Protecting our data from hackers has sadly become a part of life. In the past decade, security breaches have grabbed global headlines with attacks like WannaCry, Petya, and the Colonial Pipeline attack compromising major organizations. As the threatscape has evolved, organizations have become more proactive in their efforts to protect their sensitive data. Law firms should be especially cautious as they host valuable, confidential data and many may lack in-house security specialists to properly manage their data security needs. Here are 3 tips to help your law firm protect itself against hackers.
1. Monitor all Devices on Your Network
In the era of BYOD (bring your own device) to work, your organization's network is vulnerable to cybersecurity attacks. According to Bitglass' BYOD Study, 69% of respondents allow employees to use their own devices but without a proper policy in place, your sensitive data is more vulnerable. Your organization should make it a priority to have a strong BYOD strategy in place. There are many apps that allow your organization to monitor devices on your network and offer additional benefits such as remote data wiping if a device is lost or stolen. Recent cyber-attacks have shown us that your network is only as strong as your weakest link, once a malicious program finds its way in it can spread within the network unless proper controls are in place.
2. Knowledgeable Employees Are Your First Line of Defense
EY’s Global Information Security Survey 2021 discovered that less than half, or 47% of executives say they understand and can anticipate and anticipate the strategies which attackers might use to compromise their data. To mitigate this vulnerability, ensure your employees receive regular security training. Most recommend that training be repeated annually as memory fades and security threats are always evolving. Security training should cover topics such as phishing, social engineering, malware, passwords, use of portable devices, physical access, data destruction, encryption, data breaches, and how employees are expected to respond if a security threat is detected.
3. Consider a Managed Security Provider or Cloud Storage
This may sound self-serving (since after all, we are a managed service provider) but the fact remains that utilizing a reliable provider provides you with many benefits. By using a provider, you are given a more cost-effective way to manage your security, granted access to a team of experts, to best-in-class technologies and innovation. Your security budget simply isn’t going to match that of a completely secured facility that has multiple layers of physical and digital security, encryption, and redundancy. Data centers offer the best level of security but remain affordable because you only pay for what you use.
