How to Keep Your Law Firm Safe in the Increasingly Dangerous Digital Age

Law firms have all sorts of highly effective digital security tools at their disposal.  However, no single antivirus software, firewall or other form of protection will suffice for every single law firm. When it comes to protecting highly sensitive data, most attorneys are understandably confused.  Aside from relying multi-factor authentication, firewalls and disk encryption, most attorneys find it helps to ask the experts for assistance.  If you are ever unsure as to whether your digital security protections will suffice, do not burden your in-house team with even more work.  In some cases, an objective evaluation performed by an outside party is exactly what a firm needs to ramp up its digital protections, preserve data integrity and keep clients happy.

Employee Education is Essential to Data Protection

Unfortunately, plenty of law firm employees have never been trained on digital and cyber security.  Employees who use computers should know what malware, phishing, ransomware and other online scams are.  These employees should be trained on the basics of cyber security at least once each year.  Keep in mind cyber attackers are dynamic so continued education will prove essential to maintaining a hyper-aware staff that does not fall prey to cyber thieves.

Encrypt and Update

All sensitive information that is transmitted over a digital network must be encrypted.  If you email any sensitive information, be it in a PDF, word document or in another form, take the extra step of encrypting it so a third party cannot access it.  If such information is improperly accessed, it can be sold on the black market.  Furthermore, it will also help to update your computer software as soon as new versions become available.  The latest versions of software typically have built-in safeguards to guard against the latest digital attacks.

User Names and Passwords Matter More Than Most Think

It is advisable to change user names and passwords at least once every couple months.  Make sure your passwords are at least eight characters in length.  The best passwords have upper and lower case letters along with numbers and special characters. A complex password will prove that much more difficult for a hacker to crack, especially if it is not a word in the dictionary.

When in Doubt, do not be Afraid to ask for Help

Attorneys who truly value digital security are more than willing to ask for help.  There is only so much information about digital security a busy attorney can soak up.  If your in-house IT crew is overworked or if their digital security expertise is exhausted, ask the digital security specialists for assistance.  Learn from the experts at tech conferences, in meetings and during analyses of your systems.  Focus on improving your cyber security and you will find those digital security shortcomings that were once a weakness are now one of your law firm’s strengths.