Stay up-to-date on what is happening with privacy laws, as well as stories about leaks of private information from security breaches in the public and private sector. Ironwall by Incogni has provided emergency services to individuals, businesses, police organizations and courts in the wake of hacking incidents and ransomware attacks.
Last updated: October 8, 2024
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Phishing and Ransomware Attacks
Comcast says customer data stolen in ransomware attack on debt collection agency
U.S. telecom giant Comcast has warned that cybercriminals stole the personal data of more than 230,000 customers during a ransomware attack on a third-party provider of debt collection services.
Hackers target Seattle-area school district for ransomware attack
The cyberthreat that shut down Highline Public Schools in September was a ransomware attack, district officials announced Thursday. The district is working with the FBI to investigate the attack. Though it’s unclear if hackers accessed personal data, the district is offering a year’s worth of free credit monitoring service to staff members as a preventive measure, said Tove Tupper, the district’s spokesperson.
2 West Texas healthcare systems impacted by IT outage, 1 confirmed ransomware attack.
Two West Texas-area healthcare entities - the Texas Tech Health Sciences Center system and University Medical Center in Lubbock - are days into widespread IT outages, with UMC confirming it is 12 days into a ransomware attack.
Infostealers Cause Surge in Ransomware Attacks, Just One in Three Recover Data
As many as 90% of organizations have been hit by ransomware, and three quarters hit more than once over the past 12 months, according to a US and UK study.
14 Million Patients Impacted by US Healthcare Data Breaches in 2024
Over 14 million patients have been affected by data breaches caused by malware attacks on US healthcare organizations so far in 2024, according to a new analysis by SonicWall.
Seattle Port and Airport Cyberattack Takes Ransomware to Another Level
Three weeks after a ransomware attack, the Port of Seattle and the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) are still recovering systems.
Access Sports Leaks Data of 88,000 People After Ransomware Attack
New Hampshire-based orthopedic service provider Access Sports recently disclosed a data breach impacting over 88,000 individuals. The compromised data included names, dates of birth, Social Security Numbers (SSNs), financial information, health insurance details and medical records.
Should State Governments Ban Ransomware Payments?
Given the surge of ransomware attacks and increasing costs of payments to unlock stolen data in 2024, some states have banned public ransomware payments. But experts are divided on whether it's the right move.
Threats Against Judges
Man threatened to kill Fort Pierce judge, possibly targeting Trump jurist
An Illinois man is accused of threatening to murder a federal judge in Fort Pierce, the same district where U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon dismissed the classified documents case against former President Donald Trump. A federal grand jury indicted Eric James Rennert, 65, on Thursday for allegedly threatening to assault, kidnap and kill a judge and the jurist's family. Prosecutors identified the target of Rennert's threats only as a federal judge in St. Lucie County, making Cannon one of two possible candidates.
Court officers receive threats after election-denying former county clerk sentenced to prison
A Colorado judge has been getting multiple threats after he sentenced an election-denying former county clerk to prison for orchestrating a security breach to further a conspiracy theory that the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump.
Alaska man charged with making death threats against Supreme Court justices
An Alaska man has been indicted on charges that he sent racist and violent threats against six Supreme Court justices and their family members.
Federal judge speaks about 'concerning trends' of threats against judges, weighs in on judicial ethics
He also called out attacks against judges as "one of the concerning trends in America." Reuters reported earlier this year that serious threats requiring investigation more than doubled against federal judges between 2021 and 2023. "You never know where it’s coming from," Hegarty said. "The only times I’ve experienced that in my life have been from civil litigants. Someone who had a civil lawsuit for damages and it didn’t go their way and they get mad at the judge."
Privacy Laws
Newsom Vetoes California Privacy Opt-Out Feature for Browsers
Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) vetoed legislation (AB 3048) Friday that would have made it easier for Californians using Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and similar browsers to have an easier way to block the use or sharing of their data by every website they visit.
The legislation, a priority of the California Privacy Protection Agency, was intended to build on efforts by privacy advocates to make the state’s first-in-the-nation privacy law, arguably already considered one of the toughest, the strongest one possible.