PRIVACY + SECURITY BLOG

News, Developments, and Insights

high-tech technology background with eyes on computer display

Breach Notification Laws Now in All 50 States

Data Breach Notification - TeachPrivacy Security Training

Recently, South Dakota and Alabama passed data breach notification laws.  These were the last two states to pass such laws, and now all 50 states have breach notification laws.  There’s also a federal breach notification requirement under HIPAA (passed with the HITECH Act of 2009). In 2003, California passed the first data breach notification law.  […]

Risk and Anxiety: A Theory of Data Breach Harms

Risk and Anxiety Theory of Data Breach Harms

My new article was just published: Risk and Anxiety: A Theory of Data Breach Harms,  96 Texas Law Review 737 (2018).  I co-authored the piece with Professor Danielle Keats Citron.  We argue that the issue of harm needs a serious rethinking. Courts are too quick to conclude that data breaches don’t create harm.  There are two […]

The Funniest Hacker Stock Photos 4.0: The Future of Hacking

robot hacker working with computer notebook

It’s time for another installment of the funniest hacker stock photos.  Because I create information security awareness training (and HIPAA security training too), I’m always in the hunt for hacker photos. For this round, I focus on the future of hacking, so I looked closely for hacker stock photos that depicted the most state-of-the-art hacking […]

Data Security Is Worsening: 2017 Was the Worst Year Yet

Every year, we hear about how climate change is worsening. It seems the same story is happening with data security. Last year was the worst year in recorded data breach history. More than 5,200 breaches were reported in 2017, with more than 7.8 billion records compromised. By comparison, there are 7.6 billion people on Earth, […]

Game of Risks: An Interview with Adam Levin on the HBO Breach, Cybersecurity Insurance, and Cyber Risks

  Recently, HBO suffered a massive data breach. The hackers stole unreleased episodes of Game of Thrones and have been leaking them before they are broadcast. Episodes of other shows were also stolen. The hackers grabbed 1.5 terabytes of data including sensitive internal documents.  

Cybersecurity vs. Humans: The Human Problem Requires a Human Answer

Data Security Human Error - Security Awareness Training

According to a recent Ponemon Institute study, the odds of an organization having a data breach are 1 in 4.  The study also found that the average cost of a data breach is $3.62 million in 2017.  That’s a drop of 10%, but the size of data breaches has increased. The Human Problem The vast […]

Ransomware The Horror Grows

As the FBI warned, ransomware has proven to be a formidable threat costing businesses over $1 billion in 2016, averaging 4,000 attacks per day. Ransomware forces victims to choose between losing access to their files or paying a fee that can range between hundreds and thousands of dollars. Ransomware has already made headlines in the first […]

Phishing Cartoon: Signs of a Phishing Scam

Misspelled words and bad grammar are tell-tale signs of phishing.   Why don’t phishers learn spelling and grammar?  Can’t they afford a copy of Strunk and White? Phishers don’t need to spell better because their poorly-written schemes still fool enough people.  It’s just math for the phishers — a numbers game.   If you handle IT […]

Law Firm Cybersecurity: An Industry at Serious Risk

Last year, major incidents involving law firm data breaches brought attention to the weaknesses within law firm data security and the need for more effective plans and preparation. An American Bar Association (ABA) survey reveals that 26% of firms (with more than 500 attorneys) experienced some sort of data breach in 2016, up from 23% in 2015.

The Funniest Hacker Stock Photos 3.0

Hacker Santa

It’s time for a third installment of the funniest hacker stock photos.  Because I create information security awareness training (and HIPAA security training too), I’m always in the hunt for hacker photos.   There are so many absurd ones that I can make enough Funniest Hacker Stock Photo posts to keep pace with Disney in making […]