Cyber attacks are on the rise, with one happening roughly every 39 seconds. No organization is immune to these risks, however, some are more commonly targeted than others, such as law firms.
Cybercriminals know that law firms handle a tremendous amount of highly valuable client data in addition to the firm’s back-office information (like payroll and H.R.). The sensitive nature of client data makes it extremely attractive from a monetization standpoint should someone outside the firm infiltrate it.
Managing cyber security risks for your law firm involves understanding why cyber criminals want to attack your firm and how to prevent it from happening. Read on for everything you need to know to protect your practice.
Common Law Firm IT Cyber Attacks
Cyber-attacks are constantly evolving and becoming more sophisticated, which makes everyone vulnerable. Some of the main types of attacks that target the legal sector and law firms include:
- Phishing scams– Phishing deceives people into giving sensitive information, such as through an email link.
- Ransomware– Ransomware is extremely damaging as the attacker often exfiltrates sensitive data and encrypts files preventing access by the owner.
- Password and email takeover– It is common for cybercriminals to gain access to data by taking over an account. This can be accomplished by obtaining user credentials such as an ID and password, allowing access to the network, including email systems and file servers.
- A denial-of-service attack (DDoS)–A DDoS attack disrupts the system by overwhelming the servers with massive requests for access or data. This effectively shuts the servers down preventing their use.
- Insider threat–Insider threats account for a large percentage of attacks and the bad guy is often a trusted and/or disgruntled employee who is bent on revenge or making a quick buck by selling practice data.
Why Hackers Target Law Firms
While no business is immune to cyber attacks, companies like law firms are more often targeted compared to other industries. Small and mid-sized firms are often targeted as cyber criminals understand that small or medium-sized firms may have limited IT and security budgets and human capital necessary to properly protect the enterprise.
Here are some of the top reasons your law firm is at risk:
Confidential Information
Consider how many confidential exchanges and other sensitive data your law firm manages on a day-to-day basis. Now consider how much data is stored locally on your IT system or cloud. Some types of data on your local and cloud systems can include:
- Legal case information
- Client business data
- HR information about employees
- Merger, Acquisition, and Business Records
- Personally Identifiable Information (PII) of both clients and employees
- Protected Health Information (PHI)
- Intellectual property
Plaintiff statements, attorney-client privileged data, and other case information can be of interest to cybercriminals and competitors. Attorney data is often full of exploitable and lucrative information that hackers can leverage. Stealing data can damage your firm’s reputation, cause clients to seek counsel elsewhere, create lawsuits against the firm, and be used to extort money from the firm or clients that are affected.
Lack of Cyber Security Education or Protocol for Employees
Human vulnerability is another reason why hackers target law firms. Many attorneys and in-house staff do not have adequate cyber security education in place to recognize threats.
Poor password choices, not initiating two-factor authentication, or clicking on suspicious emails can all have a major effect on the safety of a firm's network and system.
Proper onboarding/offboarding policies and procedures are also essential to have and implement throughout one’s organization. You can learn more about some of JANUS’ recommended onboarding/offboarding practices here.
How to Prevent Cyber Attacks for Law Firms
There are several steps you can take to prevent cyber attacks from occurring:
- Create and implement policies and procedures that are easy to understand and use
- Perform vulnerability assessments and penetration tests regularly
- Have ongoing regularly scheduled and mandatory employee awareness training
- Create and regularly review/test an Incident Response plan
- Create and regularly review/test disaster recovery, business continuity, and business resilience plans
- Hire a reputable security consultant, such as JANUS, to assist you with all of the above and more
If all employees do not have the same level of cyber security education, your law firm remains vulnerable to attack. You need clear, concise policies and procedures in place.
As a law firm, you are bound by the American Bar Association (ABA) Model Rules of Professional Conduct. To learn more about this, click here.
While IT employees can help manage threats, cyber security for law firms requires additional support from someone with formal IT security training. An outside security consultant such as a vCISO or virtual Chief Information Security Officer, can help.
A vCISO will focus on protecting the overall IT and cyber-security of your law firm, helping you implement the best practices your business requires. 
The Best Cybersecurity for Law Firms
A careful review of your cybersecurity footprint is critical to understanding where your weaknesses and vulnerabilities may lie. Law firms will continue to be targets of cyber-criminals, and cyberattacks will continue to evolve, so it is crucial to find a cybersecurity partner that understands the threat landscape as it evolves.
The best way to protect yourself from cyber attacks is to get professional support. JANUS Associates can provide the security, compliance, and privacy solutions your law firm needs to stay secure.
Contact us today to learn how we can protect your law firm's data and best interests.
