On May 11, 2017, President Trump signed a long-awaited executive order on cybersecurity (the “Order”). The Order directs executive agencies to complete a risk management report based on the NIST Cybersecurity Framework (the “Framework”) and also requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and other agencies to undertake activities in support of effective cybersecurity risk […]
National Security
Outbreak of “WannaCry” and “Wanna Decryptor” Ransomware Affects Companies Across the Globe
On Friday, May 12, companies in countries across the globe witnessed an unprecedented malware outbreak as ransomware labeled “WannaCry” and “Wanna Decryptor” infected a large range of critical systems. The malware exploits a vulnerability in older versions of Microsoft’s Windows, locks the systems it infects, and threatens to delete files unless a bitcoin ransom is […]
New York High Court Denies Facebook’s Challenge of Bulk Stored Communications Act Warrants
The Court of Appeals for the State of New York recently rejected Facebook’s appeal of its challenge to bulk search warrants issued pursuant to the Stored Communications Act (SCA) and separately challenged the warrants’ nondisclosure component. The Court affirmed the lower court’s ruling that Facebook could not appeal the rejection of its motion to quash the […]
Center for Cyber & Homeland Security Issues Report on How the Private Sector Can Actively Defend Against Cyber Threats
Earlier this year, the Center for Cyber & Homeland Security at the George Washington University (“Center”) announced a new project on active defense against cyber threats. The Center established a high-level task force to examine these issues. The task force included prominent cybersecurity and industry experts, including Alston & Bird partner Michael Zweiback. The Task Force […]
President Obama Issues Directive on Government Cyber Incident Response
Last week, President Obama issued a new Presidential Policy Directive (PPD) establishing principles to govern the federal government’s response to cyber incidents, “whether involving government or private sector entities.” Titled “PPD-41,” the document also designates the lead federal agencies for so-called significant cyber incidents and creates an “architecture for coordinating the broader Federal Government response” […]