Cybersecurity

Pass It on: Secrecy Is a Thing of the Past

Corrected: The digital revolution has rendered secrecy largely a thing of the past for governments and the business community, said speakers Saturday at an ABA Annual Meeting program marking the 50th anniversary of the Standing Committee on Law and National Security. “We have to recognize that we cannot keep secrets…

Aug 4, 2012 6:05 PM CDT

Laurel Bellows Wants ABA to Shine Harsh Light on ‘Silent Crime’ of Human Trafficking

Laurel G. Bellows finds it surprising–and shocking–that human trafficking doesn’t get more recognition as one of the most serious crime problems facing the United States and the rest of the world. But she plans to use her year as ABA president to raise awareness about a practice that some studies…

Aug 1, 2012 7:15 PM CDT

Not Covered In Law School, But Critical to Law Practice: Cybersecurity

As cybercriminals employ ever more sophisticated schemes to get hold of confidential law firm information, attorneys and others who work there are often the weak link in the organization’s cybersecurity efforts. High-tech protective measures don’t do much good if all a lawyer has to do to provide hackers with a…

Jun 25, 2012 10:30 PM CDT

Law Firm Sues Over Doppelganger Domain Name, Says Infringing Website Is Intercepting Attorney Email

A New York intellectual property boutique has filed suit against a self-proclaimed cybersecurity developer who allegedly has gained access to some law firm email through a “typosquatter” website with an almost identical name. Defendant Arthur Wesley Kenzie not only registered a doppelganger domain name intended to be mistaken for the…

Jun 25, 2012 9:42 PM CDT

What Is the Role of Lawyers in Cyberwarfare?

Washington, D.C., attorney Stewart A. Baker and Charles J. Dunlap Jr., a former deputy judge advocate general of the U.S. Air Force, debate whether the U.S. should learn the practicalities of winning a cyberwar—and then ask lawyers for their input—or, instead, set the legal ground rules before conducting cyberwarfare in…

May 1, 2012 10:00 AM CDT

Corporate Clients Should Ask Specific Questions About Law Firm Computer Security, Experts Say

We live in a world in which computer attacks via the Internet are routine, and many law firms are both particularly inviting targets and especially vulnerable. So determining whether outside counsel has sufficient computer safeguards is a question business clients should routinely ask, according to Corporate Counsel. One expert says…

Feb 21, 2012 10:17 PM CST

Some NY Law Firm Reps Said to Be Clueless as FBI Warned of Hackers Seeking Corporate Data

Representatives from New York’s top 200 law firms learned about hacking risks in a meeting with the FBI last November, and some were better prepared than others. The FBI’s cyber division in New York City held the meeting because of the rising number of law firms getting hacked, Bloomberg News…

Jan 31, 2012 2:53 PM CST

The Hacktivists: Web Vigilantes Net Attention, Outrage and Access to Your Data

Illustration by Stuart Bradford Law firms, security experts, international law enforcement agencies, major corporations and even the FBI are wrestling with a hard realization these days: From the darkest reaches of the Internet, a strange sort of “law” has come to town, and its name is Web vigilantism. The tools…

Dec 1, 2011 11:00 AM CST

Law Firms Overlook Vulnerabilities to Cyberattacks, Panel Says

While applauding Google’s unprecedented decision to disclose that its networks had been infiltrated by a China-based espionage operation in 2010, panelists at the ABA Annual Meeting in Toronto expressed doubts that law firms would disclose similar breaches to clients—despite possible ethical duties to do so. In fact, although lawyers routinely…

Aug 6, 2011 10:16 PM CDT

Cyberattack Targets Law Enforcement Officers, Anonymous Tipsters

Among the targets of a widespread cyberattack are about 75 law enforcement groups. The hacker groups Anonymous and LulzSec are collaborating on the AntiSec project, which is targeting large government agencies throughout the world. The hackers claim to have accessed Social Security numbers, addresses, passwords and other personal data from…

Aug 4, 2011 6:15 PM CDT

FBI Reportedly Shuts Down Multiple Servers in Latest Computer Raid

Updated: As the FBI struggles to gain control over Internet crime, it is conducting unprecedented raids on computer equipment that may interfere with third parties’ computer operations. In what is apparently the latest such move, the FBI has taken control of several racks of servers at a Reston, Va., hosting…

Jun 21, 2011 11:26 PM CDT

Letters to the Editor: Cloudy Forecast

CLOUDY FORECAST Regarding “Head in the Clouds,” April, about moving applications online: I think it’s too scary and I’m not putting my stuff (and my clients’) into the cloud. The mere thought of what happens to it if there’s a billing software error or other snafu makes me shudder. To…

Jun 1, 2011 8:30 AM CDT

Kudos for Solo Mills

Regarding “The Long Shot,” November: Moxie and humility and generosity are a rare combination of gifts—regardless of guild or profession. How blessed his clients are that David Mills decided on law rather than a host of other life-saving professions that no doubt would have welcomed him as one of their…

Jan 1, 2011 10:30 AM CST

Cyberspace Under Siege

Law firms are likely targets for attacks seeking to steal information off computer systems

Nov 1, 2010 9:58 AM CDT

Hewlett-Packard GC Says Tech Industry Faces ‘Erosion of Trust’ Over Cybersecurity

Hewlett-Packard general counsel Michael Holston says the technology industry needs to work with other industries and the U.S. government to address cybersecurity concerns. Speaking Tuesday at a forum on innovation at the Brookings Institution, Holston said the technology industry is facing an “erosion of trust” over privacy and security issues,…

Jun 10, 2010 1:16 PM CDT