Bill Text: NY S05007 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft
Bill Title: Establishes the "secure our data act"; relates to state entities preparing for and protecting against a ransomware attack.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-0)

Status: (Engrossed) 2024-03-18 - referred to governmental operations [S05007 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-S05007-Introduced.html



                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          5007

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                    February 21, 2023
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by Sen. GONZALEZ -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on Internet and Technology

        AN ACT to amend the state technology law, in  relation  to  establishing
          the "secure our data act"

          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "secure our
     2  data act".
     3    § 2. Legislative intent. The legislature  finds  that  ransomware  and
     4  other  malware  attacks have affected the electronically stored personal
     5  information relating to thousands of people statewide  and  millions  of
     6  people  nationwide.  The  legislature  also  finds  that  state entities
     7  receive such personal information from various  sources,  including  the
     8  data  subjects themselves, other state entities, and the federal govern-
     9  ment.  In addition, the legislature finds that state entities  use  such
    10  personal information to make determinations regarding the data subjects.
    11  The  legislature  further  finds  that New Yorkers deserve to have their
    12  personal information that is in the possession of a state entity  stored
    13  in  a  manner  that  will  withstand any attempt by ransomware and other
    14  malware to alter, change, or encrypt such information.
    15    Therefore, the legislature enacts the secure our data act  which  will
    16  guarantee  that  state  entities  will  employ  the proper technology to
    17  protect the personal information stored as backup information  from  any
    18  unauthorized alteration or change.
    19    §  3.  The state technology law is amended by adding a new section 210
    20  to read as follows:
    21    § 210. Ransomware and other malware protection.  1.  Definitions.  For
    22  purposes  of  this section, the following terms shall have the following
    23  meanings:
    24    (a) "Data subject" shall mean the person who is  the  subject  of  the
    25  personal information.

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD09002-01-3

        S. 5007                             2

     1    (b)  "Immutable"  means  data  that  is  stored unchanged over time or
     2  unable to be changed. For the purposes  of  backups,  "immutable"  shall
     3  mean  that,  once ingested, no external or internal operation can modify
     4  the data and must never be  available  in  a  read/write  state  to  the
     5  client.  "Immutable" shall specifically apply to the characteristics and
     6  attributes of a backup system's file system and may not  be  applied  to
     7  temporary  systems  state,  time-bound  or  expiring  configurations, or
     8  temporary conditions created by a physical air gap as is implemented  in
     9  most  legacy systems.  An immutable file system must demonstrate charac-
    10  teristics that do not permit the editing or changing of any data  backed
    11  up to provide agencies with complete recovery capabilities.
    12    (c) "Information system" shall mean any good, service or a combination
    13  thereof,  used  by any computer, cloud service, or interconnected system
    14  that is maintained for or used by a state  entity  in  the  acquisition,
    15  storage,  manipulation,  management, movement, control, display, switch-
    16  ing, interchange, transmission, or reception of data or voice including,
    17  but not limited to, hardware, software,  information  appliances,  firm-
    18  ware,  programs,  systems,  networks, infrastructure, media, and related
    19  material used to  automatically  and  electronically  collect,  receive,
    20  access,  transmit,  display, store, record, retrieve, analyze, evaluate,
    21  process, classify, manipulate, manage, assimilate, control, communicate,
    22  exchange, convert, coverage, interface, switch, or disseminate  data  of
    23  any kind or form.
    24    (d)  "Maintained"  shall  mean  personal information stored by a state
    25  entity that was provided to the state entity  by  the  data  subject,  a
    26  state  entity,  or  a  federal governmental entity. Such term shall also
    27  include personal information provided by an adverse party in the  course
    28  of litigation or other adversarial proceeding.
    29    (e)  "Malware"  shall mean malicious code included in any application,
    30  digital content, document, executable, firmware,  payload,  or  software
    31  for  the  purpose  of  performing  or executing one or more unauthorized
    32  processes designed to have an adverse impact on the availability, confi-
    33  dentiality, or integrity of data stored in an information system.
    34    (f) "Ransomware" shall mean any type of malware that  uses  encryption
    35  technology to prevent users from accessing an information system or data
    36  stored by such information system until a ransom is paid.
    37    (g)  "State  entity"  shall  mean  any  state board, bureau, division,
    38  committee, commission, council,  department,  public  authority,  public
    39  benefit  corporation,  office  or other governmental entity performing a
    40  governmental or proprietary function for the state of New York or any of
    41  its political subdivisions.
    42    2. Data protection standards. (a) No later than  one  year  after  the
    43  effective  date  of  this  section,  the  director, in consultation with
    44  stakeholders and other interested parties, which shall include at  least
    45  one public hearing, shall promulgate regulations that design and develop
    46  standards for:
    47    (i) malware and ransomware protection for mission critical information
    48  systems and for personal information used by such information systems;
    49    (ii)  data  backup  that includes the creation of immutable backups of
    50  personal information maintained by the state entity and storage of  such
    51  backups in a segmented environment, including a segmented device;
    52    (iii)  information system recovery that includes creating an identical
    53  copy of an immutable personal information backup maintained  by  or  for
    54  the  state  entity  that  was  stored in a segmented environment or on a
    55  segmented device for use when an information system has  been  adversely

        S. 5007                             3

     1  affected  by  rent  somewhere  or other malware and requires restoration
     2  from one or more backups; and
     3    (iv)  annual  workforce  training regarding protection from ransomware
     4  and other malware, as well as processes and procedures  that  should  be
     5  followed  in  the event of a data incident involving ransomware or other
     6  malware.
     7    (b) Such regulations may be adopted on an  emergency  basis.  If  such
     8  regulations  are  adopted on an emergency basis, the office shall engage
     9  in the formal rulemaking procedure no later  than  the  day  immediately
    10  following  the  date  that the office promulgated such regulations on an
    11  emergency basis. Provided that the office has commenced the formal rule-
    12  making process, the regulations adopted on an  emergency  basis  may  be
    13  renewed no more than two times.
    14    3.  Vulnerability assessments. Notwithstanding any provision of law to
    15  the contrary, each state entity shall engage in vulnerability testing of
    16  its information systems as follows:
    17    (a) Beginning January first, two thousand twenty-four and on a monthly
    18  basis thereafter, each state  entity  shall  perform,  or  cause  to  be
    19  performed,  a  vulnerability assessment of at least one mission critical
    20  information system ensuring that each mission critical system has under-
    21  gone a vulnerability assessment during the past year. A report detailing
    22  the vulnerability assessment methodology  and  findings  shall  be  made
    23  available  to  the office for review no later than forty-five days after
    24  the testing has been completed.
    25    (b) Beginning December first, two  thousand  twenty-four,  each  state
    26  entity's  entire  information system shall undergo vulnerability testing
    27  conducted by an independent third party. A report detailing the  vulner-
    28  ability  assessment  methodology and findings shall be made available to
    29  the office for review no later than forty-five days after  such  testing
    30  has been completed.
    31    (c)  The  office  shall  assist  state  entities in complying with the
    32  provisions of this section.
    33    4. Data and information system inventory. (a) No later than  one  year
    34  after the effective date of this section, each state entity shall create
    35  an  inventory of the data maintained by the state entity and the purpose
    36  or purposes for which such data is maintained and  used.  The  inventory
    37  shall  include  a  listing of all personal information maintained by the
    38  state entity, along with the source and age of such information.
    39    (b) No later than one year after the effective date of  this  section,
    40  each  state  entity shall create an inventory of the information systems
    41  maintained by or on behalf of  the  state  entity  and  the  purpose  or
    42  purposes  for which each such information system is maintained and used.
    43  The inventory shall denote those information systems  that  are  mission
    44  critical and those that use personal information, and whether the infor-
    45  mation system is protected by immutable backups.
    46    (c)  Notwithstanding  paragraphs (a) and (b) of this subdivision, if a
    47  state entity has already  completed  a  data  inventory  or  information
    48  systems  inventory,  such  state  entity  shall  update  the  previously
    49  completed data inventory or information system inventory no  later  than
    50  one year after the effective date of this section.
    51    (d) Upon written request from the office, a state entity shall provide
    52  the office with either or both of the inventories required to be created
    53  or updated pursuant to this subdivision.
    54    5. Incident management and recovery. (a) No later than eighteen months
    55  after  the  effective date of this section, each state entity shall have
    56  created an incident response plan for incidents involving ransomware  or

        S. 5007                             4

     1  other  malware  that  renders an information system or its data unavail-
     2  able, and incidents involving ransomware or other malware that result in
     3  the alteration or deletion of or unauthorized access to, personal infor-
     4  mation.
     5    (b)  Such  incident  response plan shall include a procedure for situ-
     6  ations where production and non-segmented information systems have  been
     7  adversely  affected  by  a data incident, as well as a procedure for the
     8  storage of personal  information  and  mission  critical  backups  on  a
     9  segmented  device or segmented portion of the state entity's information
    10  system to ensure that such personal  information  and  mission  critical
    11  systems are protected by immutable backups.
    12    (c)  Beginning January first, two thousand twenty-six and on an annual
    13  basis thereafter, each state entity shall complete at least one exercise
    14  of its incident  response  plan  that  includes  copying  the  immutable
    15  personal   information   and  mission  critical  applications  from  the
    16  segmented portion of the state entity's  information  system  and  using
    17  such copies in the state entity's restoration and recovery process. Upon
    18  completion  of  such exercise, the state entity shall document the inci-
    19  dent response plan's successes and shortcomings.
    20    6. No private right of action. Nothing set forth in this section shall
    21  be construed as creating or establishing a private cause of action.
    22    § 4. Severability. The provisions of this act shall be  severable  and
    23  if  any  portion  thereof  or the applicability thereof to any person or
    24  circumstances shall be held to be invalid, the remainder of this act and
    25  the application thereof shall not be affected thereby.
    26    § 5. This act shall take effect immediately.
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