CA IoT Cybersecurity Bill Heads To Governor’s Desk
The bill (SB-327), if signed by Gov. Brown, will take effect on January 1, 2020. It is aimed at securing connected devices. The bill states that, “a manufacturer of a connected device shall equip the device with a reasonable security feature or features.”

House Approves Financial Sector Data Breach Bill
On Sept. 13 the House Financial Services Committee approved bill (H.R. 6743) to create a national data breach notification standard for the financial sector. The bill would amend the GLBA and preempt state law for institutions covered under the financial services law.

Department of Commerce Launches Collaborative Privacy Framework Effort
NIST announced it has launched a collaborative project to develop a voluntary privacy framework to help organizations manage risk. NIST will hold a public workshop on Oct. 16, 2018, in Austin, Texas—in conjunction with the International Association of Privacy Professionals’ Privacy. Security. Risk. 2018.

Upcoming Events:

McGuireWoods HIPAA Webinar Series: September 24, 2018 
This webinar will examine the application of HIPAA to the ever-growing array of mobile health applications and devices, with an emphasis on the design and security implications of such devices.

NIST has published Special Publication (SP) 1800-5, “IT Asset Management” to help financial service companies monitor and manage IT assets.  According to the release:

“The example solution…gives companies the ability to track, manage, and report on information assets throughout their entire life cycle. This can ultimately increase cybersecurity resilience by enhancing the visibility of assets, identifying vulnerable assets, enabling faster response to security alerts, revealing which applications are actually being used, and reducing help desk response times.”

A copy of the SP can be found here.

The convergence of the General Data Protection Regulation and the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election has created a perfect privacy storm. Social media platforms’ complacency on this front, and the resulting public backlash, have further amplified the pressure on legislatures to react.  Although state legislatures have been quick to do so (most notably California, which passed a sweeping new privacy law in June), Congress has not.

Recently, Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) issued a draft white paper proposing 20 policy approaches to combat these issues.  The proposals seek to enhance user privacy, increase transparency, and dam the deluge of misinformation that, to date, has run through social media platforms largely unchecked.

Continue Reading Warner White Paper Floats Far-Ranging Privacy Proposals

CTIA, a trade association representing the wireless communications industry, recently announced a new cybersecurity certification program for IoT cellular-connected devices. The announcement comes shortly after NIST hosted a workshop in July regarding Considerations for Managing IoT Cybersecurity and Privacy Risks.

CTIA states, “[t]he program will protect consumers and wireless infrastructure, while creating a more secure foundation for smart cities, connected cars, mHealth and other IoT applications.” Tom Sawanobori, SVP and Chief Technology Officer at CTIA states that, “[t]he IoT Cybersecurity Certification Program harnesses CTIA’s network of authorized labs and reflects our commitment to securing networks and devices in an increasingly connected wireless world.”

According to CTIA, the Cybersecurity Certification Program is built upon NTIA and NIST IoT security recommendations. The Program will begin accepting devices for certification testing in October 2018.

More information about the Cybersecurity Certification Program can be found here.

On August 14, 2018, President Trump signed into law S. 770, the “NIST Small Business Cybersecurity Act.”  This Act requires the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to develop and disseminate resources for small businesses to help reduce their cybersecurity risks. The Act states that the resources should be:

  • “Generally applicable and usable by a wide range of small business concerns;
  • Vary with the nature and size of the implementing small business concern, and the nature and sensitivity of the data collected or stored on the information systems or devices of the implementing small business concern;
  • Include elements, that promote awareness of simple, basic controls, a workplace cybersecurity culture, and third-party stakeholder relationships, to assist small business concerns in mitigating common cybersecurity risks;
  • Include case studies of practical application;
  • Technology-neutral and can be implemented using technologies that are commercial and off-the-shelf; and
  • Based on international standards to the extent possible, and are consistent with the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980.”

The eighteen month transitional period under the New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) Cybersecurity Requirements for Financial Services Companies expires on September 4, 2018. These requirements apply to entities, “operating under or required to operate under a license, registration, charter, certificate, permit, accreditation or similar authorization under the Banking Law, the Insurance Law or the Financial Services Law.”  In less than a month, these Covered Entities subject to Part 500 are required to be in compliance with the requirements of sections 500.06, 500.08, 500.13, 500.14(a) and 500.15 of 23 NYCRR Part 500.

These requirements include:

  • Implement and maintain audit trail requirements (500.06);
  • Adopt written application security requirements (500.08);
  • Adopt written data retention requirements (500.13);
  • Implement monitoring/unauthorized access requirements (Section 500.14(a)); and
  • Implement encryption requirements (500.15).

The final compliance deadline is March 1, 2019.  In addition to those aforementioned Covered Entities, credit reporting agencies with significant operations in New York were recently required to comply with the cybersecurity regulations.  More information about the Cybersecurity Requirements can be found here.

The U.S. Treasury recently released a report identifying improvements that would support nonbank financial institutions but also embrace innovation and technology.  Among other things, the report recommends the creation of a national data breach notification standard and the development of effective national and international Fintech policies, including Anti-Money Laundering/Combating the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) efforts.

In addition to the aforementioned, the report outlines roughly 80 suggestions meant to:

• “Embrace the efficient and responsible use of consumer financial data and competitive technologies;
• Streamline the regulatory environment to foster innovation and avoid fragmentation;
• Modernize regulations for an array of financial products and activities; and
• Facilitate ‘regulatory sandboxes’ to promote innovation.”

A copy of the report can be found here.

This post originally appeared in our sister publication, Insurance Recovery Blog.

For the second time in ten days, a federal appeals court ruled a crime insurance policy provides coverage for losses arising from a business email compromise. In American Tooling Center, Inc. v. Travelers Casualty and Surety Company of America, No. 17-2014, 2018 WL 3404708 (Sixth Circuit July 13, 2018), the Sixth Circuit held that Travelers was obligated to provide coverage for a loss the insured suffered when it wired $834,000 to a thief’s bank account, believing that it was transmitting a payment to one of its Chinese subcontractors.

Losses arising from business email compromise exceeded $12.5 billion between October 2013 and May 2018. Business email compromise is a form of social-engineering fraud that targets both businesses and individuals who make payments by wire transfer. Thieves accomplish business email compromise by accessing e-mail accounts of vendors or customers of the insured or by invading the computer system of the insured. The thief then provides fraudulent instructions to the insured to wire funds to the thief’s bank account, usually for the stated purpose of paying legitimate invoices.

Continue Reading Sixth Circuit Finds Coverage Under Crime Policy for Business Email Compromise

Personal information has become the prey of relentless poachers. In light of the influx of data breaches, state legislatures are taking action.  Not surprisingly, now every state has enacted data breach notification laws, which are triggered when personal information is breached.  Read below for a summary of relevant state legislation recently adopted or laws recently amended that pertaining to data breach notification.

Arizona

Arizona amended its data breach notification law, effective July 21, 2018. This amendment requires companies to notify affected consumers within a 45-day window upon discovery of a data breach. If the data breach impacts more than 1,000 consumers, companies must also notify the state attorney general as well as the three largest consumer credit reporting agencies. The state attorney general can also impose up to $500,000 in penalties for a company’s non-compliance.

Continue Reading Updates to State Data Breach Laws

On August 1, 2018, NIST will withdraw eleven SP 800 publications that are considered out of date.  These publications will not be revised.  According to NIST the following publications will be withdrawn:

  • SP 800-13 (October 1995), Telecommunications Security Guidelines for Telecommunications Management Network
  • SP 800-17 (February 1998), Modes of Operation Validation System (MOVS): Requirements and Procedures
  • SP 800-19 (October 1999), Mobile Agent Security
  • SP 800-23 (August 2000), Guidelines to Federal Organizations on Security Assurance and Acquisition/Use of Tested/Evaluated Products
  • SP 800-24 (April 2001), PBX Vulnerability Analysis: Finding Holes in Your PBX Before Someone Else Does
  • SP 800-33 (December 2001), Underlying Technical Models for Information Technology Security
  • SP 800-36 (October 2003), Guide to Selecting Information Technology Security Products
  • SP 800-43 (November 2002), Systems Administration Guidance for Securing Windows 2000 Professional System
  • SP 800-65 (January 2005), Integrating IT Security into the Capital Planning and Investment Control Process
  • SP 800-68 Rev. 1 (October 2008), Guide to Securing Microsoft Windows XP Systems for IT Professionals: A NIST Security Configuration Checklist
  • SP 800-69 (September 2006), Guidance for Securing Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition: A NIST Security Configuration Checklist

More information about these publications and the reason for withdrawal can be found here.