In the news: "A recent report concluded law firms -- attractive targets because they maintain sensitive client data -- are being targeted by sophisticated and well-funded teams of cyberattackers. But firms don't often realize they've been infiltrated and rarely go public with security breaches."
Source: Law.Com's Daily Legal Newswire. 9 March 2010. Copyright 2009. ALM Properties, Inc. All rights reserved. Subscribe <http://store.law.com/registration/register.asp?subscribeto=nw>.
From the e-newsletter: "Social networking, via sites like Facebook and Twitter, is the current big thing. Indeed, the popularity of such sites has caused nouns like the word "friend" to become verbs in the new social networking vocabulary. But is all well and good in the social networking universe?"
Source: FindLaw's Tools of the Trade: Legal Technology News. February 2010 Copyright © 2010 FindLaw, a Thomson Business. Subscribe <http://newsletters.findlaw.com/>
In the case of these recent Twitter phishing attempts, the usurper then uses the innocent individual's Twitter account to send out spam, malware, and more phishing attempts via Twitter's "direct message" (DM) feature...
Access the full text with examples of phishing and access the active link by clicking on the author's name.
Source: Slaw.ca, 1 March 2010. Reproduced with permission of Simon Fodden, founder of Slaw
This post was written by David Bilinsky: "I guess it was just a matter of time. IT World posted an article today by Steven J.
While this may seem like the musings of a hyper-active Homeland Security Department, it is based on MI5's report in The Times Online "
Full text and active links are available by clicking on the author's name.
Source: Slaw.ca, 5 February 2010. Reproduced with permission of Simon Fodden, founder of Slaw
From the e-newsletter: "A recent study relating to data security breaches in the United States shows that total per-incident costs are substantial."
Source: FindLaw's Modern Practice: Law & Technology. 4 February 2010 Copyright © 2010 FindLaw, a Thomson Business. Subscribe <http://newsletters.findlaw.com/>.
And, now, I have a new excuse to give She Who Must Be Obeyed. Honey, I broke the computer, and I can't send it in because I have client confidential communications on the hard drive. Here is an article about it. So, I have to keep the old one safe and secure, and buy a new one!"
From an e-mail: "The Government Domain: A Handful of Classics
http://www.llrx.com/govdomain43.htm
Peggy Garvin has updated her directory of useful government information resources online, the e-Government and Web Directory: U.S. Federal Government Online. Her research has found that federal web sites do not change as rapidly as users believe. The content on these sites is dynamic, constantly being refreshed and redesigned. However, the sites themselves, the ones that represent so much of the work of the federal government and are selected for inclusion in the book, are fairly stable.
Using Technology to Estimate, Control And Manage Litigation Document
Review Budgets
http://www.llrx.com/columns/litdocrevbudgets.htm
Conrad J. Jacoby details approaches and exercises that contribute to a successful process for calculating - and staying within - a realistic budget for a litigation or regulatory document review.
Legal Implications of Cloud Computing - Part Two (Privacy and the
Cloud)
http://www.llrx.com/features/cloudcomputing2.htm
As a follow-up to last month's article that provided an overview of cloud computing in the context of significant legal issues, this article by Tanya Forsheit reviews the issues of privacy and cross-border data transfers.
Competitive Intelligence - A Selective Resource Guide
http://www.llrx.com/features/ciguide.htm
Sabrina I. Pacifici's completely revised and updated pathfinder focuses on leveraging selected reliable, focused, free and low cost sites and sources to effectively profile and monitor companies, markets, countries, people, and issues. This guide is a "best of list" of web, database and email alert products, services and tools, as well as links to content specific sources produced by government, academic, NGOs, the media and various publishers.
Pretexting, Legal Ethics and Social Networking Sites
http://www.llrx.com/features/pretexting.htm
The court decisions, ethics opinions and articles comprising Ken Strutin's guide provide background into current legal thinking about covert investigations, and include recent publications addressing online pretexting as well as the privacy limits of social media. -- Published October 6, 2009
Margaret Berkland
http://www.llrx.com/courtrules
Source: Pacifici, Sabrina. "New on LLRX.com for October 2009." Copyright © LLRX TM, Law Library Resource Xchange, LLC. All rights reserved. Subscribe <http://www.llrx.com/subscribe.htm>.
Posted by Bruce Carton: "Back in August, Esquire Magazine posted a series of "rules" that included this one:
Esquire's Rule #1033. If your lawyer's email address ends in hotmail.com, gmail.com or yahoo.com (or aol.com), find a new lawyer.
This prompted a flurry of discussion in this post on the Simple Justice blog (written by SHGLaw@aol.com, aka Scott Greenfield) and ultimately here on Legal Blog Watch as to the validity of Rule #1033.
As Carolyn Elefant wrote at the time,
I suppose that Hotmail, Yahoo or Gmail addresses suggest that a lawyer is too cheap or lacking in tech savvy to set up an e-mail account on his own firm's server. In addition, some have raised privacy concerns about Gmail, which would presumably apply to the other services as well. Questions about the confidentiality of a firm's e-mail might be another reason for a client to avoid a lawyer using one of these services.
This week, however, proponents of Gmail as a serious and professional business email service received a boost when the Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously to outsource its entire e-mail system to Google.
This post on the Slaw.ca blog considers the impact on lawyers, noting that,
As lawyers, the security of our communications is critical. I can rely on the infrastructure of a large firm to make sure all the necessary security is in place. I wonder, however, when I receive e-mails from someone using yahoo or gmail for professional purposes, whether that security level has been assured. The stringent requirements that the LAPD is sure to require may generate gains for everyone relying on google for their e-mail.
A commenter on the Slaw.com post opined that using Google means more security, not less, writing that "Google is essentially a very, super large firm with a lot more resources to dedicate to security etc. whereas a law firm, even a large one, will at best have a small IT staff that operate a dedicated server for the firm."
If other government bodies and organizations follow
The active links are available at the source site listed below.
Source: Legal Blog Watch, 30 October 2009
Posted by Michael Santerre: "As part of National Cyber Security Awareness Month, we'd like to take this opportunity to remind you about smart password practices. Help ensure you're protecting your computer, website, and personal information by checking out our security series on the Google blog or visiting http://www.staysafeonline.org.
Phishing, a topic that's been in the news, is unfortunately a common way for hackers to trick you into sharing personal information like your account password. If you suspect you've been a victim of a phishing attack, we recommend you immediately change your password, update the security question and secondary address on your account, and make sure you're using a modern browser with anti-phishing protection turned on. Keep an eye out for the phishing warning Gmail adds to suspicious messages, and be sure to review these tips on how to avoid getting hooked.
Creating a new password is often one of the first recommendations you hear when trouble occurs. Even a great password can't keep you from being scammed, but setting one that's memorable for you and that's hard for others to guess is a smart security practice since weak passwords can be easily guessed. Below are a few common problems we've seen in the past and suggestions for making your passwords stronger.
Solution 1: Use unique passwords...
Problem 2: Using common passwords or words found in the dictionary...
Solution 2: Use a password with a mix of letters, numbers, and symbols...
Problem 3: Using passwords based on personal data...
Solution 3: Create a password that's hard for others to guess...
Problem 4: Writing down your password and storing it in an unsecured place...
Solution 4: Keep your password reminders in a secret place that isn't easily visible...
Problem 5: Recalling your password...
Solution 5: Make sure your password recovery options are up-to-date and secure..."
Full text and active links are available at the source site listed below.
Source: Official Gmail Blog, 6 October 2009
From the site: "With several high profile security breaches in Massachusetts, securing customer information is a necessity to business legally. In this debut podcast of the Legal ToolKit, host Dean Whalen, General Counsel for Catuogno Court Reporting and Sten-Tel Transcription Services welcomes Attorney Rodney Dowell, Director of MassLOMAP and David M. Felper, senior partner with Bowditch & Dewey, LLP, to explore the details of Massachusetts' Data Breach Notification Law: Chapter 93H. They will discuss the protection of personal data, encryption, compliance and how new regulations will impact every Massachusetts businesses.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 25:48 -- 19.2MB)
Related Podcasts
September 14, 2009 -- Safeguarding Sensitive Information, Data Breaches & Preservation Issues
September 16, 2008 -- Healthcare, Data Security & Preservation Inadequacies
The active links are available at the source site listed below.
Source: Legal Talk Network, 24 September 2009
