Tag Archive for: proposes

FCC Proposes Stricter Regulations for Data Breach Disclosure 

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The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has proposed stricter requirements for companies to disclose data breaches.

According to the proposal, companies would be required to notify customers affected by inadvertent breaches, and the one-week waiting period before disclosure would be eliminated.

The updates would better align the FCCs rules with recent developments in federal and state data breach laws covering other sectors.    

Lisa Plaggemier, interim executive director of the National Cyber Security Alliance, explained the Biden administration—and government in general—have been making a lot of positive attempts to build more modern and effective cybersecurity protocols in the wake of last year’s news cycle dominated by several high-profile breaches.

“These new guidelines fall right in line with these overarching intentions, and similar measures will likely follow suit in the months and years to come,” she said. 

Unfortunately, last year’s hectic breach-centric news cycle laid bare just how fragmented the government’s oversight and reporting procedures are for the cybersecurity industry.

Moreover, Plaggemier said those constant reports highlighted how important it is for the public and private sector to rethink the way we collectively approach cybersecurity and report cybersecurity incidents.

FCC Addresses Breach Notification Requirements

The proposal outlines several updates to current FCC rules addressing telecommunications carriers’ breach notification requirements, including requiring carriers to notify the commission of all reportable breaches in addition to the FBI and U.S. Secret Service.

The FCC proposal also seeks comment on whether the commission should require customer breach notices to include specific categories of information to help ensure they contain actionable information useful to the consumer, and proposes to make consistent revisions to the commission’s telecommunications relay services (TRS) data breach reporting rule.  

“Current law already requires telecommunications carriers to protect the privacy and security of sensitive customer information,” FCC chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said in a statement. “But these rules need…

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Sen. Imee’s bill proposes cheaper Internet access for work and business

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Senator Imee Marcos has proposed cheaper Internet access for low-income groups so that more Filipinos can benefit from working, learning, and doing business online.

“If lifeline rates are being given to water and electricity consumers, why can’t we give similar discounts for internet access?” Marcos said in a news statement.

The socialized pricing mechanism is a solution amid the slow expansion of free wifi access in poorer areas and can already be put in place by the government and telecommunications firms, according to Senate Bill 2102, named the “Public Telecommunications Policy Act of the Philippines.”

The Marcos bill prescribes a lifeline rate for broadband and data use based on consumption thresholds of not lower than one gigabyte (1GB) per month.

“Low-income end-users need more than just the occasional mobile promo, with Internet access becoming a necessity just like water and electricity. Work-from-home arrangements, online education, e-commerce and internet banking are here to stay,” the Senate economic affairs committee chairman said.

Although the Philippines ranked 48th overall out of 110 countries in the Digital Quality of Life Index 2021, its Internet affordability ranked 72nd—the lowest among the five criteria on which digital well-being was assessed by the Netherlands-based cybersecurity firm Surfshark.

In the other four criteria, the Philippines ranked 20th in internet quality, 30th in internet security, 63rd in e-infrastructure, and 67th in e-government.

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UT Tyler proposes new cyber security degree program after FBI notices increase in ransomware attacks

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TYLER, Texas (KETK)- Many East Texas businesses and employees were forced to work online from home because of the pandemic and cyber hackers are taking advantage of that right now.

“A ransomware attacks a business every 11 seconds,” said FBI Special Agent, Matthew DeSarno.  “We’ve seen an increase in cyber attacks against private sectors, companies, critical infrastructure, government agencies, supply chain attacks, intellectual property theft, and ransomware attacks. I mean, the stakes could not be much higher than they are.”

These cyber criminals are using phishing, extortion, and other internet fraud and profiting from our dependence on technology since the pandemic.

The FBI is currently investigating over 100 types of ransomware in Texas. The global ransomware damage costs are predicted to reach $20 billion by the end of this year, causing the FBI to issue this warning.

“If you are a small business owner and you get hit with what you believe to be ransomware, and you can’t access your data, and all of a sudden there’s some bad guy asking you for a ransom. We recommend you don’t pay the ransom,” said DeSarno.

Two East Texas school districts, Whitehouse and Lufkin ISD, were hit with cyber security attacks earlier this year. Pilgrim’s Pride in Nacogdoches and their parent company, JBS also were victims.

UT Tyler is proposing a new degree program in cyber security and data analytics to help address the shortage of cyber professionals.

“This program is really about giving the opportunity for people all over East Texas and beyond to be able to get some real good grounding information and studies in cybersecurity and data analytics,” said Computer Science Professor Dr. Tom Roberts.

This course offers the opportunity to take up to 27 hours in cyber security and nine hours in data analytics or vice versa. The course will be completely online for anyone who is interested.

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Hillicon Valley: House lawmakers fired up for hearing with tech CEOs | Zuckerberg proposes conditional Section 230 reforms

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Welcome to Hillicon Valley, The Hill’s newsletter detailing all you need to know about the tech and cyber news from Capitol Hill to Silicon Valley. If you don’t already, be sure to sign up for our newsletter by clicking HERE.



Mark Zuckerberg, Jack Dorsey, Sundar Pichai are posing for a picture: Mark Zuckerberg, Jack Dorsey and Sundar Pichai

© Greg Nash/Getty Images
Mark Zuckerberg, Jack Dorsey and Sundar Pichai

Welcome! Follow our cyber reporter, Maggie Miller (@magmill95), and tech team, Chris Mills Rodrigo (@chrisismills) and Rebecca Klar (@rebeccaklar_), for more coverage.

Today: The CEOs of major social media platforms are gearing up to testify before a House committee tomorrow on misinformation around COVID-19 and the recent Capitol riot. Meanwhile, a group of 12 state attorneys general are pressuring Facebook and Twitter to tackle COVID-19 vaccine misinformation, and two lawmakers reintroduced legislation aimed at making internet-connected devices safer for the consumer.

TECH HEARING TIME AGAIN: The CEOs of the country’s biggest social media platforms will testify Thursday before a Congress eager to press them on their roles spreading misinformation related to coronavirus and the lead-up to the deadly insurrection at the Capitol in January.

Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, Twitter’s Jack Dorsey and Google’s Sundar Pichai will appear remotely in front of two House Energy and Commerce subcommittees set to take a markedly different tone from previous hearings.

“We are done with conversation,” Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), chairwoman of the Consumer Protection and Commerce Subcommittee, said at an event Monday. “We are now moving ahead with regulation and legislation, and that is inevitable. We want them to understand how seriously they better take this.”

What to expect: The hearing will likely focus on the part the massive platforms play in spreading potentially dangerous misinformation – ranging from election result conspiracies to lies about the coronavirus vaccine – and a suite of proposed and forthcoming legislative fixes to Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which gives platforms liability protection from content posted by third parties and allows them to safely moderate.

All three companies have highlighted their work on content moderation and new policies recently,…

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