PBCBA BAR BULLETINS pbcba_bulletin_April 2019 | Page 31
TECHNOLOGY C o r n e r
Is Your PC Keeping Your Information Private?
Take This 10-Question Quiz
CHRISTOPHER B. HOPKINS
What entity was the victim of the largest
data breach in history? According to The
Guardian, the “biggest [hack] in history”
involved 11.5 million documents known
as the Panama Papers stolen from… a law
firm. “BigLaw” firms are not alone – small
firms and solo lawyers frequently suffer
ransomware attacks while, according to
Verizon, in-house lawyers were, “far more
likely to actually open a [phishing] email
than all other [corporate] departments.”
Lawyers are particularly susceptible
targets for data breach because we often
hold clients’ confidential and financial
information. Worse, we can be a weak link:
lawyers are quick to respond to new client
inquiries and we respond quickly and at all
hours from our mobile devices.
How safe is the PC on your desk? Whether
you reply upon a valued IT professional or
your office manager, Rule 4-1.1 tasks you,
the lawyer, with “an understanding of the
benefits and risks associated with the use
of technology…” The following quiz takes
about 5 minutes and requires basic PC and
keyboard skills (special thanks to Matt
Korduner, GDSN Administrator at Florida
Crystals, for his contributions).
1. Are You Running A Supported Version
of Windows? Microsoft currently supports
Windows 10, 8.1, and 7. Windows Vista
and XP no longer receive upgrades from
Microsoft and are exposed to hacking risks.
Hit the windows key (left of your space bar)
and the letter R. A box will appear. Type
“winver” (for “windows version”) and hit
enter. 5 points for Windows 10, 2 points for
Windows 8.x, and 1 point for Windows 7.
You have failed this quiz if you are running
any other version.
2. Is Your PC Password Protected? This
should be an easy “yes.” But do not be
fooled, this is weak security (do a Google
search for “hack Windows password”). 2
points for a required password, 1 point if
you use a PIN, or -10 points for “no.”
3. Do I Have Administrator Access? An
administrator account has full access to
all features of Windows while standard
accounts are restricted from, say, installing
new software. Unless it is a personal
computer, few users need full “admin
rights.” Tap the Windows key and type
“control panel.”
Select User Accounts
(twice). 5 points if “administrator” does
not appear under your name. If it says
“administrator,” and it is not your personal
PC, subtract 5 points.
4. Is Your Hard Drive Encrypted? An
encrypted drive should render your
drive unreadable if it is stolen. Tap the
Windows key and type “control panel.”
Select “Security and Systems” and look for
BitLocker encryption to be “on.” Admittedly,
there is more than one encryption method;
hit the Windows key and type “PGP” to see
if you find PGP Whole Disk Encryption. 5
points for encryption, no points for an
unencrypted desktop, and -5 points for
unencrypted laptop.
5. Is Your PC Up-To-Date? Keeping a
current version of Windows is essential for
patching security risks. If you are running
Windows 10, this occurs automatically so
award yourself 3 points (recent reports
suggest not to manually check for updates
in Windows 10 out of concern that Microsoft
views this as an invitation to push beta
versions of updates). For Windows 8.1 and
below, tap the Windows key, type “Control
Panel,” and choose Windows Update. Award
3 points if you are current on all critical or
security settings; -1 for each unpatched
item.
6. Am I Running AntiVirus? In Windows
10, hit the Windows key, select Settings,
Update & Security, Windows Security,
and click, “Open Windows Security.” For
prior versions, hit Start, then go to Control
Panel, Security and Systems, Review Your
Computer’s Status, and look for Security. 5
points for green buttons, -5 points for red
buttons.
7. Do I Have a Firewall? This is a critical
line of defense to prevent unauthorized
access to your PC. Take the same steps as
you did to check your anti-virus software.
5 points for green buttons, -5 points for red
buttons.
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8. Can Someone Else Remotely Access my
PC? Hit the Windows key and R, then type
“SystemPropertiesRemote.exe.” It should
open a new dialog box with the title “Remote
Access.” If “Allow Remote Assistance” is
unchecked, give yourself 5 points. If your IT
department allows remote access limited
to “Network Level Authentication,” add no
points. If remote access is allowed without
restriction, subtract 5 points.
9. Do I Have Any Unknown Programs on my
PC? Tap the Windows key and type “control
panel.” In the upper right corner, type,
“program” in the search box, and select
“show which programs are installed.” Add
3 points if you recognize all apps; -1 for each
app you cannot identify.
10. What are Your Privacy Settings? Hit
the windows key and select “Settings”
and either “privacy” (Win 10) or Change
PC Settings and Privacy (earlier versions)
In Windows 10, everything should be
“off.” In prior versions, select “General” to
determine what settings are “off.” 5 points
for everything turned off and -2 points for
each item that was “on.”
If your score is a positive number, you
passed. Anything near zero or below,
please consult an IT professional soon (if
the PC is owned by your law firm, do not
seek to change settings without consulting
your policies).
Christopher B. Hopkins is a cyber security
lawyer with McDonald Hopkins, LLC.
[email protected]