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The future of cybersecurity for law firms

A global law firm recently released a report surveying the future of the cybersecurity landscape as it pertains to its industry. ALM reported that Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher's study, titled "Cyber-security and Data Privacy Outlook and Review: 2013," outlined the most prevalent concerns for law firms.

One of the main issues that the report touched upon was the role of mobile devices in a firm's overall security plan. The proliferation of bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policies has created a number of network security risks. Hackers can exploit vulnerabilities present on an employee's personal device to gain access to the larger and more secure company network. According to a survey of IT professionals, one-third of respondents said the inability to control employees' mobile devices presented a serious concern. In addition, 10 percent reported critical information leaks due to a staff member's personal device being compromised.

Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher's report stated that the cloud presented another major cybersecurity concern for law firms. More enterprises are moving resources to cloud services. Like BYOD, this new tech trend brings many new security challenges. For instance, if a law firm uses a cloud service for data storage purposes, the protection of that information will be in the hands of the provider. In order to safeguard data that is being stored on off-site servers, law firms need to be sure that their providers are using quality cybersecurity practices such as encryption.

Furthermore, when information is passed between servers or along other networks, law firms should take steps to protect that data. Encrypting information at all levels, including at rest and in transit, will provide enterprises with an essential layer of security that can prevent cybercriminals from accessing sensitive files.

The advancement of technology has created new cybersecurity risks for enterprises to take into account. Protect sensitive company data while in transit with an SSL certificate today. 

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