Understanding Cyberattack Liabilities

Be vigilant, and take corrective actions to keep systems up to date... or risk being sued.

Earlier this month cyberattacks dominated the news as 16 health care facilities (mostly major hospitals in the U.K. ) lost access to patient data to hackers who demanded payment in exchange for its "return." Rather than simply creating a risk and inconvenience by accessing what was supposed to be secure, confidential information (read: credit card data) as previous hacks have done, in this case, the culprits placed lives in jeopardy because of the critical information they "data-napped." Sadly, in the case of this particular hack, Microsoft warned users of an identified vulnerability and provided a patch to address it two weeks before the attack.

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Tax Policy for Communications Services Really is Interesting No Really!

When I tell people that in law school, Tax Law proved surprisingly interesting, they usually write me off as hopelessly nerdy or just plain clueless. In fact, a class in Corporate Tax was perhaps one of the most interesting (and it REALLY was) of the entire 3 year law school experience. Rather than being black and white as I’d assumed, Tax Law involves not only math issues, but copious quantities of reasoning, persuasion and context.  With this in mind, a recent decision in Florida caught my attention.

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911 Policy Review and Update

Two weeks ago, I was lucky enough to take part in a panel discussion led by Irwin Lazar of Nemertes Research at Enterprise Connect in Orlando on issues associated with 9-1-1.  For those who weren’t in the room, it’s important to know that there was heated discussion as two animated vendor representatives discussed their different approaches to identifying, managing and providing useful location information to first responders behind an MLTS (multi-line telephone system).  However, aside from the in-room fireworks, the session reminded me that it might be time for a review of some useful and relevant 9-1-1 policy information.

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What’s All This Fuss about Lifeline? It may not be what you think.

Sometimes, when I start writing pieces like this, I write an outline and just put the whole document together. Other times, like for this piece, I have rewritten the outline 4 times, as I learned more and have found that the issues that have forced Lifeline into the spotlight are not always what they appear—at least to outsiders. The focus also keeps changing.  There are so many issues at multiple levels at play here that it’s tough to know not only where to begin, but where the matter is going.

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Legally & Practically: What Avaya's Chapter 11 Means to Customers

As Avaya comes before the bankruptcy judge today in its second major court appearance since filing for Chapter 11 protection on Jan. 19, it's hoping that the final orders will be approved and "negotiations will begin in earnest," as Avaya's John Sullivan, VP or corporate treasury, shared with No Jitter Editor Beth Schultz (and she related to me). However, the company recognizes that the just-formed unsecured creditor group may request, and be granted, more time.

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