WFH and Human Error Cause in 95% of all Breaches in Legal Industry
WFH and Human Error Cause in 95% of all Breaches in Legal Industry
Law Firms reliance on email has proven to be one of the weakest links as a majority of workforces have transitioned to hybrid working.
Working From Home (WFH) has in turn, also increased the size of the threat landscape – with cyber attackers targeting vulnerable workers who are away from the immediate support from IT teams.
When sending many emails per day, the risk of human error also arises. Whether this is attaching the wrong document; or CC’ing an incorrect recipient; these mistakes are all too common – but for some industries, it can have devastating consequences.
Within the legal industry, sensitive and confidential data is being handled each day – including insurance claims, financial records and more. If this information were to fall into the wrong hands – it could have disastrous repercussions for the business. Andrea Babbs, UK General Manager, VIPRE, emphasises the importance of law firms prioritising their email defence, so that they don’t fall vulnerable to a cyber threat.
Legal Landscape
For law firms, in particular, legal professionals are handling sensitive and confidential data, which is subject to strict regulatory compliance rules. Relying on email to share this valuable data with the relevant parties poses a risk in itself – making them a high target for cyber attacks.
What if documents protected by legal professional privilege are accidentally emailed to the wrong person? This could constitute a breach of confidentiality, which in turn, can have numerous repercussions; such as short and long-term financial costs, to damaging the firm’s reputation – breaches of any kind can affect client trust and business success.
Over the past few years, law firms have been subject to all types of external cyber attacks, and this number continues to rise – with research finding that 73 of the UK’s top 100 firms are targeted. For example, criminal defence firm Tuckers Solicitors were fined £98,000 after sensitive court bundles were published on the dark web and held to ransom by organised cyber criminals. Even though human error causes security incidents that don't receive as much media attention - they aren't any less serious.
