Discerning Data

Faegre Drinker on Law and Technology Podcast: Privacy Issues and COVID-19

Privacy issues and COVID-19: what do they mean to you and your business? In this episode of the Faegre Drinker on Law and Technology Podcast, host Jason G. Weiss talks with Faegre Drinker’s Reed Abrahamson about the pandemic’s impact on privacy and data security. They examine how organizations are working to balance obligations to simultaneously protect data and their employees’ well-being — along with the risks employers should consider when collecting COVID-related employee information.

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Faegre Drinker on Law and Technology Podcast: What Brexit Means for Law, Technology and Your Data

Earlier this year — and five years after the Brexit referendum — the U.K. officially left the EU, giving rise to a new era of international commerce. As businesses work to adapt to this new paradigm, one question should not be overlooked: how does Brexit impact the international movement of data? In the first international episode of the Faegre Drinker on Law and Technology Podcast, host Jason G. Weiss talks with Faegre Drinker’s Huw Beverley-Smith and Jonathon Gunn about the data protection and privacy implications of life after Brexit.

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“Zero Trust Architecture” Is Officially Here: NIST Publishes New Cybersecurity Framework

The National Institute of Standards and Technology, commonly referred to as NIST, recently published a new computer framework for users to consider as a cyber-framework security model — the Zero Trust Architecture Model (ZTA). This new model was officially published in NIST SP 800-207 in late 2020.

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New Bill Proposes that Americans Should Be Able to Sue Foreign Hackers

The Homeland and Cyber Threat Act (HACT) was introduced in the U.S. House on March 12, 2021. This bill would allow U.S. citizens to sue foreign governments, agents and officials and to collect monetary damages for personal injury, damage or loss of property resulting from a cyberattack with foreign origins.

This bipartisan bill was introduced because cybersecurity activity and cyber incidents continue to rise, leading to increasing concerns of data security. Rep. Bergman, R-MI, a key sponsor of both this bill and a similar bill introduced in 2019, describes HACT as a tool of accountability for foreign states. The other bill sponsors (Reps. Allred, D-TX; Fitzpatrick, R-PA; Herrera Beutler, R-WA; Neguse, D-CO; and Kim, D-NJ) echo this theme of accountability and point to HACT as a way for Americans to “fight back against foreign cyberattacks.”

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Disruptionware VI: Cyber-Attack against Colonial Pipeline Illustrates Continued Vulnerability of American Energy and Infrastructure Targets

Disruptionware attacks have become increasingly more common over the last few months. Just last month, I wrote about a dangerous disruptionware attack against a Florida Water Treatment Center that could have been a mass casualty event. For more information on these types of attacks, please refer to our posts on different types of disruptionware attacks and how disruptionware attacks work.

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