Balough
January 3, 2017
(January 3, 2017) The Joint Analysis Report on the Russian cyber activity in the recent election also serves as a warning to others of the need to implement best cybersecurity practices to protect computer systems. The report by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) found activity by Russian […]
Balough
December 14, 2016
(December 15, 2016) The website designed to help adults have discrete affairs agreed to settle charges concerning its lack of adequate data security that exposed 36 million of its accounts to hackers in 2015. AshleyMadison.com and its operating companies settled charges that they deceived consumers by claiming their data was secure and, that if they […]
Balough
December 14, 2016
(December 14, 2016) Ransomware attacks continued to accelerate in 2016, both in terms of attacks and the variety of programs, a new report says. From January to the end of September, attacks on businesses increased threefold from one every 2 minutes to one every 40 seconds. For individuals, attacks increased to one every 10 seconds […]
Balough
October 27, 2016
(October 27, 2016) Internet Service Providers (ISPs) must now obtain affirmative consent if they want to use and share sensitive personally identifiable information of consumers under new rules adopted by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The FCC said the approved new rules “ensure broadband customers have meaningful choice, greater transparency and strong security protections for […]
Balough
October 25, 2016
(October 25, 2016) Need guidance when your business suffers a data breach? The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has released Data Breach Response: A Guide for Businesses both as a pamphlet and a video. It outlines the steps a business should take after a data breach. The booklet also includes a model notification letter to send when […]
Balough
July 12, 2016
(July 12, 2016) Even if you get permission from Facebook users to use their pages to send messages promoting your website, you still need Facebook’s permission. If Facebook doesn’t approve, you may be liable under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA)—at least after receiving a cease and desist notice. That’s the lesson learned by […]
Balough
May 22, 2016
(May 22, 2016) Privacy policies for commercial and private unmanned aircraft system (UAS or drone) operators have been proposed by the National Telecommunications & Information Administration (NTIA). NTIA said the best practices “are meant to go beyond existing law and they do not—and are not meant to—create a legal standard of care by which the […]
Balough
May 10, 2016
(May 10, 2016) Smart device manufactures must explain to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) how they decide when to make security updates to address vulnerabilities in their devices. The FTC wants to more fully understand the policies, procedures, and practices for providing security updates for consumers for their smartphones, tablets, and other mobile devices. The […]
Balough
April 3, 2016
(April 3, 2016) For the first time, under a proposed Enforcement Guidance Bulletin, automobile makers will need to take into account cybersecurity vulnerabilities for their vehicles. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) published a request for public comments (RPC) in which it outlined the factors it would take into account to determine if cybersecurity […]
Balough
March 19, 2016
(March 19, 2016) Some developers have included in their mobile apps the ability to turn on a phone’s microphone to listen for codes from television programs and advertisements to generate logs of the user’s viewing habits, all without the knowledge of the phone’s user. While the developer of the “Silverpush” technology stated that the app […]
