: Store sensitive personal information securely and protect it during transmission, outlines steps businesses can take to secure sensitive data, including when it is in transit. Continue Reading FTC Posts Fifth Blog in Its “Stick with Security” Series

Recently, the Colorado Division of Securities (the “Division”) published cybersecurity regulations for broker-dealers and investment advisers regulated by the Division. Colorado’s cybersecurity regulations follow similar regulations enacted in New York that apply to certain state-regulated financial institutions. Continue Reading Colorado Publishes Cybersecurity Regulations for Financial Institutions

On May 22, 2017, New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman announced that the AG’s office has reached a settlement (the “Settlement”) with Safetech Products LLC (“Safetech”) regarding the company’s sale of insecure Bluetooth-enabled wireless doors and padlocks. In a press release, Schneiderman indicated that this “marks the first time an attorneys general’s office has taken legal action against a wireless security company for failing to protect their [customers’] personal and private information.” Continue Reading New York AG Settles with Wireless Lock Maker Over Security Flaws

Recently, Virginia passed an amendment to its data breach notification law that adds state income tax information to the types of data that require notification to the Virginia Office of the Attorney General in the event of unauthorized access and acquisition of such data. Under the amended law, an employer or payroll service provider must notify the Virginia Office of the Attorney General after the discovery or notification of unauthorized access and acquisition of unencrypted and unredacted computerized data containing a Virginia resident’s taxpayer identification number in combination with the income tax withheld for that taxpayer.  Continue Reading Virginia Adds State Income Tax Provision to Data Breach Notification Law

On February 17, 2017, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey (“Horizon”) agreed to pay $1.1 million as part of a settlement with the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs (the “Division”) regarding allegations that Horizon did not adequately protect the privacy of nearly 690,000 policyholders. Continue Reading Health Insurer Reaches Privacy Settlement with New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs

On January 3, 2017, the Office of Management and Budget (“OMB”) issued a memorandum (the “Breach Memorandum”) advising federal agencies on how to prepare for and respond to a breach of personally identifiable information (“PII”). The Breach Memorandum, which is intended for each agency’s Senior Agency Official for Privacy (“SAOP”), updates OMB’s breach notification policies and guidelines in accordance with the Federal Information Security Modernization Act of 2014 (“FISMA”). Continue Reading OMB Publishes Memorandum on Responding to Data Breaches

On November 14, 2016, Lincoln Financial Securities Corp. (“LFS”), a subsidiary of Lincoln Financial Group, entered into a settlement (the “Settlement”) with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”), requiring LFS to pay a $650,000 fine and implement stronger cybersecurity protocols following a 2012 hack into its cloud-based server. Continue Reading FINRA Fines Brokerage Firm $650,000 After Cyber Attack