Lawcovernotes March 2019

For example, a cyber criminal might pose as senior employee within a practice by hacking their email account and convince someone with financial authority to make a payment to a fraudulent account. Awareness There should be a minimum level of awareness amongst legal practice staff of: ^ ^ What cyber security is ^ ^ Why it is important ^ ^ Examples of common threats ^ ^ Tips and guidance While human error can never be completely eliminated, increasing awareness of the risks among staff and implementing policies and procedures across the practice are good starting points. Staff should be educated on applicable cyber security policies and procedures and after initial education, receive ongoing training and information. People can make a cyber criminal’s job easy, but equally, they can be the greatest weapon against them. What role they fulfil will depend on their level of knowledge and the extent of their awareness to recognise and act on a potential threat, which is essential in any legal practice. For more information and guidance regarding cyber security view Lawcover’s Cyber Risk Resources . If you believe that your systems may have been compromised, do not ignore it. Take immediate remedial action and contact the cyber incident response team on 1800 BREACH (1800 273 224). 15. 5. ACT � If the verification is correct, continue with normal processes � If the verification fails, contact the incident response team at 1800 BREACH (1800 273 224) and inform them you suspect you may have been subject to a cyber event � Follow any instructions given to you which may include informing the owner of the email account about the incident if it appears they have been hacked 4. RECORD � Make a file note of the time of your call and the details provided to you 6. STAY AWARE � If you or one of your colleagues are subject to a cyber event or fraudulent activity, share the information within your office, learn from the steps taken and remind everyone of your anti-cyber fraud policies R E C O R D A C T S T A Y A W A R E