On December 7, 2021, the House of Representatives passed the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022 (NDAA), which notably excluded any cybersecurity incident reporting requirements. In September, the House approved a previous version of the bill that included a mandatory breach notification provision that would have required the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity […]
Search Results for: ransomware
Department of Justice Announces New Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team
by Kim Peretti and Kristen Bartolotta On October 6, 2021, Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco announced the creation of a National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team (NCET). This team was created to tackle complex investigations and prosecutions of criminal misuses of cryptocurrency, particularly crimes committed by virtual exchanges and money laundering infrastructure actors. Because of the […]
Department of Justice Announces New Civil Fraud Cybersecurity Enforcement Team
On October 6, 2021, Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco announced the launch of the Department of Justice’s Civil Cyber-Fraud Initiative. The Department plans to use civil enforcement tools to “pursue…those who are government contractors who receive federal funds, when they fail to follow required cybersecurity standards.” Stating the Department will pursue “very hefty fines,” […]
U.S. and Allies Formally Accuse China of Microsoft Hack and Cyberespionage
On July 19, 2021, the Biden administration, along with a group of allies publicly accused the Chinese government of malicious cyber activities and irresponsible state behavior. The joint announcement states the U.S. uncovered a wide array of cyberattacks by hackers with a history of working for the China’s Ministry of State Security (MSS). Importantly, the […]
DOJ Seizure of Ransom Payment Signals More Aggressive Stance by U.S. Government
Following the creation of the DOJ’s Ransomware and Digital Extortion Task Force in April 2021 and on the heels of the Biden administration’s characterization of ransomware as a national security threat, on June 7, 2021, the DOJ announced it has seized $2.3 million (63.7 bitcoin) in proceeds from a recent ransom paid to DarkSide in […]