Ransomware attacks and their legal consequences: a threat to cybersecurity
Computer Security Day, the international day for raising cybersecurity awareness, falls on November 30, and just a few days ago the largest medical data leak to date occurred in Poland. The victim of this cyberattack was one of the laboratory networks in Poland, which cooperates with many Polish clinics, hospitals and other medical facilities. The company refused to cooperate with cybercriminals, which resulted in the disclosure of medical and personal data of over 50,000 people. Poles. Unfortunately, the group of hackers announced that if the company does not meet their ransom demands, they will publish the full dataset by December 31, 2023. They include information such as names, surnames, Polish National Security Numbers, addresses, dates of orders and examinations, as well as numbers enabling verification in the laboratory systems.
Cybersecurity aspects in the new Executive Order about AI
The race between US and UE
On 30 October 2023, the President of the United States issued an Executive Order on the Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence. The Executive Order establishes new standards for Artificial Intelligence safety and security, protects Americans’ privacy, advances equity and civil rights, stands up for consumers and workers, promotes innovation and competition, advances American leadership around the world, and more. The Executive Order builds on previous actions the President has taken, including work that led to voluntary commitments from 15 leading companies to drive safe, secure, and trustworthy development of AI.
At the beginning of October 2023 a fine of almost PLN 5.2 million was imposed by the Polish Office of Competition and Consumer Protection on the Scandinavian distributor of supplements and PLN 110,000 on its president of the management board for using dark patterns in e-commerce.
The regulator found seven such practices in the activities of the company selling dietary supplements. The regulator assessed that consumers could be misled by the first contact with the company’s offer, boasting “over a million satisfied customers” of a given product, while this information concerned the total number of the entrepreneur’s customers. Some marketing materials also referred to alleged recommendations of the European Food Safety Authority. Above all, the manipulation of the fined company consisted in offering a free sample of a dietary supplement. When the consumer clicked to confirm his willingness to receive it, a new window opened – with a message similar to the previous one in terms of graphic form and content, but it did not concern a free sample, but an annual paid supply of a given product along with a subscription.
On 31 November 2023 – 1 December 2023 our lawyers will take part in LIFE SCIENCE OPEN SPACE 2023. Collaboration and Innovation Summit for Health and Quality of Life.
This is an important and prestigious event of the life science community in Poland and beyond.
For the first time the event is organized in cooperation with three organizations – LifeScience Cluster, Sano Center for Computational Medicine and Krakow Technology Park.
