Many law firms have shifted towards a hybrid work model, where employees alternate between working from home and working at their law office. While this model has provided greater flexibility, it has also presented significant challenges for Chief Information Security Officers, CISO in these firms.

Law firms have always been a prime target for cybercriminals due to the sensitive and confidential nature of the data they hold. The shift towards hybrid work has only made things more complicated for CISOs, who must now contend with a distributed workforce, varied devices, and continual risks from email phishing. In this article, we will discuss the challenges facing CISOs in law firms due to hybrid work and how they can mitigate these risks.

Remote Workforce
With employees working from different locations, it becomes more difficult for CISOs to maintain a secure environment. Home networks are typically less secure than office networks, and employees may be using personal devices that are not adequately secured. This can make it easier for cybercriminals to gain access to the firm’s network and steal sensitive data.

To mitigate this risk, CISOs must implement strict security protocols for remote workers. This includes ensuring that all devices are up to date with the latest security patches, enforcing strong password policies, and providing employees with secure VPN access to the firm’s network.

Increased Cyber Attacks
Cybercriminals have been taking advantage of the pandemic to launch more sophisticated and targeted attacks. With law firms holding sensitive data, they are an attractive target for cybercriminals looking to steal confidential information, commit fraud, or launch ransomware attacks. Email phishing continues to be one of the greatest ongoing cybersecurity threats.

To mitigate this risk, CISOs must implement robust security measures, including multi-factor authentication, intrusion detection, and threat intelligence. They should also conduct regular security assessments and penetration testing to identify vulnerabilities in their systems and networks.

Cloud Security
With the shift towards hybrid work, many law firms have moved their operations to the cloud, making it easier for employees to access data from different locations. While this has provided greater flexibility, it has also created new security challenges, as data stored in the cloud is at risk from cyber attack.

To mitigate this risk, CISOs must implement strict access controls and monitor employee activities closely. They should also encrypt all data stored in the cloud and implement robust backup and disaster recovery procedures.

Mailroom Risk
There is a security problem in the mailroom that deserves a sense of urgency.

In a scanning mailroom, the typical scan-to-email-PDF approach puts the firm’s client information at risk and undermines information governance. Airmail2 solves this problem because it eliminates unnamed PDF attachments and delivers legal mail securely using integrations with a document repository like iManage, iManage Cloud, NetDocuments or OpenText eDOCS. Airmail2 also integrates with Microsoft OneDrive and Google Drive.

This is an important cybersecurity consideration for law firms because email is the most frequent source from where cybersecurity incidents originate. Watch the 2-min. explainer video to learn more.