Enforcement - Federal Agency and State AG Action

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On October 16, 2018, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued a report on the results of investigations made by the SEC’s Division of Enforcement into nine public companies that were victims of cyber-related frauds.  In each case, the SEC investigation focused on whether the target companies had complied with the applicable requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (Act). The Act requires public companies to devise and maintain a system of internal control over financial reporting designed to provide reasonable assurance that, among other things, transactions are executed in accordance with company management’s authorization, that transactions are properly recorded and that access to assets is permitted only with management’s authorization.

Ultimately, the SEC did not pursue enforcement actions against any of these companies, but released the report to advise public companies that cyber-fraud incidents must be taken into account when designing and maintaining internal control procedures.
Continue Reading SEC Report Reiterates Cybersecurity Implications for Internal Control Requirement

In the matter of LabMD Inc. v. Federal Trade Commission, case number 16-16270, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit ruled against the FTC, finding that the order against LabMD for lax data security measures was not enforceable.

The FTC’s original order against LabMD was due to a 2008 security incident where a LabMD employee downloaded a program which exposed customer information over the internet. Although customer harm was never shown by FTC, in 2016 the agency issued a Final Order against LabMD for unreasonable data security practices. The case was eventually brought before the Eleventh Circuit by LabMD to determine if the alleged failure to implement reasonable data security measures in 2008 was an unfair practice under Section 5(a) of the FTC Act.Continue Reading FTC’s Loss in the Eleventh Circuit Will Not Impede Data Security Enforcement

This post originally appeared in our sister publication, Subject To Inquiry.

On May 21, the North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA) announced a massive and coordinated series of enforcement actions by U.S. state and Canadian provincial regulators to combat fraudulent practices involving cryptocurrency-related investment products.

As cryptocurrencies have gained in popularity, companies have increasingly turned to a method known as an initial coin offering (ICO) to raise capital. ICOs, however, are ripe for potential fraud. As the Washington Post has explained, “consumers face higher risks of being misled at a time when the intense demand for bitcoin has prompted many retail investors to take extreme steps to gain exposure to the currency…”Continue Reading State Regulators Announce Cryptocurrency Crackdown

On April 25, the Securities and Exchange Commission announced a settlement with Yahoo that constituted its first enforcement action against a public company for failing to disclose a data breach.

This settlement demonstrates that companies in post-data breach environments must engage in a thorough, fulsome analysis of whether to disclose the cybersecurity incident in their

The 2018 Regular Session of the Virginia General Assembly recently concluded after considering approximately 3700 bills and resolutions during the 60-day session. Several privacy-related bills were on the legislative agenda, but few were enacted into law.

Tax Return Data

As highlighted in January, the General Assembly this year continued its efforts to address the

U.S. Senate leaders may be close to reaching an agreement on a legislative proposal that would establish a national data breach notification and security standard (the Data Acquisition and Technology Accountability and Security Act) which would streamline nationwide reporting requirements for businesses.  However, there are a plethora of reasons it may not make

A “white hat” is an ethical computer hacker who specializes in penetration testing and other testing methodologies to ensure the security of an organization’s information systems. According to the Ethical Hacking Council, “The goal of the ethical hacker is to help the organization take pre-emptive measures against malicious attacks by attacking the system himself

On May 25, 2018, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) goes into effect. Are you ready?

Who’s affected?  

Organizations, anywhere in the world, that process the personal data of European Union (EU) residents should pay attention to GDPR and its territorial scope.

If you collect personal data or behavioral information from someone in the EU

As previously reported, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) unanimously voted to approve additional guidance for reporting cybersecurity risks last month. However, it is unclear what, if any, impact the new guidance will have on the rate of SEC enforcement actions in the coming months.

According to a recent study by the NYU

The one-year transitional period under the New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) Cybersecurity Requirements for Financial Services Companies expired on March 1, 2018. Financial services companies that are regulated by NYDFS now face additional requirements for assessing, monitoring, testing and reporting on the integrity and security of their information systems and the overall effectiveness of their cybersecurity programs.

Overview of New York Cybersecurity Regulations

The NYDFS cybersecurity regulations became effective on March 1, 2017, and the initial 180-day transitional period expired on August 28, 2017. The regulations that took effect last year require all covered entities to implement a cybersecurity program that identifies and protects against cybersecurity risks and adopt comprehensive policies and procedures for the protection of the company’s information systems and nonpublic information. The cybersecurity regulations apply to any organization operating under or required to operate under a NYDFS license, registration, charter, certificate, permit, accreditation or similar authorization under the New York Banking Law, Insurance Law or Financial Services Law. Click here for more information about the requirements of the regulations that took effect last year.

Additional Actions Required to Achieve Compliance

On March 1, 2018, additional requirements under the cybersecurity regulations took effect. In addition to the requirements that took effect last year, covered entities that are subject to the cybersecurity regulations must implement the following additional cybersecurity measures:
Continue Reading New York Cybersecurity Regulations: Additional Testing and Reporting Requirements Take Effect