Data breaches are the top concern for C-level executives today, and one of the most costly reputational issue their company could face. Recent news of Russian hacker crime rings, and attacks on a variety of organizations (Target, eBay, Michaels, P.F. Changs, etc) have cyber-thieves targeting more than financial and banking information. Keeping up with the threats is now a priority for many business, but doing so is easier said than done. However, there’s an app for that.
The law firm of Fox Rothschild LLP has updated its Data Breach 411 smartphone app, with a focus on what companies and their legal counsel need to know in order to be prepared for and respond to a data breach.
The app, which originally launched in early 2014, is focused mainly on state data breach notification rules and regulations and related materials. New features include an updated archive of state security breach statutes (the states with new or revised legislation are Kentucky, Idaho, Iowa, Florida and Vermont), with a listing of the 48 states that have data breach laws, and links to all relevant notification statutes.
“Serious data breaches continue to hit at an alarming rate, making it more important than ever for companies to know what laws are in place to help mitigate their risk,” said Scott Vernick, partner with Fox Rothschild and chair of the firm’s Privacy and Data Security Practice Group, in a statement. “More states are responding to the latest threats to data security and privacy. They are adopting new laws or revising existing ones to account for the sensitive data being stolen and the resulting impact on companies and consumers.”
The app also has added HIPAA/HITECH statutes for the health care vertical, with breach notifications rules. And, it now has links to credit agencies and credit monitoring services as well as the FTC website, a section on the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and relevant information surrounding the mining of data on minors.
“Data breaches occur more frequently yet the state by state patchwork of laws makes this area of law extremely difficult to understand,” Vernick said. “The app lists 48 states with data breach laws, HIPAA/HITECH statutes and links to related information such as COPPA and credit monitoring services.”