Snapshot
- As October is global cyber security awareness month, it is timely to remember the importance of implementing a cyber awareness program in your law firm.
- Whilst your people are the weakest link in keeping your firm secure, they can also be the first line of defence if they are well trained about how their actions can mitigate cyber risk.
Cyber industry professionals commonly report that the majority of cyber events are caused by the actions of an insider within the compromised organisation. Recently, the Solicitors Regulation Authority UK conducted a survey of a number of UK law firms affected by cyber crimes in the last three years and found that most incidents were due to individual errors and misunderstanding, rather than systems being hacked. Some 60 per cent of the law firms surveyed felt that their biggest potential vulnerability to cybercrime was linked to the knowledge and behaviours of their staff (see: “Cyber security – a thematic review”, Solicitor’s Regulation Authority UK, 2 September 2020). Here in New South Wales, LawCover has reported seeing a dramatic increase in online scams targeting lawyers amid COVID-19 disruption.