the SOCIETY RECORD - Nova Scotia Barristers' Society

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LIANS TIPS FROM THE RISK AND PRACTICE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM Electronic data protection BY STACEY GERRARD LIANS Counsel Many of us have a healthy skepticism about flying in “the Cloud”. We worry about our client information being compromised and tend to keep our data stored a little closer to home. So imagine arriving to work one day, turning on your computer and instead of accessing your client files, a digital ransom note appears: “If you pay our ransom demands, we will restore access to your computer.” This scenario may sound farfetched but it’s what a law firm in Alberta recently encountered. Its lawyers were the victims of a “ransomware” attack in which hackers burrowed deeply into their computer network, infiltrating and encrypting their electronic records. No cloud required. This kind of attack on your system can be mitigated by ensuring your system has up-to-date antivirus software and anti-spyware software. Ensure that you install the updates and patches released by the software manufacturer. Back up your data regularly and store that backup off-site to minimize the harm of blocked access. Get a good firewall in place or use a network security gateway. If you don’t know how to do all of this yourself, talk to a computer professional about these and other recommendations for your system. LIANS has reported at various times about email users (Yahoo! Mail and others) having their accounts compromised after a hacker retrieved passwords from the cookies stored in computer browsers. Hackers use this access to forward an email containing a malicious link to the yahoo account’s address book contacts. This kind of attack can be avoided by using a strong password and changing your password on a regular basis. A “strong” password is 12 to 15 characters in length and contains a number, a special character and a capital letter. You might try using a song phrase or motto. According to Splashdata, the most vulnerable (weakest) passwords are: password, 123456; 12345678; abc123; qwerty; monkey; letmein; dragon; 11111; and baseball. Online hackers have also threatened lawyers’ bank accounts. You should ensure that your trust account is “read only” internet access. Regular monitoring of your accounts will alert you to suspicious transactions. In Manitoba, a hacker gained access to a law firm’s general account, set up an automatic transfer of $5,000 to another bank and then transferred money to a prepaid credit card. They did the same thing the following day. Because the accounts were monitored regularly, the firm’s bookkeeper caught the transactions on the second day. The firm then froze the online access, changed its password and reported the incident to the bank and the RCMP. As these examples demonstrate, data protection – whether it is your firm’s data or your clients’ – is becoming a much higher priority for lawyers and law firms. Data loss can be as simple as losing a document that took you hours to create, or as catastrophic as losing all data due to a virus or a server crash. A hacker can not only cause you to lose data, but can damage your reputation as well. Here are the top 10 ways you can protect your data and prevent this from happening to you: 1. Maintain physical security: lock your office door, file room and your server doors when you leave at night, or lock away sensitive information if you have afterhours cleaning staff. If you have a laptop, either bring it with you at the end of day or lock it away. Avoid putting printers and fax machines in high-traffic areas – consider putting them in your file room or another room with a locked door. 2. Maintain virtual security: password protect your laptop and smartphone. This way if you leave your device behind in a washroom or taxi, you won’t have the added worry of someone accessing your private information. To password protect your laptop: to go the start menu > control panel > User Accounts > create password. On your smartphone, go to settings or options > security > Screen lock (exact words may vary). 3. Protect your computer by using an operating system that requires users to be “authenticated”. This can restrict what individual users can see and do on the computer. 4. Use strong passwords and change them regularly. 5. Back it up: back up your data, and test your backups regularly. Make sure to back up your email as well. 6. Keep a copy of your data offsite: if you’re not ready to store information in the Cloud, you can use an external hard drive for data backup. They are portable, inexpensive, and can store a large volume of data. In fact, buy two. 36 The Society Record
7. Update! Make sure you have the latest updates for your software, including virus and malware protection software and, if the feature is available, have it set up for automatic software updates. Some malware poses as virus scanning software – know the name of your software and if another program is asking to scan your computer for viruses – just say no. 8. Don’t blindly trust your email: heed the LIANS warnings and don’t click on any suspicious links, even if the email appears to have been sent to you buy a friend. If your email reader is set up to automatically open attachments, you should disable it and always run attachments through your virus scanner first. 9. Perform regular maintenance: familiarize yourself with a disk-scanning program, how to defragment your hard drive, or whatever maintenance your system may need. These will keep your system running smoothly and prevent little problems from turning into big ones. 10. Google yourself regularly: You never know when someone might be using your picture or personal information on a website. These are some ways to protect your data, your client’s data and your reputation. For more information and resources on how to protect your computer or laptop, visit the LIANS website at www.lians.ca, under the Risk and Practice Management tab. Gus Richardson is pleased to offer his services as an arbitrator, mediator and appellate lawyer in his new practice, Ad+Rem ADR Services. With over 20 years litigation experience at all levels of courts in Nova Scotia and Ontario, Gus is also a Small Claims Court adjudicator. Gus brings those skills to his practice as an arbitrator and mediator in labour, insurance, personal injury, commercial and condominium disputes. phone 902.422.6729 email gus@gusrichardson.com www.gusrichardson.com If you have any questions on these, or any other risk- or practice-related matters, do not hesitate to contact the Risk and Practice Management Program at info@lians.ca or call the Lawyers' Insurance Association of Nova Scotia at 423 1300. Paul G. Goodman, FCA, FCIRP, FIIC Trustee Mark S. Rosen, LLB, FCIRP Trustee Michael J. Connor, C I R P Trustee Kimberley A. Burke, CIRP Trustee Are your clients fAcing finAnciAl stress? BDO can help them on the road to financial stability. We offer professional advice to address your clients’ needs: • Business viability, operational and loan security reviews • Reorganization and debt restructuring • Corporate wind ups • Formal insolvency and restructuring appointments, including bankruptcy Halifax: 902 425 3100 Sydney: 902 539 9850 Appointments are also held throughout mainland Nova Scotia and Cape Breton www.bdodebthelp.ca www.bdo.ca Leonard M. Shaw, CA•CIRP, CFP, CAFM Trustee • Formal proposals under BIA and CCAA • Free initial consultations and off-hour appointments by request • Competitive pricing and manageable payment terms BDO Canada Limited is an affiliate of BDO Canada LLP. BDO Canada LLP, a Canadian limited liability partnership, is a member of BDO International Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, and forms part of the international BDO network of independent member firms. BDO is the brand name for the BDO network and for each of the BDO Member Firms. Spring 2013 37
Page 1 and 2: the SOCIETY RECORD VOLUME 31 | NO.1
Page 3 and 4: Contents VOLUME 31 | NO 1 | Spring
Page 5 and 6: the president’s view As I travel
Page 7 and 8: BRIEFS Nova Scotia lawyers honoured
Page 9 and 10: BRIEFS Annual networking events for
Page 11 and 12: society news Council updates Societ
Page 13 and 14: society news For more details on th
Page 15 and 16: Madonna was an active participant i
Page 17 and 18: Illegal downloading of music, film
Page 19 and 20: Society’s successful initiative t
Page 21 and 22: say the public policy reasons are n
Page 23 and 24: “These dwindling numbers [of lawy
Page 25 and 26: Small rural and close communities -
Page 27 and 28: Photo by Eliot Wright/Provided by N
Page 29 and 30: “Volunteering allows for a break
Page 31 and 32: in police service delivery. They pr
Page 33 and 34: A desire to broaden and deepen her
Page 35: The students appreciate the opportu
Page 39 and 40: Spring 2013 39

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