News in the Channel - issue #40

CYBERSECURITY FOR LEGAL FIRMS

principles are increasingly important and form a core part of our security strategy at EIP, alongside our ISO/IEC 27001 certification, widely regarded as the gold standard for information security. “In addition, strong data classification, encryption and robust identity management all play a critical role in protecting systems and data. “Beyond technology, people remain one of, if not the most important, factors in maintaining security. Effective user awareness training, clear and practical policies, and visible commitment to security from senior leadership are all essential.”

Building relationships Resellers and MSPs have a crucial role to play in keeping legal firms safe from cyberattacks and relationships with specialists can be key to this. Dr Kieran says resellers should build relationships with legal IT specialists who understand the sector's subtleties. “Any recommendation should explicitly map to the NCSC's Cyber Essentials framework, as a minimum,” he adds. “For larger or more complex operations, a roadmap toward Cyber Essentials Plus makes sense. Both give the customer something measurable to demonstrate to insurers and regulators, which increasingly matters.” Ryan Davis, channel account manager at CultureAI, says resellers can work with vendors that provide risk assessments across different data loss vectors, helping organisations understand their current exposure. “In the context of AI usage, these assessments can offer insight into how tools are being used, where sensitive data may be at risk, and what controls may be needed to mitigate potential issues,” he adds. Dray adds that resellers shouldn't sell one-size-fits-all IT packages but align their solutions with the unique regulatory and reputational risks of the legal sector. “They need to champion comprehensive frameworks that prioritise 24/7 active threat hunting, encrypted communications, and rapid incident isolation over basic antivirus and static firewalls,” he says. “Insist on 100% security visibility. The most devastating legal firm breaches we investigated recently occurred when security tools were only partially deployed (e.g., installed on servers but not on employee laptops), or when critical VPN logs weren't being fed into a centralised SIEM. Resellers must advocate for complete visibility across the firm's entire digital estate so that when a threat actor inevitably tests the fences, defenders can catch and evict them in minutes, rather than days.” n

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They need to champion

comprehensive frameworks that prioritise 24/7 active threat hunting, encrypted communications, and rapid incident isolation over basic antivirus and static firewalls.

Chris adds that a strong starting point is achieving Cyber Essentials certification, which is an affordable, government-backed scheme. “Achieving this protects your firm from around 80% of common cyberthreats by ensuring fundamental technical controls, such as firewalls and patch management, are correctly implemented and MFA is enabled where possible,” he says. “Beyond the security boost, it builds immediate trust with clients and is often a mandatory requirement when bidding for government or high-value legal contracts. “From there, firms should continue to enhance their security posture. This includes adopting the Principle of Least Privilege, which ensures users only have access to the systems and data necessary for their role, as well as providing regular cybersecurity awareness training for staff.”

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