Hacking Threat to Law Firms Pressures Corporate Counsel

Corporate counsel for law firms appear to be coming under alert to hacking threats. The implications, for instance, of Baker & McKenzie being hacked would be broad for both B&M and their client, Sony, in fallout over the PlayStation data-breach. Douglas Woods, attorney with the New York Office of Reed Smith LLP, places responsibility for strategic measures to prevent corporate hacking squarely with corporate counsel. Writing for Corporate Counsel on Law.com, Wood’s four-point advice for counsel includes:

1. Check the company's security systems. Chances are, they're not state of the art. Considering the potential damage a successful hacker attack can cause, only the best system will do.

2. Retain an ethical hacker, and perform a penetration test.

3. Assemble a crisis-management team that includes your legal, public relations, and government-affairs departments, along with an IT warrior. Hold simulations.

4. Audit the company's data security policies.