Aderant recently published an article entitled the “5 Deadly Sins Cyber Criminals Know About Law Firm Security” written by Lewis Thomason CFO William Kunkel, attorney Joy Justin, and consultants from Sword & Shield. The first deadly sin everyone know about:
1. The door is open.
Passwords are the one security routine we all know to be essential. But not all passwords are created equal, and inferior passwords often live too long. Hackers only need to successfully capture one user’s password to open the door and access your data. Some experts believe passwords have outlived their usefulness and stronger safeguards, such as dual-authentication tools, are now necessary.
At a minimum, firms need to ensure that the password door is closed to intruders. Implementing policies that reinforce strong passwords can go a long way in this effort. We suggest implementing the following criteria for more secure passwords:
§ Update passwords quarterly
§ Do not repeat passwords
§ Require passwords to be a minimum of 10 characters in length, using a combination of numbers, letters and special characters
§ Exclude use of names or so-called “dictionary words”
Here are all 5 of the deadly sins:
1. The door is open.
2. People are helpful.
3. Awareness is not translated into priority.
4. Monitoring and detection tools are not utilized.
5. Perception that security controls are cost prohibitive and hamper billable work.
It’s clearly all law firms protect themselves from these Cybercriminals who will attacking, it’s just when!