[co-authors: Conor Harrington and Henry Thomson-Smith.]
As 2021 comes to a close, this article recounts some of the biggest trends in data privacy and cybersecurity from the past year and looks ahead at what we anticipate will come to workplaces in 2022. Employers across the nation need to review what happened this past year when it comes to ransomware attacks, consumer privacy legislation, biometric privacy, and the Biden administration’s cybersecurity efforts – and need to prepare for the year to come.
Ransomware Attacks: 2021 Wrap-Up
What do national and state governments, meat processors, wind turbine producers, and schools have in common? They were all the targets of ransomware attacks in 2021. Ransomware attackers use a form of malware that encrypts a company’s files, locking the company out and rendering the data unusable. Attacks may include the exfiltration of data that attackers then threaten to sell or leak if a ransom is not paid. These nefarious actors typically seek payment in cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin, making payments more difficult to track and enhancing anonymity. If the demand is not paid, the attackers often threaten to sell, leak, and/or…
