The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) has not been updated in over 30 years. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has been asked by Congress to take “decisive action in addressing the escalating issue of...more
CYBERSECURITY -
CISA + FBI Remind Organizations to “Stay Vigilant” During Holiday Season -
The Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the FBI issued a joint Alert this week, entitled “Reminder for...more
11/24/2021
/ Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Cyber Crimes ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Breach ,
Data Privacy ,
Data Protection ,
Drones ,
FBI ,
GrubHub ,
Hackers ,
Homeland Security Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) ,
Personally Identifiable Information ,
Ransomware ,
TCPA
The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois denied a motion to dismiss a class action for allegations that GrubHub, Inc. violated the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). The plaintiff alleged that she...more
11/24/2021
/ ATDS ,
Auto-Dialed Calls ,
Barr v American Association of Political Consultants Inc ,
Class Action ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Motion to Dismiss ,
Robocalling ,
Severability Doctrine ,
Statutory Interpretation ,
TCPA ,
Telecommunications ,
Telemarketing
CYBERSECURITY -
Emerging Ransomware Groups Getting into the Action -
According to a report issued on August 24, 2021, by Unit 42 of Palo Alto Networks Ransomware Groups to Watch: Emerging Threats, four emerging ransomware...more
8/27/2021
/ COPPA ,
Cyber Attacks ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Breach ,
Data Privacy ,
Data Protection ,
Data Security ,
FCC ,
Hackers ,
Homeland Security Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) ,
Personally Identifiable Information ,
Popular ,
Ransomware ,
TCPA
This week the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) proposed its highest financial penalty against lobbyist and political consultant group, John M. Burkman, Jacob Alexander Wohl, and J.M. Burkman & Associates LLC (the...more
Last week, the Eleventh Circuit held that an invasion-of-privacy exclusion in an insured’s policy barred coverage and that Liberty Insurance Underwriters Inc. did not have to cover the $60.4 million settlement of a class...more
At the beginning of April 2021, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled in favor of Facebook in Facebook, Inc. v. Duguid, reversing the decision of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals , holding: “To qualify as an ‘automatic...more
CYBERSECURITY -
Ransomware Incident Compromises Unemployment Claim Information of 1.6M in WA -
It is being reported that the Office of the Washington State Auditor (SAO) is investigating a security incident, allegedly...more
2/5/2021
/ 1099s ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Breach ,
Data Privacy ,
Data Protection ,
FCC ,
Fertility Treatments ,
Hackers ,
Legislative Agendas ,
NIST ,
Personally Identifiable Information ,
Popular ,
Ransomware ,
Tax Fraud ,
TCPA ,
Unemployment Benefits
Recently, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) clarified that a call made using artificial or pre-recorded voice to a residential telephone line for the SOLE purpose of identifying individuals to participate in a...more
CYBERSECURITY -
City of Hartford Hit with Ransomware Attack, Causing School Delay -
Cyber-attackers know that city and town officials have been gearing up for the start of school and the potential for remote learning,...more
9/14/2020
/ California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) ,
Cyber Attacks ,
Cyber Crimes ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Breach ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Facial Recognition Technology ,
Hackers ,
Information Technology ,
Personal Data ,
Personally Identifiable Information ,
Popular ,
Ransomware ,
Regulatory Violations ,
TCPA ,
Vulnerable Victims
Last month, an Oregon federal judge refused ViSalus’ request to decrease the $925 million jury award against it for its alleged violations of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). ViSalus, a health supplement maker,...more
Natural Gas Compressor Facility Shut Down After Ransomware Attack -
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced this week that a ransomware attack shut down a natural gas compressor facility for two days. While in...more
2/25/2020
/ Bitcoin ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Cyber Attacks ,
Cyber Crimes ,
Cyber Threats ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Breach ,
Data Privacy ,
Data Protection ,
Data Security ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Emergency Response ,
Extortion ,
Hackers ,
OCR ,
Personally Identifiable Information ,
Popular ,
Ransomware ,
Settlement Negotiations ,
TCPA
This week, a Pennsylvania federal judge refused to approve a proposed $4 million settlement for violations of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) because it would provide the 67,000 class members with only $35 each....more
The Wolcott school system in Wolcott, Connecticut has been recovering for four months from a ransomware attack that hit its system at the end of the school year. Last week, it was hit with a second attack. According to...more
9/13/2019
/ Consumer Privacy Rights ,
Cyber Attacks ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Breach ,
Data Privacy ,
Debt Collectors ,
Digital Assets ,
Educational Institutions ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Hackers ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Healthcare ,
Medical Records ,
Municipalities ,
NIST ,
Personally Identifiable Information ,
Ransomware ,
TCPA
On September 10, 2019, California federal judge, U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, entered a $267 million judgment against a debt collection agency, Rash Curtis & Associates (Rash Curtis), for its violation of the...more
New malicious malware dubbed “Gustuff” targets big banks, fintech companies and cryptocurrency apps, according to the security firm Group IB.
...more
4/8/2019
/ Corporate Branding ,
Cyber Attacks ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Privacy ,
Drones ,
Employee Privacy Rights ,
Hackers ,
Healthcare ,
Malware ,
Medical Marijuana ,
Mobile Apps ,
TCPA ,
UPS
Cybersecurity company Carbon Black recently issued are port of the results of a survey of chief information security officers (CISOs) of financial organizations, which showed that the financial industry is getting hammered by...more
3/11/2019
/ Auto-Dialed Calls ,
Banking Sector ,
Contract Terms ,
Cyber Attacks ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Breach ,
Data Privacy ,
GoDaddy.com ,
Identity Theft ,
Personally Identifiable Information ,
Popular ,
Tax Fraud ,
TCPA ,
Text Messages
Lead plaintiff, John Herrick, in the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) class action lawsuit against GoDaddy.com LLC (GoDaddy.com) rallied against an Arizona federal judge’s May 2018 decision to grant summary judgment...more
To illustrate just how creative phishing campaigns have become, on January 30, 2019, it was reported by multiple credit unions that Bank Secrecy Act officers at credit unions around the country received emails that appeared...more
2/18/2019
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Banking Sector ,
BSA/AML ,
Criminal Investigations ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Breach ,
DNA ,
Drones ,
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Genetic Materials ,
Genetic Testing ,
OCR ,
Phishing Scams ,
Popular ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Settlement ,
TCPA ,
Unmanned Aircraft Systems
I was a speaker at a recent conference of municipalities in a state last week, and during my presentation, I mentioned the various cyber-attacks that have affected cities, towns and educational departments in the U.S....more
2/4/2019
/ Airports ,
Airspace ,
Article III ,
Biometric Information ,
Biometric Information Privacy Act ,
California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) ,
Class Action ,
Cyber Attacks ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Breach ,
Data Privacy ,
Drones ,
Girl Scouts ,
Grocery Stores ,
Hackers ,
Injury-in-Fact ,
Internet of Things ,
Mobile Devices ,
Ransomware ,
Robots ,
Standing ,
TCPA ,
Text Messages
Last week, Florida skin care spa, Medspa Del Mar LLC (Medspa) was hit with a Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) class action in federal court for allegedly using an automatic dialing system to send unwanted text...more
Pipeline Companies Targeted by Cyber-Attacks -
Reports show that U.S. energy companies reported more than 350 cybersecurity incidents to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security between 2011 and 2015. Pipeline companies are...more
4/13/2018
/ Class Action ,
Cyber Attacks ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Breach ,
Digital Currency ,
Drones ,
Energy Sector ,
Hackers ,
HIPAA Breach ,
Oil & Gas ,
Personal Data ,
Pipelines ,
Social Media ,
TCPA ,
Virtual Currency
U.S. Estimates that Cyber Hacks Cost Up to $109 Billion in 20 -
The Council for Economic Advisors (CEA) issued a report this month, entitled “The Cost of Malicious Cyber Activity to the U.S. Economy,” which concludes that...more
2/26/2018
/ Banking Sector ,
Bitcoin ,
Class Action ,
Cyber Attacks ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Breach ,
Data Protection ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Digital Currency ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Drones ,
Federal Agency Taskforce ,
Hackers ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Malware ,
OCR ,
PHI ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
TCPA ,
Virtual Currency
Last week, TOPS Software LLC (TOPS), a software company that specializes in condominium and homeowners association communication platforms, was served with a class action in Illinois federal court which alleges that TOPS...more
Energy and Critical Infrastructure Industries Warned of Increased Attacks by FBI and DHS -
The FBI and Department of Homeland Security issued a joint statement on October 20, 2017 warning of an increased danger of a...more
10/27/2017
/ Affordable Care Act ,
Airspace ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Cyber Attacks ,
Cyber Crimes ,
Cyberbullying ,
Cybersecurity ,
Data Protection ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Drones ,
Electricity ,
Electronic Medical Records ,
Energy Sector ,
FBI ,
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ,
FERC ,
Hackers ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
HIPAA Breach ,
Information Technology ,
Internet ,
Medical Records ,
Nonprofits ,
OCR ,
Open Enrollment ,
Personally Identifiable Information ,
PHI ,
Popular ,
Power Grid ,
TCPA ,
Technology Sector ,
Utilities Sector