It's a general counsel's worst nightmare.  

Sensitive data. Gone. Stolen by faceless thieves who breached the company's seemingly secure network.  

"Data breaches can severely impact a company's reputation and have debilitating consequences to businesses big and small," said Scott L. Vernick, partner at the national law firm of Fox Rothschild LLP and head of the firm's Privacy and Data Security Practice.   

But combatting potential catastrophe and navigating proper response protocol has never been easier, thanks to a new iPhone app launched by Fox Rothschild that promises a guide to swift damage control at the fingertips.  

A leading privacy and security authority, Vernick spearheaded the creation of the app—called Data Breach 411—to help companies affected by a breach navigate the various state rules and regulations. 

"Data breaches, including theft and data loss, are happening on a regular basis," said Vernick.

"Our app is a 'one stop shop' for in-house counsel and privacy officers to instantly access the relevant state-specific details on what they need to do, who they need to notify, when and how," he continued.

Currently 46 states have laws in place addressing how organizations should prepare for and respond to the loss or theft of data.

"The ability to access these state rules at your fingertips can make all the difference in terms of what's at stake for an organization: loss of reputational integrity, public trust and business, and time-consuming and costly remediation efforts," said Vernick.

Features of the Fox data breach app include:

  • State Security Breach Statutes: An alphabetical listing of the 46 states that have data breach laws in place and links to all the relevant notification statutes.
  • HIPAA/HITECH Statutes: Breach notifications rules and other pertinent information related to the loss or theft of personal health information.
  • Resources: Links to credit agencies and credit monitoring services as well as the FTC website. Also, a section on COPPA – the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act – and relevant information surrounding the mining of data on minors. This section also includes links to Fox's Privacy Compliance & Data Security Blog and its HIPAA, HITECH and Health Information Technology Blog.

The app is available for free in the iTunes Store. To download it, click here.

Over the past decade, Vernick has developed extensive fluency in the rapidly evolving field of privacy and data security. He routinely counsels multinational and mid-sized businesses on how to mitigate risk and overcome the challenges posed by the current state and federal enforcement environment. For several years, Vernick has contributed to the "Combating Cyberthreats" section to West/Thompson Reuters's Data Security and Privacy Law guide, and he is also a frequent commentator for national and local media outlets on current issues related to privacy.

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