On August 24, 2015, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit handed down its decision in favor of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) against Wyndham Worldwide Corporation. This lawsuit was against the defendant and its subsidiaries for their failure to implement proper cybersecurity measures and protect consumers’…
This year saw the data breaches of Sony Pictures, Ashley Madison, and Experian Credit Bureau. The increasing commonality of data breaches has prompted the federal and state legislatures to review their data breach notification laws. What is a data breach? A data breach occurs when an unauthorized user (i.e., hacker)…
The Internet of Things (“IoT”) is the network of electronic devices that communicate with each other via the Internet without human intervention. It has caused concerns regarding security since vast amounts of unsecure electronic devices are being used to send and receive information. Furthermore, the data breaches that lead to…
The Internet of Things (a/k/a “IoT”) functions through smart devices that communicate with each other and collect data without human interaction. These devices include smart cars, smart homes, smart hospitals, smart highways, or smart factories. However, the lack of security protecting information is creating privacy concerns as data is collected…
According to its website, the Federal Trade Commission works for consumers to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices and to provide information to help spot, stop, and avoid them. LifeLock has used the massive security breaches of companies like Anthem and Target to increase its membership. On July 21,…
Cloud computing is a service that is offered by service providers and allows for large amounts of information to be stored in virtual servers. These organizations are referred to as Cloud Computing Service Providers (collectively “CCSPs”) and operate within the “cloud.” They are able to operate on a global scale,…
LastPass is a password management service that allows users to centralize all of their collective passwords under one master password. On June 15, 2015, LastPass announced that it was hacked and user data was compromised in the process. What was stolen from the LastPass database? LastPass officials released a statement…
In general, computer crime is a term that covers a variety of crimes involving internet or computer use that may be prosecuted under state or federal laws. Because of the rise in computer crimes, California state laws include provisions that prohibit these violations. In addition, other states have passed computer…
On June 4, 2015, four million current and former federal employees were informed that China-based hackers were suspected of gaining access to and compromising their personally identifiable information (PII) via a breach of government computer networks. The scope of the attack has allowed it to be described as one of…
On May 26, 2015, the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) announced that criminals illegally accessed data to retrieve the past tax returns of approximately 100,000 individuals through the IRS website. The criminals managed to use social security numbers, birth dates, street addresses, and “out of wallet” data (e.g., person’s first car,…