How Will the Changing Landscape of Cybersecurity Affect Your Law Firm?

Over two millennia ago, the Greek philosopher Heraclitus coined the concept the only constant in life is change. Although it is hard to argue with this point, it is interesting to think how we go about measuring said change when there is no numerical value attached. Instead of searching for an adequate unit of measurement, it is easier to look back at past traditions, realities, and ways of life to compare.?

At least, that is one way to gauge the change that has occurred in the world of cybersecurity. It is fascinating to know it has not even been 50 years since the public was introduced to the concept. Somehow, over the last 50 years cybersecurity has been introduced and implemented across every industry with Internet access, while still continuing to change with the rest of the world.

Cybersecurity bridges the connection of two extremely transient collectives: humans and technology. In order to keep up, it is necessary to continue to change and evolve with them.

So…what will cybersecurity look like in the near future? And more importantly-how will it affect your firm?

?

Increasing Demand for Security Assessments

With cyberthreats increasing, the cyber insurance industry is booming. One part of their job is to assess your cyber risks. Many insurance companies are beginning to require security assessments in order to place you at a fair risk and price quotient.

?

What does this mean for you?

Your firm may be asked to have a third party security assessment to document any possible risks. Although it is becoming a stipulation, it is a good requirement to get used to.

Having a professional evaluate your standing allows you to see what you may need to fix or change in terms of protection.

As the world of technology moves forward, your risks will also change even if you do not do anything differently. It is important to have regularly placed assessments to ensure you are up to date with addressing any dangers.

The Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

AI is beginning to be used to monitor data, patterns and breaches. Any unusual activity will be caught almost immediately, maybe even before it happens. The AI algorithm will not only help with attack recognition but can also be programmed to complete tedious security tasks.

?

What does this mean for you?

With pattern recognition, any breaches you may experience will be caught much faster, limiting any damage.

AI will free up time for more human oriented tasks like solving complex problems and direct customer service with much more accuracy.

It is also estimated that these tedious tasks that AI can complete will lower in cost due to quicker completion.?

?

More Ransomware Threats

Unfortunately, ransomware attacks work extremely well. Their success ratio has motivated hackers to enlarge the attacks and create new techniques that are even more damaging than before. Despite the increased awareness, they are still very effective for hackers and will continue to be a growing threat in the future.

?

What does this mean for you?

More than half of organizations do not have a formal ransomware plan in place.

Hackers know who these organizations are and persistently target them. As ransomware grows in numbers and damage, it is important to have a response plan in place.

We discussed everything you need to know about ransomware in a previous article.

?

Increased ‘Zero Trust’ Security Models

As technology grows and individuals become smarter about accessing data, Zero Trust is growing in popularity. It eliminates any automatic access and treats every request as if it comes from a public network. No matter who you are or what your title is, each time you request access you will be verified, approved, and encrypted with the Zero Trust Model. ?

There are other facets to the Model such as least-privilege access. Instead of giving all of your employees full access to your network, Zero Trust can implement JEA (just enough access) or JIT (just-in-time). Instead of allowing any employee access to all of your resources, they can have least privilege access, which limits the access to sensitive information. Least privilege also limits lateral movement which is a common technique that criminals use to slowly take over a network.

?

What does this mean for you?

Cybercriminals will begin to focus on firms that have not implemented this Model. It is much easier to hack a password protected network of a small law firm than a government site with Zero Trust.

As the use of this Model increases, the expected amount of authorization will also increase. Nobody should have unlimited access by default of being on the inside of a firm. This is not to insinuate that you work alongside untrustworthy individuals, it is adhering to the foundation that Zero Trust was built off of, “never trust, always verify.”

?

New Regulatory Frameworks

While the future of cybersecurity is hard to pinpoint, one thing we can rely on to shape the ensuing change is the regulations surrounding cybersecurity.

New regulations are constantly being introduced in order to stay on top of evolving concerns. The necessity for privacy and increased security continues to grow, and so do the regulations surrounding it. ?

Beyond regulations like GDPR, CISA, and FISMA we are going to see more regulations regarding employee education as well as overall preparation and response guidelines. ??

?

What does this mean for you?

Stay up to date on changing regulations and prioritize compliance.

As always, knowledge is power, and staying up to date on new and improving regulations will only secure your firm.

Verify that the cyber programs you use comply with any impending regulations and correspond with frameworks. With new regulations being introduced, this should be a top priority for the cybersafety of your firm.

?

Now What?

Understanding the changes in cybersecurity is important. However, we can’t ignore that it is nearly impossible to prepare for changes we don’t know are coming. With an industry as unpredictable and rapidly changing as cybersecurity, what does that preparation even look like??

Beyond educating yourself and staying up to date on advancements, the next best thing you can do to prepare your firm for change is to be adaptable.

Change brings opportunity. Preparing for that change not only sets you up for optimal growth and opportunity, but also sets you apart from other firms.