Security experts nationwide warn that the United States should expect serious cyberattacks from Iran in the next few months. The anticipated attacks, retaliation for United States’ killing of Major General Qasem Soleimani, are likely to include as targets oil refineries and other energy infrastructure.  The specific targets, and whether the attacks will be state-sponsored and strategic or carried out by individuals or smaller groups, remain unknown.

One reason underlying the likelihood that Iran will ramp up its cyberattacks is that,… More

Editors’ Note:  This is the sixth in our fourth-annual end-of-year series examining important trends in data privacy and cybersecurity in the coming year.  Our previous entry discussed the CCPA, energy, Brexit, health care regulation, and state enforcement trends.

The European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation is possibly the world’s most burdensome data protection scheme.… More

The new decade has barely begun, and the world of privacy already seems set to change quickly.  Here is a brief overview:

New Laws In Effect as of January 1

On January 1, 2020, new data breach notification requirements went into effect in three states:  Texas, Oregon, and Illinois.  Each law has a unique twist on privacy-related notifications (and thus places additional burdens on businesses):

• Texas places a definite time limit on notifying individuals after a breach occurs:  60 days (and not “as quickly as possible”).…

More

Editors’ Note:  This is the fifth in our fourth-annual end-of-year series examining important trends in data privacy and cybersecurity in the coming year.  Our previous entry discussed the CCPA, energy, Brexit, and health privacy.  Next up:  trends in GDPR enforcement.

Out of all governmental agencies, state attorneys general are likely to have the greatest impact on privacy enforcement in 2020 for the average business. … More

On January 4, 2020, the US Department of Homeland Security posted at National Terrorism Advisory System Bulletin, in the wake of the killing of a senior Iranian military leader by a US drone.  That DHS advisory states:

The United States designated Iran a “State Sponsor of Terrorism” in 1984 and since then, Iran has actively engaged in or directed an array of violent and deadly acts against the United States and its citizens globally.… More

Foley Hoag partners Colin Zick and Janine Ladislaw joined Licata Risk Advisors for a discussion on how to improve awareness and understanding of a company’s key risk exposures and how to mitigate and insure them. Topics included privacy and data security law, cybersecurity risk threat vectors, preventing IP infringement claims, and more. Click here to download the materials. More

For the first time in over a decade, the U.S. Department of Education (DoE) and the Office for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (OCR) have released updated joint guidance addressing the application of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) Privacy Rule to records maintained on students.… More

Editors’ Note:  This is the fourth in our fourth-annual end-of-year series examining important trends in data privacy and cybersecurity in the coming year.  Our previous entry discussed the CCPA, energy, and Brexit.  Up next:  trends in state enforcement.

2020 is likely to be an interesting year for health data privacy legislation, both in the United States and internationally. … More

Editors’ Note:  This is the third in our fourth-annual end-of-year series examining important trends in data privacy and cybersecurity in the coming year.  Our previous entries discussed the CCPA and threats to the energy grid.  Up next: changes in health care privacy.

On Thursday, December 12, voters in the United Kingdom went to the polls and delivered a decisive victory for the Conservative Party (aka the “Tories”),… More

Editors’ Note:  This is the second in our fourth-annual end-of-year series examining important trends in data privacy and cybersecurity in the coming year.  Our previous entry discussed the CCPA.  Up next:  a look at the effect of Brexit on the GDPR.

The electric power grid is subject to escalating threats of attack by foreign adversaries and individual bad actors. … More