Top Law Firm Cyber Threats You Need to Be Aware of

Cybersecurity is an ever-growing concern for businesses of all sizes, and law firms are no exception. As the legal industry becomes increasingly digitized, law firms face various cybersecurity threats that can affect their operations and lead to serious financial repercussions.

In this blog, we’ll explore the top cyber vulnerabilities to be aware of and how you can secure your firm’s data, prevent future data breaches, and remain compliant with industry regulations.

Image of lawyers sitting at a table with laptops.

Why Law Firms Need to Protect Themselves From Cyber Threats

Companies in the legal sector have valuable confidential data that is attractive to hackers and cybercriminals. This can include personally identifiable information (PII), protected health information (PHI), trust information, and more. With access to such a large swath of data, it’s essential for law firms to invest in strong cybersecurity measures. Doing so protects clients and keeps your firm’s reputation intact.

Critical Regulatory Requirements for Law Firms

Cyber threats don’t just jeopardize your firm’s valuable data—they can also land you in legal trouble. Here are a few important regulatory requirements to remember when dealing with sensitive client data.

HIPAA: HIPAA requires that healthcare providers and their business associates defend individuals’ protected health information (PHI). Law firms are considered business associates, so they must comply with HIPAA’s requirements regarding PHI. Failure to comply with HIPAA can result in legal malpractice, litigation, and costly fines.
SHIELD: The SHIELD Act is a New York law that requires any business dealing with the personal data of New York residents to implement reasonable security safeguards. Failure to comply with the SHIELD Act may also result in fines and litigation.

If you want to ensure your law firm maintains compliance with stringent regulations, you need to partner with IT professionals who understand the industry’s ins and outs. Explore our IT services for law firms to learn more.

Learn More

6 Common Law Firm Cyber Threats

Now that you know what’s at stake, let’s take a look at some of the most common law firm cyber threats.

Encryption Ransomware

One of the most common cyber threats facing law firms today is encryption ransomware attacks. During a ransomware infection, hackers gain access to your firm’s systems and use malicious software to encrypt files, making them inaccessible until the ransom is paid.

Poor Passwords and Lack of MFA

Hackers have sophisticated means of cracking passwords, often using techniques like brute force or dictionary attacks to gain access to your login credentials. If you lack a strong password, hackers can easily get into your account and snoop around. In addition, failure to use multi-factor authentication (MFA) means that if your password is hacked, there are no extra security measures to restrict access to your account.

Financial Misdirection and Fraud

If a malicious user steals an employee’s login credentials, they can lurk in the shadows and observe your firm, studying your business relationships, billing processes, payment schedules, and more. Once they know how your firm operates, they can begin their fraudulent activities. In some cases, they’ll email your clients and ask them to transfer funds to an “updated” bank account to pay for your legal services. Believing this request is genuine, they’ll complete the payment, harming both you and your client.

Phishing Attacks

Law firms are also at risk of phishing attacks, a type of social engineering scam. During these attacks, cyber criminals pose as a reliable organization or person and try to get users to click on suspicious links, download shady files, or provide personal information. Phishing attacks are the cause of around 90% of data breaches.

Insider Threats

Law firms don’t just have to protect themselves from outside users. In many cases, employees (or former employees) that have access to sensitive firm data and client information also act maliciously. Whether they act out of greed or spite, these individuals can leverage information against you and damage your firm’s reputation and relationship with its clients.

Employee Negligence

Data leakage due to employee negligence is another top law firm cyber threat. This can occur when an employee accidentally sends confidential data or PII outside the firm’s secure systems or if an employee fails to dispose of paper documents containing sensitive information properly.

Image of lawyers looking at a table inside an office space.

How to Defend Against Law Firm Cyber Threats

It may seem like there’s a cyber threat around every corner. However, you can implement a few key tools to protect your data and maintain good standing with your clients.

Encryption and Data Backups

One of the best ways to protect your data is to encrypt it and back it up securely. Encrypted data is impossible to read without the correct decryption key, making it invaluable for securing sensitive client information like PHI and PII.

Should a cyber criminal make it past your security protocol, backups allow you to pick up where you left off quickly. Data backups are also effective in preventing data corruption and accidental deletion.

Cybersecurity Training

Cybersecurity awareness training is essential for any organization that deals with sensitive data. If your employees know how to craft strong passwords, spot phishing scams, and be vigilant online, there’s less risk of dealing with a data breach.

Regular Vulnerability Assessments

Vulnerability assessments allow you to identify security issues across your entire IT environment. This includes servers, networks, hardware, software, and more. When you perform a vulnerability analysis, you gain insight into which areas of your business are most susceptible to cyber attacks. By addressing these regularly, you can prevent data breaches effectively.

Updates

Cyber threats continually evolve and find new ways to put your sensitive data at risk. Fortunately, updates for your software and operating systems roll out regularly, containing new security protocols that combat these changing threats. To prevent costly or reputation-damaging data breaches, make sure you regularly update all of your systems.

Strong Passwords and MFA

If you can prevent malicious users from gaining access to your account in the first place, you’ll go a long way in protecting your firm’s data. Use strong passwords that emphasize length, randomness, and unique characters, and implement MFA wherever possible. This adds an extra layer of security to your login process.

Partner with a Dependable Cybersecurity Provider

Perhaps the best way to defend your law firm against cyber threats is to partner with a proven cybersecurity services company like LISS Technologies. With over 30 years of IT experience, we know what cyber threats are out there, and we understand how to protect against them. Whether you need vulnerability assessments, data backups, or assistance complying with industry regulations, we have the necessary tools and expertise.

Get in touch today, and let’s discuss how we can best support your organization.

Top Law Firm Cyber Threats You Need to Be Aware of

Why Law Firms Need to Protect Themselves From Cyber Threats

Critical Regulatory Requirements for Law Firms

6 Common Law Firm Cyber Threats

Encryption Ransomware

Poor Passwords and Lack of MFA

Financial Misdirection and Fraud

Phishing Attacks

Insider Threats

Employee Negligence

How to Defend Against Law Firm Cyber Threats

Encryption and Data Backups

Cybersecurity Training

Regular Vulnerability Assessments

Updates

Strong Passwords and MFA

Partner with a Dependable Cybersecurity Provider

Share This Post

Related Postings

What Cybersecurity Challenges Are Unique to Small Businesses?

Cutting IT Costs With Managed Services

What Is Needed for an Effective Hybrid Workplace?

About Us

Services

Contact Us