Keeping your Law Firm Safe from Cyber Threats

Ransomware attacks, phishing activity, and cybercrime in general, are all on the increase so it has never been more necessary to keep your law firm safe from cyber threats.

According to Statista “in 2020, phishing mails were a leading point of entry for ransomware, constituting up to 54 percent of digital vulnerabilities”.

Yet their research showed that “poor user practices and lack of cybersecurity training were… significant contributors, both of which are factors closely related to interaction with phishing messages.”

For law firms, the notion that phishing vulnerabilities can be reduced through appropriate training should be seen as positive – so long as they’re prepared to invest in training, ensuring their team is aware of potential cyber threats.

Keeping your law firm safe from cyber threats may seem unachievable, but the following points will help to ensure your client’s data, information, and money is as safe as possible…

• Changing Times Require New Security

The Covid pandemic instigated a change in working practices which saw many firms encourage work-from-home.

With hybrid working patterns still being the norm for many firms, and employees frequently using personal devices for work, there is an increased risk of attack from cybercriminals via these channels.

Cyber criminals have seized the opportunity to target the confidential data held on personal devices, gaining access to valuable information, client’s money, and firm’s assets.

Therefore, security levels must be maintained both in the office and when working from home.

Ensuring employees are conscious of cyber threats at all times, encouraging awareness of potential cybercrime, and promoting heightened security, is vital.

• Gain Expert Advice about your Online Security

Gaining advice from experts about the integrity of your online systems, and having an independent audit of your IT systems, is essential.

This can help your firm locate potential areas for threats, ensure your IT systems are operating at peak levels, and offers assurance to you and your clients that their data is as secure as possible.

Regular testing and recording of the resilience of your IT system helps to maintain higher levels of security.

Cybersecurity should never be simply a box-ticking exercise but instead made a central theme of all on-boarding and continuing workplace learning and development.

• Train your Team in Cybersecurity

Introducing your team to the basic concepts of cybercrime, the key definitions, and measures required to protect information and assets, should be offered to all employees, across every level of your organization.

Using perceptive case studies, training should address the following points:

Cyber threats & crime

Protecting information from threats

Keeping clients and business information safe and secure

Case examples

Prevention & protection

IT resilience

Ensuring your team are able to recognize potential threats, and understand what action to take in a given situation, is a major factor in maintaining cybersecurity and ensuring threats are neutralized.

• Train your Team in Legal Technology

Knowledge is the first step towards understanding and preventing cybercrime so giving your team the tools they need to protect your firm from cyberthreats is essential.

Legal technology has moved at an incredible pace over recent years, but so too has the ability of cybercriminals to overcome existing security measures.

Training your team in current and future legal technology increases the potential to spot phishing emails and other cyber threats.

It can also help with mapping and identifying processes and pain-points, ensuring that possible loop holes are removed.

You might like to check out our current legal and IT courses via the links below which help encourage good practices to keep your law firm safe from cyber threats.

Cybersecurity Course