JoshProtecting Sensitive Data
Data security is a key concern for law firms. Enabling third parties to access sensitive data could result in an enormous loss of reputation for the firm, as well as a loss of the client’s trust. Law firms should therefore always ensure they have robust data security systems to protect this sensitive data.
Data Security Policies
Having a clear, easy-to-follow plan in place for maintaining data security, and sharing this with the entire firm, is absolutely imperative. Before getting to the technology side of data security, it is essential your firm can confidently rule out user error by informing all employees of what is required of them to keep data secure.
Cloud Computing
Law firms should think carefully about how they store their data, as failure to protect sensitive information can lead to a General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) breach, which can lead to fines up to £17.5 million, depending on the severity of the breach. On site hardware may be secure, but can be costly to maintain, and can be susceptible to fire and flood risks, making hardware insurance an unfortunate and expensive necessity.
Alternatively, cloud computing enables law firms to offer secure client portals to their clients. This is an invaluable form of IT for law firms as it enables clients to access their case documents and manage their sensitive data remotely. This is much more convenient than them needing to visit the firm to handle documentation or needing to keep a paper copy of all their documents at home.
Continuous Staff Training
Hackers can infiltrate your law firm with social engineering tactics, known as a social attack. This usually occurs through phishing emails, whereby an employee at the firm is tricked into exposing sensitive personal or company information by clicking on a fake link or email attachment. Spear phishing emails can download malware onto your work devices when disguised malware attachments are downloaded.
Training your staff to spot and avoid accidentally opening these emails or downloading their attachments is crucial to avoid falling victim to these cybercrime tactics.
Encryption
Encryption translates your data into a secret code which requires a password for access. This is a simple but highly effective way to make your firm’s sensitive personal data more difficult for hackers to access. Whether the information is in an email, on an internet browser, or saved onto your hard drive, encrypt all documents containing sensitive information to stay one step ahead of cyber criminals.
Security Issues
Remote Working Environments
Hybrid working continues to be a popular method of working, meaning law firms need to ensure their data continues to be secure whilst employees work from home. Centralised servers are important, as this means the firms’ data can only be accessed by connection to a secure network. This minimises the risk of sensitive data being leaked on unsecure networks.
There should also be sufficient endpoint security on each employee’s devices, including antivirus and antimalware software to detect and remove any cyber threats. Robust endpoint security minimises the threat of cyberattacks, and a wide range of protections makes the firm’s cybersecurity more resilient.
Work Premises
In addition to having secure IT systems, it is of vital importance that the firm is protected from physical external threats. All employees should carry an ID card with them when they are in the firm, and ensure it is always visible. This ensures that intruders can be easily identified.
Another method is having a secure access system, such as scanners on the doors to the premises that can only be opened by key cards. It is also crucial that only authorised IT personnel have access to server rooms, as this is where the most sensitive information is stored.