Introduction
Millions of data is being generated and exchanged through emails, stored in system, folders, and removable data. Data theft attacks have increased in the last couple of years and both individuals and companies have been on the suffering end. Although new technologies are being used to prevent such attacks, cybercriminals continue to find loopholes and conduct data breaches. Most of the data attacks are done to procure critical data in exchange for financial or personal gains. Lawyers hold umpteen amount of data of their clients. Apart from PII information, trade secrets, IPR and confidential information exists with lawyers. This makes them a coveted target for cybercriminals.
An example of such attacks in 2021 is New York City’s Law Department, where the stolen employee credentials were used to hack sensitive data of the employee and even evidence of police misconduct. The hackers also disabled their computer system, which lead to a delay in court proceedings. Another example of such attacks occurred in 2020, for Grubman Shire Meiselas & Sacks, where the hackers were able to steal 756 gigabytes of data, majorly having PII (personally identifiable information). The firm represented some of the most popular celebrities and the hackers demanded $21 million in ransom. The firm was unable to fulfil their demands and the ransom was doubled by the hackers.
Need for Encryption
Lawyers and law firms work on some of the most confidential data which is not only associated with the client but is also related to the legal department. Lawyers and law firms contain data such as evidence that they have procured from the police department. Hacking such data can hamper court proceedings and a criminal could be set free due to a lack of evidence. Apart from evidence, lawyers and law firms have personal data, secret projects of individuals, firms, celebrities and even Government. Attack on such sensitive information can create a disastrous impact on the stakeholders and tarnish the reputation of lawyers. The lawyers could also face financial and legal implications in the form of lawsuits.
Even though as lawyers work towards laptop, storing data on laptop by merely password protecting the files and folders is not enough. With one laptop being stolen in every 53 seconds, data can be hacked and stolen. In fact, the stolen data can be uploaded online by hackers and exchanged in lieu of ransom or misused for identity theft.
The communication exchange between the lawyers and their client too is sensitive in nature. As the information is passed along the chains of mediums, there lies a possibility of someone intercepting the information along the path and misusing the information for their personal benefit.
How Encryption Helps
With the increased responsibility of managing great data, lawyers need to implement stringent data security measures. Data loss will not only impact the lawyers from a financial perspective, but also affect the reputation and affect the consumer’s trust. Data encryption is one way through which lawyers can safeguard the entire data, without having to worry about physical data theft as well. Data encryption encrypts the data into a form or language which cannot be interpreted, even if it is hacked. The data becomes unreadable, so even if it is stolen, it will be of no use to anyone. Data encryption ensures that only the owner of the data or an authorized person is able to use and read the data in its original form using a passcode. As lawyers maintain the secrecy of their client’s conversation, to prevent privacy. Similarly, encryption protects your sensitive and confidential information by making the information not legible for anyone than the lawyers. Data encryption is not just limited to data on the system, emails can be secured too. When emails are encrypted, recipients need to have the passcode to be able to read the emails. Thus, the communication and data are safe from the online predators.
Why Use Cryptainer Pro
Data encryption software like Cryptainer Pro is easy-to-use and can be deployed by anyone with basic computer knowledge as well. The data encryption software encrypts the sensitive data by creating vaults which can be accessed only by the password generated by the user. Using simple drag and drop action, lawyers can encrypt data without the know-how of any technical expertise. Once the data is encrypted, the data cannot be read or misused even if hacked. Only the owner with the passcode can read and control the data. Thus, whether there occurs a physical theft, or the device is lost, or the data is hacked, data is safeguarded against cyberattack. Cryptainer Pro allows lawyers to continue working on their system while the data is being encrypted. The data encryption software is compatible with all Windows Versions and gives lawyers the freedom to work with multiple vaults without compromising the productivity of the system.
Similar to data on the system, lawyers can encrypt the data on removable media like USB, disks, drives and even emails. Using the encrypted data, one can send all the details through emails or removable media. Once the recipient receives it, they can use the password provided by the sender or the same encryption software to decrypt the data. The email protection feature ensures that even if the hackers gain access to the data in transit, it remains unreadable.
Data encryption software is supported by Blowfish and AES technology, thus meeting the global compliance norms of data security. Despite the amount of data stored, encryption into vaults occurs in minutes. There is no limitation to the amount of data that can be secured, an infinite amount of data can be encrypted in few seconds. Additionally, lawyers maintain data in different formats like word, excel, photo, audio, video, and PDFs; Cryptainer Pro can encrypt all kinds of file formats efficiently. Lawyers can create unlimited volumes and also work with multiple volumes simultaneously.
Conclusion
Maintaining confidentiality for lawyers is not just limited to the conversations, it extends to the data as well. This requires lawyers to safeguard themselves from the ongoing cyberattacks. Encrypting data is a critical element in securing lawyers’ strategy and court documents as well as confidential client data. Using a data encryption software like Cryptainer Pro, gives lawyers and end-to-end solution of protecting their data on system, removable drives, and emails. Given the rise of technology around, it is crucial for lawyers to invest in a robust data encryption software that meets the compliance standards as well. With Cryptainer Pro, lawyers can secure their data in case of physical theft as well.
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