According to a shocking new report from the Massachusetts Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation, roughly half of Massachusetts residents (about 3.2 million) have had their personal information breached or compromised over the past four years. This staggering number is the result of nearly 1,800 acts of thievery including the theft of peoples’ credit card numbers and social security numbers. Often these criminal acts are the result of hacking personal accounts and websites, but in the case of one Massachusetts management firm, similar damage was incurred by simple negligence. After being slapped with a substantial monetary fine, this management firm reached out to NSK Inc in hopes of becoming compliant with Massachusetts data regulation, 201 CMR 17.00.

Higher costs, lower productivity, and legal issues are just some of the risks a company can be exposed to by simply surfing the web. Malware, formally known as malicious software, is the most omnipresent agent of chaos when it comes to web-based offensive content. Whether your company is a small, medium, or large sized business, it can be particularly helpful to install software that combats malicious content automatically.

On March 1, 2012, Massachusetts General Law Chapter 93H and its new regulations 201 CMR 17.00 final procedure went into effect – the provision of which included 3^rd party vendors.

This law, at its most basic premise, protects Massachusetts residents against identity theft and fraud. While the ruling may seem almost obvious and even stir some déjà vu, it’s probably because the law was actually put into practice on March 1, 2010 and similar laws have already been perpetuated in California, Maryland, Nevada, Oregon, and Texas. This final step in the new law was for contracts entered into before the 2010 date that were grandfathered in. The March 1^st, 2012 date completely nullified any grandfathered contracts.   Now, ALL companies or persons in Massachusetts who store or use personal information about Massachusetts residents must have created a written and regularly internally audited plan to protect a Massachusetts’s customer or user’s personal information that includes additional WISPs from third party vendors who also have the ability to see personal information.

Massachusetts new regulation 201CMR17.00 has claimed its first victim - The Briar Group.  

As you have probably noticed we have written a boat load of Security Articles for the past year.  We feel that because of all the legislation and regulations that are daily being created and updated by the government, they are seeing trends that will continue to target technology devices and small businesses.