7 Security Flaws to Watch Out for in Your Law Firm

The legal industry has recently learned that law firms are not immune to being targeted by hackers. Any way that confidential and valuable information can be taken and exploited will be taken advantage of by hackers. Here are seven ways that you can improve in your law firm to better protect your clients’ sensitive data from being exposed.

1. Not making cybersecurity a priority.

Assuming that no one will hack your computer system is foolish. Even if you are a single attorney law firm, you are still vulnerable to being targeted by someone that knows technology better than you. It is estimated that 80 percent of law firms have been hacked, whether they know it or not or are willing to admit it.

2. Not backing up often enough or early enough.

Data should be backed up on a secure site often (before you get hacked). Doing this also protects you from other disasters such as a fire or flood. Cloud-based services are a great option as long as they are the best ones. Be sure to choose a service that doesn’t just replicate what you have on your hard drive, because if you have a virus, it will just copy that virus and ruin your backup files too.

3. Not using two-factor authentication.

This method is becoming increasing popular and effective at protecting online accounts. While it may be cumbersome to enter two passwords, you won’t regret the extra time spent if it protects you from being hacked.

4. Not using a password manager.

If you are using two-factor authentication then the amount of passwords you have may be overwhelming. There are solutions that can help you manage your passwords securely such as LastPass and 1Password.

5. Not using encryption to protect the privacy and confidentiality of your data.

There are many programs out there now that make using encryption easier and almost effortless. PGP is one option, but it appears to be losing favorability to more innovative companies like Signal from Open Whisper Systems, SpiderOak, and even FaceTime and iMessage on iPhones.

6. Not sharing your knowledge with coworkers.

You may be doing your part to keep things secure at the law firm, but it only takes one weak link to bring down the security walls. This knowledge extends to everyone from secretaries to custodial teams, so hold meetings often on how to keep things safe at the firm.

7. Not believing that every little bit helps.

There is no way to be 100 percent protected. The only thing you can do is to do your best and follow protocols to reduce the risk. Keep up with the latest technologies to learn what else you can do to keep things secure and to find out when new advancements become available.

For more information about this topic, read this article: Worst Mistakes and Best Practices in Law Firm Cybersecurity Measures.

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