In a pure mathematical attack, (i.e., lacking any other information to help break a cipher) two factors above all count: 1  Computational power available, i.e., the computing power which can be brought to bear on the problem. 2  Key size, i.e., the size of key used to encrypt a message.
OMB's guidance to agencies requires them to report each PII-related breach to DHS's U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) within 1 hour of discovery. However, complete information from most incidents can take days or months to compile; therefore preparing a meaningful report within 1 hour can be infeasible.
PRIVACY BREACHES. A privacy breach is an unauthorized disclosure of PHI/PCI violating either Federal or State laws. Federal Law is the HIPAA Privacy Rule and State Law is the Information Practices Act of 1977. Privacy breaches may be paper or electronic, and may occur when information is transmitted to an unintended or unauthorized recipient. Examples of paper breaches include: