Law firms may unwittingly be putting themselves and their clients at a high level of risk by not taking cybersecurity seriously. Lawyers receive and retain large amounts of sensitive client documents and data that can be an easy target for bad actors. These are three areas of cybersecurity that law firms need to tackle first:
1) Unsecure document storage and sharing
We understand the need to efficiently share key documents and information with clients, but this should never come at the expense of data security. Bad actors know that law firms are rich with valuable personally identifiable information, Social Security Numbers, Addresses, and Bank Account Numbers. That is not all, private conversation history, photos and any particular personal information a client has entrusted you with could be exposed to the dark web or held for ransom. While email and text are easy means of communication, they are unfortunately quite vulnerable to breaches. It may be time to sit down with a skilled IT expert and create protocols and apply tools that ensure the safety of all your client communications.
2) Vendors/ software who aren’t properly vetted
Your firm may have proper cyber security infrastructure and procedures in place, but not every company is as attentive to their cyber security policies. First, a trusted vendor may experience a breach that can easily be passed on to your firm. Second, vendors that send reoccurring invoices or frequent email chains can be an entry point to your email and other important data. Third, an entry point can be a vendor who frequently logs into one of your key applications; SharePoint, Dropbox, Google Workspace, case management software, etc. Fourth, a software application connecting your accounts was previously given access by simply clicking “yes” on a long list of permissions that people rarely pay close attention to.
Keeping track of just how many vendors have access to your data and what level of access they may still have can be difficult. Each time you give a vendor access to a piece of your data, your attack surface expands. It can be a lot to keep track of, which is where a qualified IT vendor becomes a necessity.
3) Modern phishing scams and user training
Phishing scams are no longer as simple as clicking a link or downloading a file. As awareness of phishing scams increases, bad actors respond by creating more complex methods that prey more deeply on your team’s vulnerabilities. Emails may look normal and harmless initially but lead someone down a long and confusing multi step process that leads them to unknowingly give up sensitive information. Today’s phishing scams focus on exploiting human vulnerabilities that technology cannot address. Whether it is gaining access to login credentials, rerouting a large payment or even giving direct access to key systems, these hacks can have devastating results. Combating today’s complex phishing scam landscape requires a 3-pronged approach. First, up to date user training at least once a year, second, software and hardware monitoring your systems and finally human oversight from skilled network engineers. With AI it’s easier than ever to develop new phishing scams daily so don’t be fooled into thinking just one of these things can protect you.
Could your firm benefit from an IT vendor who considers all this and more in their IT strategy? Schedule a call with ProActive today!
