Simplify Compliance with New York’s SHIELD Act

Overwatch Managed Security Checks All the Boxes

The state of New York is tightening up data privacy and security rules with the SHIELD Act, which takes effect on March 21, 2020. The new rules have far-reaching-effects since any organization that holds private information about a New York resident is required to comply – even if they don’t operate in New York.

What does the SHIELD ACT do?

The Stop Hacks and Improve Electronic Data Security (SHIELD) Act expands the definition of private information to include:

• Social Security number
• Driver’s license number or non-driver identification card number
• Account number, credit or debit card number, even without additional identifying information or a password
• Biometric information, such as an individual’s fingerprint, voice print, or retina image
• Username or e-mail address in combination with a password or security question and answer that would permit access to an online account

 And it also broadens the circumstances that qualify as a breach, which requires notification:

• Unauthorized acquisition of private information
• Unauthorized access to private information (defined as “indications that the information was viewed, communicated with, used, or altered by a person without valid authorization or by an unauthorized person”)

What penalties does the SHIELD Act carry?

The SHIELD Act does not allow individuals or groups (class-action) to file lawsuits for damages, but the state may apply civil penalties as follows:

• Data breach notification violations that are not reckless or knowing — The court may award damages for actual costs or losses incurred by a person entitled to notice, including consequential financial losses.
• Data breach notification violations that are reckless or knowing — The court may impose penalties of the greater of $5,000 dollars or up to $20 per instance with a cap of $250,000.
• Reasonable safeguard requirement violations — The court may impose penalties of not more than $5,000 per violation.

 How can Overwatch help you comply with the SHIELD Act?

High Wire Network’s Overwatch Managed Security Platform as a service, is a subscription-based service that leverages best-of-breed technology solutions to ensure that your business is secure but also compliant with data privacy regulations.

Overwatch can help you comply with these specific requirements of the SHIELD Act:

• Train employees about security program practices and procedures. Overwatch Security Awareness Training provides monthly video training with real-world examples of the latest breaches and threats. Your employees are incented to complete quizzes and you get full reporting on who has completed their training.
• Implement comprehensive risk assessment across network and software design, information processing, transmission and storage. Overwatch Continuous Vulnerability Assessment ensures your applications and supporting hosts are scanned and assessed for vulnerabilities and security weaknesses on a continuous, scheduled or on-demand basis. We help you keep up with constant changes to your environment. As new cybersecurity issues are made public, we help detect if you’re vulnerable. As new code is deployed or application features are delivered, we ensure you have not introduced any additional risk.
• Detect, prevent and respond to intrusions and unauthorized access. Our Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) platform relies on comprehensive, pervasive data collection, big-data processing and artificial intelligence to detect and respond to any data source, such as network data, logging information, threat intelligence or community data. This approach, called XDR (X Detection & Response) enables our analysts in our 24/7 Security Operations Center (SOC) to rapidly detect and respond to threats across your enterprise, including your network, cloud, data center and premises as well as your endpoints.
• Dispose of private information within a reasonable amount of time after it is no longer needed for business purposes.

Simplify SHIELD Act Compliance?

Contact High Wire Networks to learn more about Overwatch today!

Email us today: overwatchsales@highwirenetworks.com 

Call us today: 630-635-6717