The different forms of cyber risk and its challenges for law firms
The threat obviously does not stop at the door of law firms and considerations relating to cybersecurity are therefore far from only concerning large companies. A study carried out by the Village de la Justice provides insight into the computer threats hovering over law firms. The study thus reveals that 25% of lawyers say they have suffered a direct attack in the current year. According to one Euler Hermes study, it would even be 7 out of 10 companies that were targeted by at least 1 fraud attempt in 2018. The threat is therefore far from being virtual and is intensifying from year to year.
These cyber threats can take different forms. Among the most virulent, it should be noted:
- Ransomware : very widespread today, this software blocks the computer system and encrypts your data which becomes unusable. In exchange for unblocking, you are asked for a ransom. The most famous ransomware attacks were crypto software attacks WannaCry or even NotPetya (the most expensive in history).
- Malware : behind this generic term hides a multitude of malicious software. We find worms and viruses carried by storage devices such as a USB key. They have the particularity of reproducing quickly and infecting everything in their path. There are also spywares that spy on your activity or Trojan horses that enter the system in a seemingly harmless form to manipulate data.
- Intrusions into the system or network : the most widespread is the denial of service attack (DDoS) which is designed to saturate the machine which becomes unusable.
- Attacks using email : phishing or phishing via a link sent by e-mail is in the lead. The film The Wolf on this subject will be broadcast during the morning show organized on 20 next June by Jarvis Legal et Xefi
- LPassword hijacking and identity theft : these attacks are the most difficult to detect and this is why they can be dangerous. Very devious, hackers have a boundless imagination in this area. You are not dealing here with a simple crude fraud such as a fake email from your bank full of spelling mistakes but with a more “intellectual” fraud.
Fearsome, a successful attack can lead to serious consequences.
Already, undue data loss can lead to financial losses with several zeros (some impressive numbers here) due in particular to a paralysis of activity.
But above all, for lawyers, it’s a question of loss of trust from their customers… The repercussions on the image and reputation of the firm can be truly devastating..
This is all the more the case as clients are increasingly aware of these security issues and are demanding solid guarantees, and not only in large business firms.
What solutions to protect your office effectively? Best practices to optimize your cyber security
In prevention, the union minimum within the firm to be put in place:
- Secure correctly his passwords. Automatic password management solutions, one of which, French, is particularly efficient and offers a free version without obligation: Dashlane.
- Refresh regularly your software and clean the computer.
- Use the entire range of possible secure tools: anti-virus and VPN. A VPN solution will allow you to take advantage of public wifi, a real data sieve, without exposing yourself. In fact, the VPN modifies your identity and protects you against malicious actions that would be targeted on your profile.
- To anticipate by setting up regular backups to avoid massive data loss in the event of an attack. These backups must be made on removable media which you will take care to disconnect from your network by alternating the media.
In general, you must succeed in creating a vigilance reflex among his colleagues. This may be by investing in training but also quite simply by raising awareness of the risks and good practices among those who are less informed. This is especially crucial when it comes to email attachments and anything downloaded to the computer from the Internet…
To address the problem at the root and minimize cyber risks, it may be a good idea to review some of your practices. From now on, dedicate a budget to IT security and invest in solutions to secure your activity is clearly not superfluous. For example, you can:
- To realise a security audit on the equipment used by the firm.
- Opt for a cloud solution and fully hosted like the one proposed by Jarvis Legal much safer than software hosted on your computer.
- Switch to practice management software with secure customer area hosted in France to interact with your customers.
A permanent, polymorphous, evolving and growing threat (in particular, attacks on connected objects and smartphones), the cyber risk of lawyers is very real and unfortunately does not only happen to others. As in this matter, prevention is better than cure, take your precautions and arm yourself against fraudsters and hackers!
