Court Rules that Insurer Must Cover Tech Firm's Losses From Email Scam
About two hours after Lien received the first email, Principle wired more than $1.7 million to the scammers.
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- Sep 4, 2019
- 4 min
Judge Pauses $10 Million Phishing Scheme Lawsuit
Fraudsters used a phishing scheme to divert $10 Million dollars from a real estate technology company, resulting in an insurance lawsuit.
- Jul 23, 2019
- 2 min
Freeborn's Emerging Industries Symposium
We are in the digital age with new and fascinating developments. But, the risks are changing, and we need to know, understand and prepare.
- Nov 13, 2018
- 3 min
The "C" in CGL is not for Cyber
Within the last year, two Federal judges in the Middle District of Florida decided that commercial general liability (CGL) insurance policies are not designed to cover the unauthorized publication of private information in cyber data breaches. Innovak Innovak International, Inc. is a technology company that designs, develops, and sells accounting and payroll computer software systems to schools, school districts, and to other entities across the United States. Innovak's soft
- Sep 27, 2018
- 2 min
Internet of Things and Cyber Insurance
In my last blog, Attorneys will Impact the Internet of Things, I discussed that the IoT creates a significant risk to privacy and cybersecurity. Like so many other industries -- automotive, pharmaceutical, healthcare, environmental -- it's not until attorneys start suing developers and manufacturers, and juries render multi-million dollar verdicts against corporations, that security and safety become a priority in the IoT. Already our cars, watches, fridges, thermostats, doo
- Aug 23, 2018
- 3 min
Florida Law Firm Hacked Then Sued For Legal Malpractice
Real estate attorneys are prime targets for data breaches, but do they have a duty to prevent/avoid a breach? A Florida company is asking a court to find that attorneys are responsible for maintaining proper cybersecurity in email communications. In 2016, a Seller of real property entered into a contract with a Buyer for property in Clearwater Beach, Florida. The Seller's real estate agent referred an Attorney to perform the closing services for the purchase. The agreed up
- Aug 21, 2018
- 2 min
Locked-In Ransomware hits Maryland Company
A local Maryland embroidery and silk-screening company is suing its insurance carrier due to a Locked-In ransomware attack. In July, National Ink and Stitch, LLC, filed a lawsuit against State Auto Insurance Companies in the District Court of Maryland. National Ink alleges that in December 2016, it discovered that its computer system was infected with the Locked-In ransomware. The ransomware completely shut down the company's computer system and destroyed software and data,
- Aug 14, 2018
- 2 min
Construction company lost $1.6 million in email scam
According to a complaint filed in federal court, Quality Plus Services, Inc, claims that earlier this year it discovered it was a victim of social engineering fraud resulting in a combined loss of $1,633,018.00. On five separate occasions, QPS received spoofed emails with payment instructions. Each of the emails adopted the form, intonation, and direction typical of the handling of QPS accounts. The emails were engineered to look like that of an employee authorized to give p
- Aug 9, 2018
- 4 min
Lawsuits Against Software Developers and IT Specialists
People understand and may even accept that software in computers and mobile devices have glitches, failures and security holes. People have experienced the blue screen of death, corrupt files, slow applications, viruses and malware. This is just the way it is, right? Maybe not. Companies are now asking the question: Should software developers and IT professionals have a duty to provide the public with better products and services? With the recent wave of data breaches and
- Jul 31, 2018
- 3 min
What is Cyber Law?
Cyber Law or cyberspace law is the field of law dealing with the Internet, encompassing cases, statutes, regulations, and disputes that affect people and businesses interacting through computers. CYBERLAW, Black's Law Dictionary (10th ed. 2014) Cyber Law is fairly new and rapidly evolving. The Internet had its origins in 1969 as an experimental networking project supported by the Advanced Research Project Agency of the U.S. Department of Defense. In 1983, the network switche
- Jul 11, 2018
- 2 min
Cyberclaims and litigation against insurance professionals
Earlier this year, Westlaw (Thomson Reuters) published an article I wrote. In case you missed it, here are some excerpts. Technology such as cloud computing, machine learning, "internet of things" and autonomous vehicles are changing society. Along with these rapid societal changes, cyberthreats are evolving more quickly than chief information security officers can deploy systems to anticipate and prevent breaches. While these breaches were once considered threats only for l