Simple Mistakes – Not Always “The Hackers” – Can Cause Substantial Data Breaches

It is not always the feared and dreaded “hackers” that cause the exposure and breach of confidentiality of sensitive personal information. Sometimes it’s just simple mistakes, but the consequences can be much the same. Consider this situation: NTreatment inadvertently exposed thousands of medical records online by neglecting to add password protection to one of its …

Texas AG: Business Must Implement and Maintain Reasonable Cybersecurity Safeguards

Go here to read: Texas Businesses Must Implement and Maintain Reasonable Cybersecurity Safeguards According to State Attorney General

Come to our session at #PSR18 – Vendor Risk Management: Maintaining Relationships While Limiting Liability

Are you at IAPP – International Association of Privacy Professionals P.S.R.  #PSR18 in Austin? If so, please come to our Thursday 10:30 – 11:30 session on Vendor Risk Management: Maintaining Relationships While Limiting Liability in Lone Star Ballroom A, Level 3. It should be great as I get to be with great panelists Tami Dokken and Melissa Krasnow and we will have Mark Smith as our …

5 Key Things In-House Counsel Can Do to Help Their Businesses’ Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity is a team sport and many people within a business must work together to help effectively manage their businesses’ cyber risk. In-house counsel plays a critical role in this process. A recent Law360 article (subscription required) identified the following key things they can do: Develop, implement, and table-top test an incident response plan Advise …

Happy Data Privacy Day!

WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO OBSERVE IT? Today is Data Privacy Day! If you have been wondering “what is Data Privacy Day?” then this is your lucky day because not only is today Data Privacy Day, but here is the answer and an explanation for why it really matters to you and your company’s future …

Y2K18? Are #Spectre and #Meltdown the Y2K Apocalypse, Eighteen Years Late?

Hear Shawn Tuma interviewed on News Radio 570 KLIF – Experts: Update Settings and Download Updates to Protect from “Meltdown” and “Spectre” CLICK HERE if you are impatient and only want to know what you should do ASAP to protect against Spectre and Meltdown With Y2K we had a warning. So much of a warning that …

The Most Positive Cybersecurity Trend I Have Seen in Nearly 20 Years!

In the last quarter of 2017, I have observed a cybersecurity trend that has given me more hope than any that I have seen previously. Let me explain. As an attorney, I have been practicing what can generally be described as cyber law or cybersecurity law since 1999, which means that my practice has evolved a lot …

Tips for Staying #CyberSecure While Shopping Online for #BlackFriday and #CyberMonday Deals

Cybercriminals need shopping money for the Holidays and one of their favorite times to get yours is when you are shopping on #BlackFriday and #CyberMonday. https://youtu.be/ZPIEiQVQZ2I?t=31s Use these tips to help stay #cybersecure while shopping online for #BlackFriday and #CyberMonday and at any other time: Credit or debit? Use credit cards, not debit cards, for your …

Lost Unencrypted USB of Heathrow Airport Security Files Exemplifies Poor Cyber Hygiene

Basic cyber hygiene has been a hot topic in cybersecurity, and for good reason. Most of the incidents that impact companies start with failures of basic cyber hygiene, not the super-sophisticated stuff of the movies. See Start with Cybersecurity Basics: Confirmed by Verizon’s 2016 Data Breach Report. One of the most fundamental rules of cyber hygiene is …

3 Legal Points for InfoSec Teams to Consider Before an Incident

As a teaser to my presentation at SecureWorld – Dallas last week, I did a brief interview with SecureWorld and talked about three of the points I would make in my lunch keynote, The Legal Case for Cybersecurity. If you’re going to SecureWorld – Denver next week, join me for the lunch keynote on Thursday (11/2) …