Tabush Group's Cloud & Managed IT Blog

Law firms are a prime target of cybersecurity attacks because they deal with confidential data, and many do not have the proper security protocols in place. An October 2020 report from the American Bar Association shows that the number of firms who experienced a security breach (such as a lost/stolen computer or smartphone, hacker, break-in, or website exploit) increased over the prior year: 29% of respondents compared to 26% in 2019. One of the most costly forms of a cybersecurity attack in terms of time and resources is ransomware. Let us explore what ransomware is and how to protect your firm.

Small to midsize law firms have been increasingly targeted for cyberattacks. Cybercriminals know that smaller companies are less likely than their larger counterparts to have sophisticated security protocols in place, and that law firm data is particularly valuable. The confidential nature of attorney-client relationships gives lawyers added motivation to pay a ransom to recover their sensitive data, which is not lost on bad actors. In fact, 24.9% of all ransomware attacks in 1Q 2021 targeted professional services firms, especially small and midsize law firms, according to Coveware. 

But despite the growing risk of cyberattacks, law firms continue to make critical mistakes that leave their systems vulnerable to breaches. Below are 5 common cybersecurity mistakes law firms make. 

Many companies have emerged from the pandemic with plans to maintain a hybrid work model going forward. This model allows companies to enjoy the communication, brainstorming, and hands-on management benefits of in-person collaboration while still being able to offer employees the perk of working from home a couple times a week, which cuts their commuting costs and improves work/life balance. But while the hybrid model may be the best of both worlds, companies must take steps to ensure that their flexible work environment does not make them more vulnerable to cyberattacks. 

We’ve talked a lot recently about the growing cybersecurity threats that small to midsize firms face as the sheer volume of attempted attacks grow in numbers and sophistication. It is important to make sure our systems are as safe and secure as possible. Here are 2 simple ways to get started: passwords and multi-factor authentication.

The pandemic caused a paradigm shift toward remote and hybrid work environments, and law firms are no exception. In a 2021 survey by Bloomberg Law, 40% of attorneys reported their firms allowed complete flexibility regarding their work environment. Only a quarter of respondents said they were expected to be in the office at least 3 days a week, and only 1 in 10 said their in-office presence was expected full-time. If lawyer preferences are any indication, these trends are likely to continue. Only 11% of lawyers surveyed said they would prefer to be in the office full-time, and only a quarter said they wanted to be in the office 3 or 4 days a week. 

At the onset of the pandemic, there was an immediate shift to remote work. More than 2 years later, this has morphed into widespread adoption of hybrid work environments. Not surprisingly, a recent report from Accenture found that the spike in remote work resulted in more growth of laptops and notebooks than desktops. But no matter what device they use, people must be able to work from home in the same way they can work in the office.

Hybrid work arrangements have become the new normal. But while offering many advantages, schedules that involve working remotely one day and in the office the next present unique technology challenges that can inconvenience and frustrate employees while compromising productivity and company security. Below are some of the common technology hiccups that arise and solutions to help you transition seamlessly from home to work and back again.  

As we all know, the pandemic amplified the need for people to be able work from home. But people must also work from home in the same way they can work in the office. In other words, people need to be able to access all of their files and the same applications that they use in the office. Their applications must not lose functionality and cannot work slower or inefficiently. So what is a firm to do?

Desktop as a Service (DaaS) has been growing in popularity over the past several years, with an even greater focus since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. DaaS moves desktops and servers to the cloud, providing easy, secure access to your company’s files and applications from any device that is connected to the internet.