Fiat Chrysler Recall Highlights Potential Need for Regulatory Changes

By on July 30, 2015

Last week, Fiat Chrysler issued a recall of more than 1.4 million vehicles after security researchers from Wired Magazine exposed major security flaws that would allow potential hackers to take over a vehicle’s crucial systems remotely.

In a controlled demonstration, Charlie Miller and Chris Valasek hacked into a Jeep Cherokee as it was traveling 70 m.p.h. down a St. Louis highway. The hackers were able to take control of the vehicle’s air conditioning, entertainment system, and at one point were able to cut the Jeep’s accelerator. The hackers also revealed the capability to cut the Jeep’s brakes, as well as the ability to track a targeted vehicle’s GPS coordinates via its navigation system.

The experiment revealed vulnerabilities contained within Fiat Chrysler’s Uconnect system, the internet-connected computer feature that controls navigation, enables phone calls, and even offers a Wi-Fi hot spot in hundreds of thousands of Fiat Chrysler vehicles. According to Wired Magazine, a hacker need only know a car’s IP address in order to potentially gain access to the vehicle from anywhere in the country.

Last week’s recall illustrates how the rapidly-developing “Internet of Things” (i.e., the increasing use of interconnected devices in everyday life) can implicate not just issues of personal privacy and data security, but physical safety. It also raises serious questions of accountability for both automakers and government regulators. On July 21, 2015, Senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), who followed Miller and Valasek’s research, introduced legislation that would direct the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to establish federal performance standards that would protect drivers’ privacy and secure vehicle software systems. The Security and Privacy in Your Car (SPY Car) Act would establish a rating system that would inform consumers about how well the vehicle protects drivers’ security and privacy beyond the minimum standards set forth by the Act. The SPY Car Act also contains proposed limitations on automakers’ disclosure, retention, and use of information collected by the on-board software systems featured in most modern vehicles.

Whether or not the SPY Car Act becomes law, it is not difficult to imagine that future real-world data breaches or injuries resulting from vulnerabilities in on-board computer systems could result in significant liability for car manufacturers, especially if they were to occur on a widespread scale. Accordingly, the auto industry should be cognizant of these vulnerabilities and take steps to ensure their vehicles are secured from digital attacks.

Gordon & Rees LLP’s Privacy & Data Security Group will continue to monitor and report on the implications of vehicle security breaches.

Filed under Cyber Security, Data Breach, Internet of Things, SPY Car Act

Seventh Circuit Revives Consumer Class Action Relating To Neiman Marcus Data Breach

By and on July 24, 2015

On Monday July 20, 2015, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals weighed in on the hotly-contested issue of standing in data breach class action litigation. In so doing, the Court reversed the district court’s dismissal of a consumer class lawsuit against luxury department store Neiman Marcus, holding that the plaintiffs had successfully alleged the concrete, particularized injuries necessary to support Article III standing.

This lawsuit arose in January of 2014, when Neiman Marcus publicly disclosed that it had suffered a major cyberattack, in which hackers collected the credit card information of approximately 350,000 customers. Soon after this disclosure was made, a number of consumers filed a class action lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, alleging that Neiman Marcus put them at risk for risk for identity theft and fraud by waiting nearly a month to disclose the data breach. In September 2014, the district court dismissed the case, ruling that both the individual plaintiffs and the class lacked standing under Article III of the Constitution.

On appeal, the Seventh Circuit analyzed the injuries the Neiman Marcus consumers claimed to have suffered in order to determine whether they constituted the type of “concrete and particularized injury” required to establish standing. In this instance, plaintiffs alleged lost time and money spent in protecting against fraudulent charges and future identity theft, as well as two “imminent injuries:” an increased risk of future fraudulent charges and greater susceptibility to identity theft. The Seventh Circuit ultimately determined that these allegations sufficiently established standing, as they showed a “substantial risk of harm” from the Neiman Marcus data breach. Importantly, the Court explained that the Neiman Marcus customers did not have to wait until hackers actually committed identity theft or credit-card fraud to obtain class standing, as there was an “objectively reasonable likelihood” that such an injury would occur. The full opinion is available here.

This ruling is consistent with decisions from several other courts across the country. See, e.g., In re Sony Gaming Networks and Customer Data Security Breach Litigation, 996 F.Supp.2d 942 (S.D. Cal. 2014); Moyer v. Michaels Stores, Inc., No. 14 C 561, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 96588, 2014 WL 3511500 (N.D. Ill. July 14, 2014); In re Adobe Systems Inc. Privacy Litigation, No 13-cv-05226-LHK, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 124126, 2014 WL 4379916 (N.D. Cal. Sept. 4, 2014); Michael Corona, et al. v. Sony Pictures Entertainment, Inc., No. 2:14-cv-09600-RGK-E (C.D. Cal. June 15, 2015). Earlier this year, in a comprehensive article on standing in data breach cases (available here), our firm questioned whether opinions of this nature were indicative of a trend or anomalies. The Seventh Circuit’s ruling this week and the Central District of California’s ruling in Corona last month suggest it is in fact a trend. If the trend continues, consumers nationwide may find it easier to survive a motion to dismiss based on a lack of standing.

Please continue to monitor our blog for the latest news on data breach litigation and other privacy laws.

Filed under Cyberattacks, Data Breach, Data Breach Class Actions

Update to “What’s Up Next on the Hacking Block?”

By on July 10, 2015

On Friday, July 10, 2015, the Director of the Office of Personnel Management (“OPM”), Katherine Archuleta, resigned amid the two massive data breaches of OPM’s information technology systems that occurred within the last year. The breaches have affected approximately 22.1 million individuals. Beth Cobert, the Deputy Director of Management of the Office of Management and Budget, will replace Archuleta. Lawmakers have also called for the resignation of Donna Seymour, OPM’s Chief Information Officer, but it is not clear whether she will resign or remain the CIO.

Our Privacy & Data Security Group will continue to monitor and report on the implications of government data breaches.

Filed under Data Breach, Office of Personnel Management