Law Firm Cybersecurity Best Practices

Law firms deal with large amounts of confidential information daily. That makes them targets for cybersecurity attacks by anonymous hackers. By building up your law firm’s cybersecurity strategy, you can ward off attacks and protect your client’s from anyone getting their personal information. Even if you think your law firm isn’t in trouble, cybersecurity best practices have changed profoundly in the last few years. Has your law firm kept pace?

Why Cybersecurity Matters For Law Firms

Cybercriminals target law firms because they’re a wealth of information. Many hackers access client information such as social security numbers and other personal details and sell it for a profit. 

A robust cybersecurity plan prevents these attacks from happening. It also creates backups in the case of lost data. Working with a cybersecurity firm also gives you direct access to cybersecurity expertise whenever you need it. 

Common Cybersecurity Threats to Law Firms

Hackers are expert criminals with various creative ways of getting the information they want. Their tactics are sly, and it might not always be easy to spot when you’re in danger. These are some of the most common cybersecurity threats for law firms: 

• Phishing: Phishing is one of the most common cybersecurity threats to law firms. Done almost entirely via email, phishing involves sending users messages that trick them into disclosing personal information either verbally or by clicking a link. Cyber attackers often target law firms by using an email address that looks similar to one they’re familiar with.

• Malware: Malware, short for “malicious software,” is a type of software that secretly installs onto your computer after you are tricked into clicking on something or installing a program from the Internet. 

• Data Leak: In a data leak, hackers access vast amounts of private information on your clients and employees. They often use this information to intercept payments and redirect them to their own offshore accounts. Many cybercriminals also use information from data breaches to hack employee emails. 

6 Best Cybersecurity Practices For Law Firms

• Have a plan to respond to incidents. Having an incident response plan (IRP) for when a data security problem occurs will allow your firm to quickly control, evaluate, and respond to the incident.

• Train your staff and clients. Your staff and clients need to understand how to correctly use your new cybersecurity system to guarantee maximum data protection.

• Conduct routine risk assessments. Stay on top of your firm’s cybersecurity by regularly conducting risk and security assessments. That way, you’ll be prepared when an actual attacker comes. 

• Have a reliable backup strategy. Many law firms use high-security Cloud storage to maintain backups of all their vital information.

• Use encryption for sending and receiving sensitive data. Make it harder for cybercriminals to intercept messages by using encrypted communications for sharing any confidential information. 

• Consider using professional services. If you work in a small law firm, you may not have the funds to establish an IT department. Working with a vetted cybersecurity professional is an excellent way to bulk up your firm’s cybersecurity. 

Strengthen Your Law Firm’s Cybersecurity

Avoiding a disruptive cybersecurity attack should be a top priority for any law firm. But small and medium-sized firms may not have a dedicated cybersecurity team to help prevent attacks. If that’s the case for you, Mountain Path Solutions can help. We have several outstanding resources, including consultants, virtual CISOs (vCISO), and network security suppliers.

Set up a call with me to review your situation for free and find the right solution — your Path to the mountain peak.