Cybersecurity Archives - Page 17 of 30

New York Department of Financial Services Issues New Guidance Regarding COVID-19 Cybersecurity Risks

On April 13, 2020, the New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) issued new guidance to all New York State Regulated Entities to highlight “a significant increase in cybercrime” related to the COVID-19 epidemic. NYDFS’s guidance identified “several areas of heightened cybersecurity risk as a result of the crisis.” These risks include:

Remote Working – The mass shift to remote working forced by COVID-19 has created new security threats which are being exploited by hackers. Regulated entities should take proactive steps to address these new security threats. Among other things, regulated entities should take steps to make their remote access as secure as possible by using multi-factor authentication and VPNs. Companies also should ensure that devices used to access networks are properly secured and/or controlled. Regulated entities also must take steps to ensure the security of remote working communications, like video conferencing applications. Finally, companies should ensure that employees are not accessing or sending sensitive or non-public information through personal email accounts or devices.

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COVID-19 and Cybersecurity: Combating “Zoombombing” and Securing Your Remote Working Videoconferences

As COVID-19 has prompted a massive shift by organizations to the implementation and use of remote working solutions for their employees, there has been an unfortunate, but not surprising, corresponding rise in malicious actors seeking to exploit remote working solutions.

Over the past few weeks, the most notable and prevalent “digital hijacking” has occurred on the Zoom teleconferencing application. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been an explosion in the number of individuals using the Zoom application. Prior to the pandemic, Zoom averaged approximately 10 million users per day. However, Zoom now estimates that approximately 200 million users per day utilize its videoconferencing application. These users not only include remote workers, but also many school children and teachers who utilize the Zoom application for remote learning.

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COVID-19 & Cybersecurity: What Companies and Employees Should Know About Remote Working

The spread of COVID-19 has prompted an enormous shift by organizations to the use and implementation of remote working solutions for a wide range and number of employees. Unfortunately – but perhaps not surprisingly – this shift has provided malicious cyber actors with additional ways to infiltrate remote use networks. The spread of COVID-19 has brought with it a huge surge in data security incidents, as hackers look to exploit new organizational vulnerabilities and distracted and overburdened IT security personnel.

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U.S. State Department Changes Export Control Requirements for Secure Handling of Defense Technical Data, Easing Burden on U.S. Industry

On December 26, 2019, the U.S. State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls announced it is amending the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) to streamline requirements for the secure storage and transfer of defense technical data. This rule change has important implications for IT service providers and companies that may wish to use cloud-based systems and services for the transfer, processing, and storage of ITAR technical data.

Read the full alert to learn about the new regulations and their potential benefits to U.S. companies and their overseas partners.

ED Requires Higher Education Audits to Review GLBA Data Security Compliance

As discussed in a previous DBR on Data post, the U.S. Department of Education (“ED”) in recent years has repeatedly emphasized the importance of higher education institutions taking all appropriate measures to secure and protect their data systems and data from breaches and inadvertent disclosures. The threats to educational institutions’ data are real, recurring and well-documented. The University of Maryland reported in 2014 that a computer system breach compromised more than 300,000 personal records for faculty, staff and students. A private cybersecurity firm reported that Chinese hackers targeted research databases at more than two dozen universities in the 2017-18 timeframe. In 2019, applicants to Grinnell College, Hamilton College and Oberlin College discovered their admissions files were subject to a ransomware attack. These instances are just a few recent examples of significant data breaches in the education sector.

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October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month

October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month (NCAM). NCAM serves as a timely reminder to continue to assess and improve organizational cybersecurity.

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DISCERNING DATA

A Faegre Drinker Blog Covering the Latest in Privacy, Cybersecurity and Data Strategy

Category: Cybersecurity