As a legal service provider, you handle large volumes of client data and other sensitive information as part of your work. Unfortunately, this data can make your organization an easy target for cyber attacks.
Implementing a strong cybersecurity strategy is a must for keeping your law firm safe and secure. Even a minor security breach could be devastating for law firms, shutting down operations and damaging your reputation.
Here are 10 essential cybersecurity best practices that all law firms should implement.
1. Implement Strong Authentication Measures
Since client information and case data is so sensitive, law firms need to put a strong authentication strategy for both your digital systems and physical office space. This ensures that only qualified legal professionals can access sensitive case data.
Digital authentication starts with a strong password that hackers can’t guess. Put a password policy in place requiring your users to have complex passwords.
You may also want to implement multi-factor authentication, which requires users to enter a code sent to their phone or email in addition to their password.
Multi-factor authentication adds an extra layer of defense—even if someone guesses your password, they still won’t be able to access your account.
Law firms should also put access controls in place for physical office locations. If you have on-premise servers or store physical documents on site, these should be kept in secure rooms that require keycards or even biometric authentication to access.
2. Regular Software Updates and Patch Management
Many attorneys today rely heavily on software programs as part of their operations. For example, software is often used for case management, secure client communication, document generation, and invoice processing.
Developers release patches and updates for these software programs periodically to address vulnerabilities that have been detected. If these updates and patches are not installed in a timely manner, it will make your system a prime target for security incidents.
Schedule time to update your software programs at regular intervals. By scheduling your software updates ahead of time, you ensure that updates don’t disrupt your day-to-day operations.
Updates should be conducted on all work devices, including desktops, laptops, and mobile phones.
3. Advanced Endpoint Security
Endpoint security is the process of securing your organization’s endpoint devices. For law firms, this typically includes in-office desktop computers, printers, and routers as well as your employees’ work laptops and mobile devices.
This process is typically done using endpoint security software. These software programs inspect incoming files and monitor your systems to pinpoint unusual activity.
Endpoint security is particularly important in today’s age of remote work. Legal professionals are less likely to work fully remotely than those in other industries, but hybrid work schedules have become commonplace.
This means that even if a lawyer is sending an email on the go, their phone still needs security measures in place to protect sensitive data and prevent hackers from accessing your network.
4. Employee Training and Awareness
Many law firm security breaches happen at least partially as a result of human error. What initially seems like an innocuous mistake could expose confidential information and leave your systems vulnerable.
Even the most skilled lawyers could be vulnerable to phishing attacks and other threats without appropriate training.
Phishing attacks happen when a cybercriminal sends an email, text message, or social media message posing as a trusted contact, exploiting that trust to gain access to sensitive information.
Research indicates that 34.3 percent of untrained end users will fail phishing tests if they don’t receive appropriate training.
Providing regular training sessions for your employees helps them stay up-to-date on the latest cyber threats and best practices. They’ll learn how to spot social engineering strategies and signs of malware, and they’ll also learn how to keep sensitive client information completely confidential.
5. Secure Email Practices
Email is one of the most efficient ways for lawyers to stay in contact with clients and colleagues. Since lawyers rely so heavily on email for day-to-day communication, sometimes security best practices fall by the wayside, which can leave your firm vulnerable.
Putting an email cybersecurity policy in place will help keep your firm’s online messages secure. There are many simple but effective email practices you can use for extra security.
This starts with implementing multi-factor authentication, or MFA, which adds an extra layer of security to your emails. You can also use email security software to filter out potential phishing and spam emails.
6. Data Encryption
When sending court documents and other secure files online, use encryption to prevent unwanted data breaches. Encryption is a powerful tool that uses cryptography to scramble your data so outsiders can’t view it while it’s in transit.
When sending an encrypted message, the recipient will need a secure passcode to un-encrypt the message and view it. You can use encryption when sending sensitive emails, and you can also opt for internal software programs that use encryption.
You can also use a VPN to encrypt your internet connection while you work. This is particularly helpful for lawyers that work on the go and need to use public Wi-Fi networks.
7. Secure Remote Access
Technology has made it easier than ever for lawyers to work remotely. While working remotely is very convenient, it does come with some unique cybersecurity concerns for lawyers.
When working remotely, your team might end up using unsecured Wi-Fi networks or personal devices to handle client data. This poses a serious security risk and could also result in compliance issues.
If your firm has remote or hybrid employees, you need to implement cybersecurity practices and policies for safe and secure operations, no matter where your team is working from.
This will look different for every firm, but could include providing employees with secure devices and networks to use at home as well as using secure cloud-based legal software.
8. Incident Response Planning
Unfortunately, cybersecurity incidents can happen to any law firm, regardless of how strong your defenses are. If you’re unprepared, these cybersecurity incidents can be particularly devastating.
This is why it’s so important to have an incident response plan in place. This is a plan that details exactly how you’ll respond when a data breach or other cybersecurity incident happens.
With a disaster response plan in place, your team can spring into action immediately when a security incident happens. Fast response times are key to mitigating damage in a cyber attack.
Containing the breach during the first 48 hours will go a long way toward maintaining client trust and preventing financial damage.
To be effective, your incident response plan needs to be very detailed. It should specify what data and systems to recover first and how to access your existing data backups.
9. Regular Security Audits
When it comes to cybersecurity for law firms, it’s important not to get complacent. Conducting regular audits and risk assessments will help you find potential vulnerabilities so you can improve your security strategy.
Your firm should conduct security audits on a regular basis to ensure that no cyber threats slip through the cracks.
Cybersecurity audits involve testing your networks, operating systems, software programs, and data storage to find vulnerabilities, as well as checking for potential data breaches you may not have caught earlier.
10. Consider Outsourcing to an IT Service Provider
When your law firm is in the middle of a difficult case, you may not have time to address cybersecurity risks in-house. Smaller firms also may not have the budget to hire in-house security staff.
This is where a managed IT services provider can help. When you hire an IT service provider, you get access to third-party cybersecurity and technology experts, and services are scalable to meet your needs.
Your managed services provider can help you develop a robust security strategy, implementing tools like firewalls, antivirus software, and access management strategies to keep confidential data secure.
