Privacy and Data Security

It’s been almost two years since New York’s top banking regulator implemented one of the nation’s most stringent cybersecurity regulations.  Since then, thousands of financial institutions have recruited chief information security officers, implemented cybersecurity programs, performed penetration testing, and imposed encryption requirements on their most sensitive information.

It’s a marathon month for the thousands of financial institutions and insurance companies covered by New York’s landmark cybersecurity regulation. In little more than a week, these businesses must file their second annual certification of compliance with the State’s Department of Financial Services. Two weeks later, they must also come into compliance with the regulation’s third-party vendor requirements, the final milestone in the two-year roll out of the cybersecurity regulation.

An obscure federal law called the SAFETY Act recently captured national headlines when MGM Resorts International invoked it in a series of pre-emptive, declaratory judgment law suits against the victims of the 2017 Harvest Festival Las Vegas shooting. MGM sued the victims in an effort to avoid liability in connection with the tragedy. MGM owns the Mandalay Bay hotel, where Stephen Paddock, from his 32nd floor suite, shot and killed 58 people and wounded hundreds more who were attending a music festival next door.

The New York Times featured an op-ed last week written by Craig A. Newman, Chair of Patterson Belknap’s Privacy and Data Security Practice, entitled “Lessons for Corporate Boardrooms From Yahoo’s Cybersecurity Settlement.” In the op-ed, Mr. Newman discusses how the January 2019 settlement “marked the first time that shareholders have been awarded monetary damages in a derivative lawsuit related to a data breach.” Mr. Newman notes, “the settlement signals that director and officer liability for cybersecurity oversight is entering new and potentially perilous territory.”

To read the full article, click here.

With full implementation of New York’s groundbreaking cybersecurity regulation only six weeks away, the state’s top banking regulator took the opportunity to praise the many financial institutions that have adopted systems to better protect consumers from cybercrime.

Yesterday, a Superior Court judge in Santa Clara, California approved what is believed to be the first monetary award to a company in a data breach-related derivative lawsuit. Until now, such breach-related derivative cases have settled through a combination of governance changes and modest awards of attorney’s fees.

Yesterday, by e-mail and on its website, the California Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that it would hold “six statewide forums to collect feedback” in advance of the rulemaking process for the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA).  The announcement did not include proposed rules or regulations, which must be adopted by July 1, 2020.

With the New Year fast approaching, so begins the one-year countdown to the California Consumer Privacy Act, or CCPA, going into effect.

With the year quickly coming to a close, it’s time for organizations covered by New York’s Cybersecurity Regulation for Financial Service Companies to take stock of their compliance efforts before popping any champagne corks to usher in the New Year.

It’s been a busy year for the Cyber Unit at the Securities and Exchange Commission. During 2018, the SEC brought 20 stand-alone cases related to cybersecurity, and has 225 cyber-related investigations that it deems “ongoing.” That’s according to the enforcement division’s 2018 Annual Report.

Yesterday, the United States indicted two Iranian hackers for their roles in a series of major ransomware attacks that started in 2016 and lasted almost three years. The attacks crippled schools, hospitals, the private sector, and government agencies, causing tens of millions of dollars in damage. 

Here’s a striking fact. So far this year, there have been 316 healthcare data security breaches reported to the federal government. This statistic includes incidents reported by health plans, healthcare providers and healthcare clearing houses.

MGM Resorts International has hit the pause button in its gambit to shield itself from liability stemming from the October 2017 shooting at the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas.

As we reported previously, MGM has brought more than a dozen declaratory judgment lawsuits against the victims in the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history, arguing that claims against the casino giant are barred by federal law. MGM has released a statement saying it hopes to avoid years of litigation by exploring potential settlement options, and adding that “years of protracted litigation is in no one’s best interest.”

Starting today, Ohio businesses with written cybersecurity programs will be looking for a free pass if they are sued under state law over a data breach.

Ohio’s Data Protection Act (Senate Bill 220, Ohio Rev. Code § 1354.01, et seq.) goes into effect today, creating a safe harbor from tort liability for businesses that meet specific cybersecurity standards. The law won’t prevent litigation over a data breach, but provides an affirmative defense to companies hit with such claims if they have met the requirements of the new law. This includes adopting data security policies that conform to a number of existing industry standards including the NIST Cybersecurity Framework.

Late last week, the Office of Civil Rights for the Department of Health and Human Services (OCR) announced a $16 million settlement with health-insurance company Anthem, Inc. The settlement amount is nearly three times larger than any prior settlement with the OCR.

A recent data breach at Chegg Inc., the online educational technology company, serves as the most recent reminder that the education sector remains a target for hackers.

Last month, Chegg reported, on a Form 8-K disclosure filed with the Securities Exchange Commission, that it had experienced a security breach in which an “unauthorized party gained access to a Company database that hosts user data for chegg.com.”

This is the second post in our two-part series about DOJ’s revised guidance on its “Best Practices for Victim Response and Reporting Cyber Incidents.”  In the first installment, we looked at DOJ’s recommendations for preparedness.  Today, we turn to the basics of data breach incident response and a list of DOJ’s “don’ts” when dealing with a hacker.

The U.S. Department of Justice is increasing its outreach to the private sector on all things cyber.

Last week, the DOJ’s Criminal Division held a cybersecurity roundtable to discuss challenges in handling data breach investigations. As part of the roundtable discussion, the DOJ issued revised guidance on its “Best Practices for Victim Response and Reporting Cyber Incidents.” The Best Practices guidance, summarized below, is the result of the DOJ’s outreach efforts concerning ways in which the government can work more effectively with the private sector to address cybersecurity challenges. The goal of the roundtable discussion, which started in 2015, is to foster and enhance cooperation between law enforcement and data breach victims, and to also encourage information sharing.

Is legalized sports betting the next big thing in cybercrime?

When the U.S. Supreme Court last spring struck the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act – the law that barred most states from allowing sports betting – the floodgates opened and everyone seeking to profit from legalized sports gaming staked out their turf. Five states have already passed laws to allow sports betting and 18 others will soon follow suit. The most recent state to open its doors to legalized sports wagering, West Virginia, even plans to allow online sports wagering.

Student data is a treasure trove for hackers.

In a recent FBI Alert, the agency warned that the rapid growth of educational technologies combined with the increased collection of student information is the proverbial disaster waiting to happen.

Many big data and technology companies consider “bug bounty” programs – incentive-based initiatives that reward “ethical” hackers who report data security bugs or vulnerabilities – attractive and cost-effective tools for weeding out security flaws.

As California’s legislative session came to a close late last month, the state’s lawmakers passed SB-1121, approving a series of tweaks to the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 or CCPA, the far-ranging data privacy law enacted earlier this summer. The new bill now heads to the governor for consideration.

By today, financial institutions are required to meet their next deadline for compliance with New York’s cybersecurity law. The regulation – enacted in March 2017 –includes a series of rolling deadlines that require banks and insurance companies covered by the law to meet varying data security requirements.

Public companies worried about cybersecurity risk would be well served to pay attention to a recent crackdown by the U.S. Securities and Exchanges Commission on the use of automated technology to detect investment advisor fraud.

A recent settlement with Ameriprise Financial Services Inc., a registered investment adviser and broker dealer, suggests that the Commission isn’t inclined to look the other way when a technology failure goes undetected. In the world of cybersecurity, does this mean that a company’s blind faith in technology to safeguard its network and sensitive information might open it up to liability?