Unauthorized access to your private systems can potentially steal sensitive and confidential information from your law firm.
According to Rule 1.6 of the Rules on Professional Conduct, “A lawyer shall make reasonable efforts to prevent the inadvertent or unauthorized disclosure of, or unauthorized access to, information relating to the representation of a client.”
To protect the privacy of confidential information at your law firm from cyber attacks, you first need to be aware that the threats to your cybersecurity exist.
You need to regularly update your security measures in place to keep up with the advancement of technology and the threats that might be used against you. Security systems can be easily bypassed if the hackers got ahead of you in terms of technical knowledge and acquisition of current software or other tools necessary for stealing confidential information.
Also, make sure that everyone in the firm is aware of potential threats to your cybersecurity. One employee could turn a simple threat into a firm-wide cyber-attack, which could seriously damage the firm and its clients.
While unintentional, several security breaches actually result from the actions of employees. One way of reducing the likeliness of internal breaches is to create more security awareness in the workplace.
Maintain open communication with everyone in the firm about the existing threats and how to prevent them from happening and the things that could happen if they don’t.
It may strike as an additional expense to your firm’s daily operations but this is relatively much cheaper compared to the damage a cyber attack might unleash in case you have been targeted.
If you become a victim of a cyber-attack, you will definitely face significant fines and other penalties. This includes the following: legal fees, compliance fines, and not to mention, a damaged reputation, loss of existing clients, and the worry of acquiring future clients for your law firm.
It is important that lawyers educate themselves together with their colleagues about cybersecurity and the use of technology as a tool in the industry. Not only will you be able to secure sensitive and confidential information of your firm, but you will also give confidence and peace of mind to your clients.
