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,” […]
Cybersecurity
California Mandates COVID Exposure and Outbreak Reporting to Employees, Government Agencies
On Thursday, September 17, 2020, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 685 (“AB685”) into law. AB685 amends a number of portions of California’s Labor Code to address the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to provisions that regulate reopening activities at California worksites, AB685 introduces two new COVID-related notification obligations for California employers: (1) a requirement […]
EU Announces First Sanctions under EU Cyber Sanctions Regime
On July 30, 2020, the European Council announced sanctions against six individuals and three organizations for their involvement in a series of cyber-attacks that have caused significant damage in the EU and around the world over the last several years. The announcement follows the EU’s adoption last year of Decision (CFSP) 2019/797, which established the […]
Critical Audit Matters Disclosure Implicates Information Technology and Security
As independent auditors to public companies and business development companies begin to make required disclosure of Critical Audit Matters (CAMs) to the audit committee, such reports are beginning to include discussion of information security programs and information technology controls. Independent auditors have treated material weaknesses in certain information technology controls as material weaknesses in internal […]
Georgia Supreme Court Clarifies There Is No Duty to Safeguard Personal Information from a Data Breach
The Georgia Supreme Court recently issued a decision holding that there is no duty to safeguard personal information from a data breach under Georgia law. Georgia Department of Labor v. McConnell involved the accidental disclosure of a spreadsheet that contained the name, social security number, home telephone number, email address, and age of thousands of […]