Lawyer Monthly - August 2021 Edition

46 WWW.LAWYER-MONTHLY.COM | AUG 2021 GETTING CYBERSECURITY RIGHT FOR YOUR FIRM The legal profession is no different in this respect. Imagine having to tell all of your clients that cybercriminals were now in receipt of all of their data. Law firms handle significant volumes of confidential and sensitive information and client funds as part of their daily work. Like many other sectors, the legal profession is delivering and transacting in an increasingly online fashion – indeed, there is a drive to become paperless. Firms need to be especially attentive towards the threat of any cyberattack, taking into account the massive amount of sensitive and important client data held in their information systems. This is not a pie-in-the-sky scenario. Just recently we heard that the law firm acting for companies such as Ford, Boeing, Exxon, Marriott, Walgreen and others was hacked in an apparent ransomware attack. In this attack it is feared that social security numbers, passport numbers, payment card information, medical information and biometric data were all stolen by cybercriminals. Here in the UK, the London Stock Exchange recently revealed a filing by a UK-listed law firm which had suffered a cyberattack. Once again, sensitive client information was compromised. The Remote and Mobile Challenge We touched on the additional challenges that COVID has presented from a technological point of view. The UK has seen massive growth in both remote working and working on the move due to the pandemic, and the legal sector is very much included here. As we witness mobile and smart device usage continuing to grow, it brings about a corresponding rise in mobile security threats. Indeed, some reports even suggest that mobile devices could now account for more than 60% of digital fraud. As firms see a significant increase in people using Getting Cybersecurity Right for Your Firm Firms need to be especially attentive towards the threat of any cyberattack. Steve Whiter, Director Appurity Appurity Limited, Farnham, United Kingdom, GU10 5DT Tel: +44 (0)330 660 0277 Email: info@appurity.co.uk www.appurity.co.uk Steve Whiter Steve Whiter has been in the industry for 30 years and has extensive knowledge of secure mobile solutions. For over 10 years, Steve has worked with the team at Appurity to provide customers with secure mobile solutions and apps that enhance productivity but also meet regulations such as ISO and Cyber Essentials Plus. Working closely with its technology partners that include Lookout, NetMotion, Google, Apple, Samsung, BlackBerry and MobileIron/Ivanti, Appurity is delivering mobile initiatives to customers across multiple verticals such as legal, financial, retail and public sector. Appurity Appurity is a UK-based company that offers mobile, cloud, data and cybersecurity solutions and applications to businesses. Its staff draw upon a wealth of in-depth knowledge in industry- leading technologies to aid their clients in developing secure and efficient mobile strategies. We live in challenging times. Quite apart from the widespread disruption that COVID has wrought on all of our lives, you could be forgiven for thinking that we were in the middle of some kind of ‘cyber war’. Not a day seems to go by without another headline telling us about the latest cyberattack, data theft or ransomware scenario. And for reasons that we will cover here, the pandemic has actually brought cybersecurity very much to the fore due to the technology demands placed by a largely remote and network-challenged workforce.