1. Cyber Security Tips for Small Firms
A liability insurance provider for small law firms recently launched a blog series on tips to avoid data
breaches.
Mark Gerlach, Law Technology News
May 1, 2014 |0 Comments
Protexure Lawyers began a blog series last month on tips for beefing up cyber security at small practices.
“There are some basic things that small firms can do to protect themselves,” said Kyle Nieman, president and CEO of AmerInst Professional Services, in an LTN interview.
Attorneys that do not properly protect client information may be at risk of malpractice, Nieman said.
Protexure Lawyers is a liability insurance program for small law firms with less than five attorneys. Lisle, Ill.-based AmerInst Professional Services, a subsidiary of AmerInst
Insurance Group, works with Crum & Forester to offer Protexure.
Dubbed the Tech Blog Series, the posts cover topics including firewall and password protection, choosing an anti-virus and e-mail security. Protexure has another blog entry in
the works on personal identification information, which is likely to be released next week, according to Nieman.
Law firms should select firewalls based on criteria such as: the number of computers a firm has in its network; whether or not the firewall has an International Computer Security
Association (ISCA) certification; price; and the level of technical support that is provided, according to the Protexure Lawyers blog. According to Protexure, a firewall with 10
megabytes of random access memory is sufficient for a firm with less than 50 employees.
Other useful tips in the Protexure’s Tech Blog Series include:
Firms should run their anti-virus programs through third-party testing sites, such as AV-Comparatives.org or AV-Test.org, to evaluate the effectiveness of the software in fighting
viruses, adware and malware without slowing down a computer.
Personal and business e-mail accounts should not be linked, or have similar usernames and passwords. In many instances business e-mail accounts are secured with
encryption and other tools to safeguard content, unlike personal accounts. If a hacker breaks into a personal e-mail that is linked to a business account, or that contains work-
related correspondences and files and data, sensitive information could be at risk of infiltration.
Passwords should avoid using common names, phrases, sports teams, etc.