The State Bar Association of North Dakota Fall 2015 Gavel Magazine | Page 24

CYBERSECURITY FOR LAWYERS PART III: Denial Is Not A Solution

JUSTICE DANIEL CROTHERS
North Dakota Supreme Court
All Rights Reserved
My last two Gavel articles discussed lawyer
cybersecurity; the first introducing the topic
and the second addressing how data can
be lost. This article explores five lawyer
(and small business) misconceptions about
cybersecurity.

1. Nobody wants to steal
my computer data
The general perception is that cybercriminals
only want large quantities of credit card and
bank account information. True, hackers
often seek that which can be quickly
monetized. But not all hackers seek only
a motherlode of value, and lawyers cannot
discount the fact their electronic files often
contain valuable information. The media has
reported on big law firm hacks. 1 But even
small firm files contain value. Family law
matters nearly always involve birth dates,
social security numbers and banking and
retirement account information. T H