The strategy highlights the crucial role employees play in a firm's resilience against cyber attacks
Top law firm MinterEllison has involved its employees in its fight against cyber attacks by offering regular training on cyber risk awareness.
Partner Paul Kallenbach told NZ Lawyer that as cyber threats evolve in light of the move towards remote working, the firm established a “comprehensive cyber resilience strategy that aims to reflect best practice.”
“This includes regular staff training [to increase] awareness of evolving cyber risks and the critical importance of each person’s role in protecting against cyberattacks,” he explained.
Kallenbach explained that even before the pandemic, cybersecurity was already an important concern for businesses.
“The pandemic has accelerated the use and reliance on information and communications technology. This, in turn, has resulted in more data than ever before being collected and processed, as well as heightened cybersecurity risks and challenges,” he said.
Thus, ensuring that employees are ready for the assault is vital.
“The pandemic-related cyber challenges stem, in part, from the significant increase in the number of employees working from home, with the attendant risk of ‘shadow IT’, i.e., unauthorised systems or services, being employed; insecure devices, such as insecure routers, being used; and IoT devices such as smart assistants being proximate,” Kallenbach explained.
In response to rising cyber threats, the government is looking into legislative reforms.
“A number of consultations are underway to reform Australian cyber laws. These include the Australian government’s recently announced consultation on options for regulatory reform and voluntary incentives to make Australia’s digital economy more resilient to cybersecurity threats,” he said. “We will likely see law reform addressing the expectations for businesses to manage cyber risks, increased transparency around the security of technology products, and expanded legal remedies for affected organisations and individuals.”
MinterEllison was among Australasian Lawyer’s 5-Star Cyber Law Firms for 2021.
