Cybersecurity

A Hacker-Proof System for Cybersecurity Awareness Month 2023

Happy Cybersecurity Awareness Month – A Hacker-Proof Office System to Prevent Attacks

October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month. At Integrated Technology Services, LLC and the Law Offices of Daniel J. Siegel, LLC, we regularly work with law firms and small businesses to help them protect against cyberattacks. We assist with all facets of preparedness, from assessing their infrastructure to creating cybersecurity plans to training to techno-ethics counseling.… Read the rest

Prevent Phishing Attacks with Free Helpful Graphic from CISA

More than 90% of Phishing Attacks Begin With an Email

According to the U.S. Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA – cisa.gov), “more than 90% of successful cyber-attacks start with a phishing email. A phishing scheme is when a link or webpage looks legitimate, but it’s a trick designed by bad actors to have you reveal your passwords, social security number, credit card numbers, or other sensitive information.
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Budget Law Requires Reporting of Hacks to Homeland Security

Although only one in seven businesses typically reports a cybersecurity hack to the federal government that should change now that the recent budget/government funding law requires 16 types of businesses to report hacks to the Department of Homeland Security within 72 hours. The types of hacks that must be reported include data breaches and ransomware attacks/payments. Lawyers and law firms already have an ethical obligation under the Rules of Professional Conduct to report breaches, attacks and other cybersecurity incidents to clients whose data may have been impacted.… Read the rest

FBI Warns Governments, Elected Officials & Candidates of Cybersecurity Phishing Threats

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has released a Private Industry Notification (PIN) to warn U.S. governments, elected officials and candidates about cybersecurity threats, particularly invoice-themed phishing emails that could be used to harvest these officials’ login credentials. This threat applies to all governments, local to national, all government employees, all elected officials, and all candidates for elected office. In short, this threat applies to a wide range of people, and it is one to take very seriously.… Read the rest

The White House – Yes The White House – Offers Excellent Advice on Protecting Yourself Online

No matter your politics, most of us aren’t thinking of President Biden when it comes to technology advice. Yet it was the Biden White House offering excellent advice on protecting yourself online. This isn’t fancy geek language, it is the same cybersecurity advice I have given in dozens of programs not only to lawyers and law firms but also to community groups and others.… Read the rest

FCC Adds Kaspersky Products to List of National CyberSecurity Risks

The FCC has added Kaspersky products to the list of cybersecurity risks. Law firms should alert staff not to use the products on any devices that access their firms’ networks to safeguard client information.

Of course, the last thing you need from your Internet security product is for it to be a threat to your security. Let alone national security. But on Friday, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) called Kaspersky a national cybersecurity threat by adding Kaspersky, China Mobile, and China Telecom to the list of companies affected by the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act of 2019.… Read the rest

WFH – Work From Home Legal Issues Are A Reality

In the new COVID world in which the traditional office has been replaced in full or in part by a work from home existence, many of us never think about the issues that arise when we are doing our jobs at the kitchen table.

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NSA Report Offers Practical, Plain Language Guidance About Securing VOIP Systems

The NSA has released a cybersecurity report on how to better secure Voice and Video Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) systems. These systems allows you to make calls using an Internet connection rather than a regular phone line and combine voice, video, and instant messaging.

The report is helpful and provides easy-to-understand guidance on how to protect these communications from vulnerabilities and hackers and limit the risk to data confidentiality.… Read the rest

Competence – A crucial requirement for lawyers during, and after, the pandemic

It is incompetent for a lawyer to believe, let alone say or write that “It is illegal [for a lawyer] to text or email anything of substance.” The statement is also completely wrong, legally and ethically.

Yet one lawyer, an ethics “maven” no loss, who writes a column for a major local legal newspaper, actually wrote those completely inaccurate words as part of his lament that – because of COVID-19 – he can no longer work in the same type of law office common in 1973, when he received his law license, you know, when Richard Nixon was President.… Read the rest