Legal Field IT Specialists CEO, Robert Finley, answering some questions from firms regarding IT security:

How can my firm recover from a misconfigured firewall (firewall rules)?

We have helped numerous companies, after the fact,  that have unfortunately fallen victim to ransomware, and we have helped them recover from it. We will go in and redo their firewall and inspect the rules that open up too much access to the Internet. A lot of people don't realize this, but they will often open up what's called a terminal desktop or terminal service, so that they can remote in from the outside to their office computer. While this is very convenient for workers, it's something hackers look for first, and is often the reason companies suffer a cyber-attack in the first place.

Once a hacker gets access to my firm's network, what are some items that could potentially be compromised?

Hackers will use a bot to scan the Internet for terminal desktop services that are enabled. If your password is not strong enough (most aren't), hackers can eventually guess it and hack into your computer and get access to your network…or whatever they want. They can even install spyware in your computer so that when the victim accesses their bank account, the hacker can watch it and steal that information. Hackers can use that terminal computer to access accounting software like QuickBooks or Sage Peachtree and scan for credit card information, all totally undetected within your network.

Unfortunately, we see where breaches have happened all the time. Some companies do not protect their data adequately and, unfortunately, they are hacked into. We've seen small business held up by various ransomware and then have that data totally lost in the attack. Furthermore, sometimes that critical information can be sold to others on the dark web and the data is used for criminal purposes by unethical organizations.

I'm just a small law firm. There are much larger targets than me, so why should I be concerned about IT security?

It's not just with the major companies, like the big stores and other large online retailers, but also many small businesses are hacked regularly. So, I want to keep spreading the word out there that small businesses are the number one target. If a large company with a big budget for IT can be hacked, small businesses are like low-hanging fruit for hackers. You simply must protect yourself from these threats.

When it comes to network and data security, this is a case of where being ignorant about the subject may actually be harmful to you. This is why we are working  to educate you on this need and spread the word on ways to help you protect your network. Again, this is not just for your own good in your business, but also for protecting your client's information as well.

If you feel that your law firm could use some assistance with setting up proper security for your firm's protection call us today. Here at Legal Field IT Specialists we provide tailored IT support services to law firms to protect you from the dangers of online threats as well as working with you to ensure high productivity levels in your workplace.

Phone: (678) 926-9192
Web: www.LFITS.com