Get a (Law) Firm Grip on Data Breaches

Law firms are as much at risk for cyber attacks as any other industry, a point emphasized in a recent internal report at a major bank that warned employees about the threat of attacks on the networks and websites of big law firms, according to the New York Times. See, “Citigroup Report Chides Law Firms for Silence on Hackings.”'Because of the lack of reporting requirements in the industry, it is unclear how many breaches have actually occurred. Law firms have been relatively unwilling to share information about security breaches because of potential concerns about how that information would affect their credibility. In fact, digital security at many law firms, despite improvements, generally remains below the standards set for other industries. Fortunately, law firms are now recognizing the risk and beginning to take preventive action. This article describes some of the reasons law firms are cyber-attack targets, steps they can take to reduce their risk, and what clients are doing to encourage law firms in those efforts.