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LAWPRO Magazine: 2013 December Cybercrime
In This Issue of LAWPRO Magazine
Protecting yourself from cybercrime dangers: The steps you need to take
Cybercrime dangers are many, complex and ever-changing. Hardly a day goes by without another news report of a data breach or other cyber-related scam or theft. Cyber criminals have considerable resources and expertise, and can cause significant damage to their targets. Cyber criminals specifically target law firms as law firms regularly have funds in their… Read More »
The LAWPRO $250,000 cybercrime coverage: What it covers and why
As of the 2014 policy year, the LAWPRO mandatory insurance program will include express coverage in the amount of $250,000 for losses related to cybercrime, as defined in the policy. This sublimit (or cap) of coverage provides a modest “safety net” for lawyers in the area of cybercrime exposure. We say modest because like the… Read More »
Cyber risk insurance options: Do you have the coverage you need?
The prevalence of cyber-related crime has been steadily increasing for a number of years. Many businesses invest heavily in the necessary IT infrastructure to protect their data, but despite best efforts and intentions, the frequent news stories in the press should serve as confirmation that breaches do occur. The cost implications of having personal or… Read More »
Be ready with an incident response plan
Because a cybercrime attack can cause irreparable harm, law firms should be prepared to take action immediately. Being able to do this requires an Incident Response Plan (IRP). An effective IRP can put a firm in a position to effectively and efficiently manage a breach by protecting sensitive data, systems, and networks, and to quickly… Read More »
Interesting times (and cybercrimes) call for active risk reduction efforts, not just insurance coverage
Legal systems and their participants have a reputation – perhaps no longer just – for being slow to embrace technological change. But while good lawyers know that technology tools are not (at least not yet!) a full replacement for the exercise of professional judgment and the application of legal knowledge, they also know that a… Read More »
LAWPRO has a corporate LinkedIn page. Does your firm?
LAWPRO has had a corporate LinkedIn page for almost two years now. We find it a useful tool to connect with lawyers and other legal profession stakeholders. It allows us to easily share LAWPRO-related information with LinkedIn users. As well as giving us a corporate presence and the ability to post updates, we have customized… Read More »
Keeping your passwords strong and secure
Computer passwords are the keys that “unlock” our computer and network systems. We all have more passwords than we can remember. This tends to make us a bit lazy. We use obvious and easy-to-remember passwords – even the word “password” itself. Or worse: we don’t use them at all. Bad password habits are often one… Read More »
Would you take the bait in a phishing scam?
“Phishing” is one of the most common scams that cyber criminals use because it can produce spectacular results with very little effort or expense on the part of the hacker. Phishing involves the use of an email, text message or phone call that appears to come from a trusted source or institution, vendor or company,… Read More »
Draw clients a roadmap to avoid communication claims
Our readers should now be well aware that problems with lawyer-client communication are the number one cause of malpractice claims. Managing communication takes patience and effort: at one extreme of the spectrum, responding to calls and messages from clients who want constant contact can be frustrating; while at the other end, trying to get absentee… Read More »
Book review: The ABA Cybersecurity Handbook
“There are two types of firms: those that know they’ve been (cyber) attacked and those that don’t,” says Jill Rhodes, co-author along with Vincent Polley of the The ABA Cybersecurity Handbook. The book is an initiative of the ABA Cybersecurity Legal Task Force that was created in 2012 to bring together the legal community and… Read More »
Cybercrime and law firms: The risks and dangers are real
Historians may well look back and call 2013 “The year of the hacker.” There have been numerous high-profile data breaches involving major corporations and online services: Facebook, Apple, Twitter, Adobe, NASDAQ, The New York Times and LexisNexis, to name just a few. Everyone reading this article likely has information stored by at least one, if… Read More »