The Latest Threats Against Law Firms—And How to Mitigate Them

As of last year, 65% of law firms had experienced some kind of cybersecurity incident—that's over half of your colleagues suffering data and financial losses. Law firms have long been attractive targets for hackers because of valuable resources like intellectual property or clients' personal and financial information.

Because of this high risk, it's crucial that lawyers have a strong understanding of what they're up against. Fortunately, detailed, comprehensive IT solutions for law firms are more than capable of combatting these threats. Let's take a look at the most common cyber threats in the legal industry and how you can keep your firm safe.

What Are the Top Cybersecurity Threats for Law Firms?

Being familiar with these common attacks will help you be more prepared and invest in the right IT solutions for your law firm.

Data Breaches

Data breaches refer to any time an unauthorized party or individual accesses, steals, and/or manipulates confidential legal documents, clients' or employees' personal or payment info, or any other sensitive data.

Ransomware Attacks

In these attacks, hackers use software that encrypts a firm's data and demands payment to regain access, halting operations and jeopardizing sensitive case information.

Phishing Scams

Phishing can involve emails, texts, or phone calls where a hacker poses as a legitimate entity and tricks users into clicking harmful links or giving out personal information, which can lead to viruses or breaches.

Business Email Compromise (BEC)

Business email compromise (BEC) attacks are a specific kind of phishing attack where scammers impersonate trusted executives or partners within the firm through emails, leading staff to transfer funds, share particular information, etc.

Insider Threats

Insider threats refer to breaches that start within a firm. They can include intentional data manipulation or honest mistakes from employees, such as clicking harmful links or forgetting to log out of their accounts.

Third-Party Vendor Vulnerabilities

Even when you have sufficient cybersecurity for your firm, hackers can access your systems or confidential data through weak points in the infrastructure of your providers or external partners.

Why Are Cyber Attacks So Dangerous?

What exactly is at risk in a cybersecurity attack? Calculating the exact financial effect of a data breach can be tricky due to large direct and indirect costs, but it's estimated that businesses that offer professional services (like law firms) lose around $5 million in a data breach.

This includes money spent retrieving data, compensating employees or clients for losses, and attending to legal responsibilities, such as paying fines if compliance standards weren't met. Breaches also result in significant downtime, which sets your team behind and reduces billable hours.

Cybersecurity incidents are also huge red flags for clients—one survey found that 75% of customers don't want to do business with a company after any sort of security issue. Without IT solutions for law firms to keep you safe, these hits can have devastating and long-lasting effects on your firm.

How Do I Protect My Firm?

With a little planning and customized IT solutions for law firms, you can protect your business's data, reputation, and continuity from these dangers. Here’s how:

Implement Strong Encryption Protocols

Whether it's at rest in your cloud storage or being sent to different departments or partners, client data should always be secured with end-to-end encryption.

Adopt Multifactor Authentication (MFA)

Multifactor authentication (MFA) requires users to verify their identity with a fingerprint, code sent to their phone, etc., along with their usual login info. Requiring MFA on all employee accounts tightens security and makes it harder for unauthorized users to get sensitive data.

Hold Regular Cybersecurity Training

Some cybersecurity best practices aren't intuitive or well-known, so make sure your staff is up to date. Host frequent trainings to teach your team how to avoid phishing attacks and to follow safe online habits.

Utilize Data Loss Prevention (DLP) Tools

IT solutions for law firms should always include specialized data loss prevention (DLP) strategies to monitor your databases and prevent information from being leaked, stolen, manipulated, or viewed by unauthorized parties.

Switch to a Zero Trust Architecture

Zero trust security means trusting no one inside or outside the network without continuous verification. With frequent (but reasonable) session timeouts, strict access controls, and constant user identification through passwords and codes, your systems will be more secure than ever.

Test Cybersecurity Defenses Regularly

Conduct frequent vulnerability assessments and penetration tests to identify gaps in your cybersecurity setup. This proactive approach allows you to address potential threats before they are exploited, ensuring continuous protection against cyber attacks.

Finding Effective IT Solutions for Law Firms

Managing these tools and procedures might sound like another thing to add to your already full plate. By outsourcing your cybersecurity to a managed security service provider (MSSP), you can dedicate your time and energy to running your firm while still enjoying premium IT solutions for law firms.

MSSPs specialize in creating proactive cybersecurity frameworks, with services like 24/7 monitoring and incident response plan (IRP) development and tools tailored to helping law firms like yours stay secure.

Stay in the Clear with ICS

At Integrated Computer Services, your firm's success is our number one priority. When you choose us for IT solutions for your law firm, you're choosing expert insights, over 20 years of experience, practical and innovative answers to your biggest tech questions, and next-level security for your systems.

Don't join the 65%—keep your data and your clients safe with ICS's proactive IT and cybersecurity support. Schedule an assessment to see what we can do to keep your firm in the clear.