Law firms work in an increasingly hostile digital environment. Cyber security is now regarded as a major concern for all industries, including law companies. Furthermore, law firms are high-value targets for hackers and cybercriminals. Trade secrets, intellectual property, merger and acquisition details, personal information, and other confidential data are all examples of valuable information that cybercriminals would like to obtain.
No surprise that hackers are primarily motivated by financial gain. The legal sector handles highly sensitive information and controls huge sums of money on behalf of major businesses and individual clients alike – which makes it a very attractive target for cyber criminals!
Why should you worry about cyber security for your law firm?
Legal firms often find themselves as the communication hub between multiple clients and service providers – and hold a unique position of trust. So, there mane more potential risks on top of financial losses caused by a successful cyber breach.
Reputation – possibly the most impact of all losses is the lost of client trust
Time – loss of billable hours and staff time dealing with a breach can run into weeks and longer
Insurance Premiums – as with most insurance, paying out usually means paying more
Regulatory Penalties – various bodies have the power to levy fines on top of the immediate costs
Stress and Pressure – to partners and staff alike. Don’t underestimate the impact of crime on people
How to mitigate risks which can potentially destroy business reputation and cause lots of problems to your law company?
Let’s overview five most important steps to complete.
1. Create and implement a data security policy.
Most security breaches begin with non-tech failure. It is not a surprise that human factor plays a key role in sensitive data protection. That’s why it is critically important to make a clear, easy-to-follow plan for data security and share it with all employees. The second important step is to invest in the regular trainings for your team-members. An implementation of an ongoing security awareness training program for all attorneys and staff will help them identify and avoid scam attempts.
2. Secure your devices.
Enforce multi-factor authentication wherever possible, as strong passwords are still critical, but are not enough. On top of this, there is an increased need for mobile
data security as more and more legal work is done remotely. Consider the use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) to encrypt your internet traffic and enforce security-related procedures such as implementation of a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy.
3. Conduct regular cyber security assessments.
The weaknesses in your law firm data security can be easily overlooked. The regular cyber security audits help to identify security vulnerabilities, gaps in technology, policy, and behaviour and mitigate risks in time. A cyber security assessment is a complex procedure which requires experienced cyber security professional’s involvement.
4. Assure the regulation compliance.
Law firms’ operations are regulated by a set of security standards on the federal level. It compares, for instance, to the federal statute HIPAA for healthcare. The commentary to Rule 1.1 of the Model Rules of Professional Conduct directs attorneys to “keep abreast of changes in the law and its practice, including the benefits and risks associated with relevant technology.”
5. Partner with a reliable MSP to guarantee your cyber security.
A partnership with an experienced cyber security provider helps you to get hackers out of your nightmares. Consider outsourcing your cyber security to experts, especially if you run a small or mid-sized law company. Remember, that law firm cyber threats change constantly, and you need real experts who keep up with it.
Cybersecurity for law firms
Law firms work in an increasingly hostile digital environment. Cyber security is now regarded as a major concern for all industries, including law companies. Furthermore, law firms are high-value targets for hackers and cybercriminals. Trade secrets, intellectual property, merger and acquisition details, personal information, and other confidential data are all examples of valuable information that cybercriminals would like to obtain.
No surprise that hackers are primarily motivated by financial gain. The legal sector handles highly sensitive information and controls huge sums of money on behalf of major businesses and individual clients alike – which makes it a very attractive target for cyber criminals!
Why should you worry about cyber security for your law firm?
Legal firms often find themselves as the communication hub between multiple clients and service providers – and hold a unique position of trust. So, there mane more potential risks on top of financial losses caused by a successful cyber breach.
How to mitigate risks which can potentially destroy business reputation and cause lots of problems to your law company?
Let’s overview five most important steps to complete.
1. Create and implement a data security policy.
Most security breaches begin with non-tech failure. It is not a surprise that human factor plays a key role in sensitive data protection. That’s why it is critically important to make a clear, easy-to-follow plan for data security and share it with all employees. The second important step is to invest in the regular trainings for your team-members. An implementation of an ongoing security awareness training program for all attorneys and staff will help them identify and avoid scam attempts.
2. Secure your devices.
Enforce multi-factor authentication wherever possible, as strong passwords are still critical, but are not enough. On top of this, there is an increased need for mobile
data security as more and more legal work is done remotely. Consider the use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) to encrypt your internet traffic and enforce security-related procedures such as implementation of a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy.
3. Conduct regular cyber security assessments.
The weaknesses in your law firm data security can be easily overlooked. The regular cyber security audits help to identify security vulnerabilities, gaps in technology, policy, and behaviour and mitigate risks in time. A cyber security assessment is a complex procedure which requires experienced cyber security professional’s involvement.
4. Assure the regulation compliance.
Law firms’ operations are regulated by a set of security standards on the federal level. It compares, for instance, to the federal statute HIPAA for healthcare. The commentary to Rule 1.1 of the Model Rules of Professional Conduct directs attorneys to “keep abreast of changes in the law and its practice, including the benefits and risks associated with relevant technology.”
5. Partner with a reliable MSP to guarantee your cyber security.
A partnership with an experienced cyber security provider helps you to get hackers out of your nightmares. Consider outsourcing your cyber security to experts, especially if you run a small or mid-sized law company. Remember, that law firm cyber threats change constantly, and you need real experts who keep up with it.
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