As technology and data have become essential to the function of modern corporate entities, the risk of cyber-attack has been heightened. For many it is no longer a case of if they will be attacked, but when.
There are some very real and constant threats to the cybersecurity of a business and a corporate lawyer can find themselves right in the middle of it. But why would a lawyer need to worry about technology?
In truth, law firms and legal departments are some of the most highly targeted by cyber-attacks because of the sensitive information they have access to. Data on mergers, acquisitions, patents and new products are often available to lawyers, making them a prime target for data breaches.
For these reasons corporate lawyers need to remain vigilant and up to date with the company’s cybersecurity.
Understand the technology of your company
While you may understand your company’s business, you might not have any clue about how their digital infrastructure works. Do you know what is done with the data that’s collected and shared throughout the company?
If the answer is no, then you should investigate this as much as you can. Determine what the company’s cyber policies are and make sure your practises are in line with it.
Make sure you know your vendors
It’s important to be aware of which vendors your company associates with and who they contract with so as to avoid liability issues. If a vendor stores data from your company it pays to know what that data is and how they use it.
The relationship between the company and its vendors can be one of the first places to find flaws in data security. If you notice something that could be exploited by a malicious party, let management know about it.
Improve your own data security measures
Think about what your data protection practises are and do your best to improve upon them. Make sure that you are secure across all of the computers, tablets and phones you may use.
If one of your devices was lost or stolen, would a malicious party be able to access confidential information? What kind of information do you have that could be used against the company?
Asking these questions and practising ongoing data vigilance is important for protecting the company’s data. It only takes one weak link for a huge data breach to severely cripple a company.