The most widely read magazine for Canadian lawyers
Issue link: https://digital.canadianlawyermag.com/i/1240413
www.canadianlawyermag.com 23 spoke with Canadian Lawyer about the main cybersecurity considerations for remote working. "For confidential information such as law- yers' client data, we recommend strict security including saving only a central server instead of across multiple computers and devices," Jinnah says. "A well-managed virtual desktop is ideal for this, as data is never saved locally and is always encrypted in transit. "And, of course, two-factor authentica- tion, which ensures hackers can't access your account even if they obtain your user name and password, is a must." Larger firms typically have VPN connec- tions, so lawyers work off the firm's network from anywhere and they usually have con- trols that prevent users from downloading content onto their personal device, says Goyal. Small firms and sole practitioners without the same infrastructure need to have policies around passwords, informa- tion backup and the downloading of sen- sitive information on private devices, she says. Goyal adds that employees need to be trained to spot phishing emails and bad cheque scams. "All lawyers should be aware of these issues. Sometimes, lawyers take the approach: 'Oh, the IT department will do it.' . . . But I think, in this day and age . . . you have to have some of those IT skills yourself so that you can not be taken advantage of," she says. Steven Cooper, a partner at Cooper Regel, which has offices in Yellowknife and Sherwood Park, Alta, says that in transition-