That’s also increased cybersecurity risks for businesses of all sizes.
In fact, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center recently said it received a record number of cybersecurity complaints from Americans last year (791,790) with reported losses exceeding $4.1 billion. It was an increase of more than 300,000 complaints compared to 2019. Problems ranged from phishing scams to compromised emails, extortion and ransomware.
In response to those increased risks, state lawmakers are considering legislation that encourages and incentivizes companies to beef up their cybersecurity efforts.
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Thomas Rohback
The bill, which already passed the Commerce and Judicial committees and has business community support, provides incentives for companies to adopt cybersecurity frameworks prescribed by nationally-recognized organizations like the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). If passed, it would shield companies that enacted such policies from legal liability if their customers’ data is exposed in a cyberattack.