Law360: 6 Cybersecurity Events That Have Defined 2021

O’Melveny counsel John Dermody was quoted in this Law360 article about the six most high-impact cybersecurity incidents this year.

Law 360 addressed the incline in ransomware attacks leading to substantial payouts. Examples include the US$4.4 million paid to hackers to restore the Colonial Pipeline Co. operations after an attack forced a shutdown of half the US East Coast’s fuel supply and the US$11 million ransom paid by JBS SA following an attack that halted production at its meat processing plants in the US, Canada, and Australia. The US Department of Justice instigated a task force, Law360 noted, to help manage the effect of such attacks on hospitals, schools, and businesses. 

“The cyber events over the course of this year, particularly those that affected critical infrastructure, made the threat from malicious cyber actors real and palpable to the general public,” Dermody said. “These acts went beyond data breaches or incidents impacting corporations to having direct personal consequences: delayed medical procedures, missed school days, the inability to fill your gas tank.”

Law360 subscribers can read the full article here.