These days, most lawyers are taking appropriate steps to see that all work-related servers, computers, mobile devices, and cloud-based apps are properly secured. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said about all their personal devices and accounts. Admittedly, while more than a few give it the old college try, one personal device that is often overlooked is the wireless router in their homes.
online. Just do a search for it using your router make and model number. With that in hand, make sure to address the following recommendations if they have not already been taken care of.
1) Because the default administrative username and password are easy to guess, you should change both. Best practices now call for a complex password of at least 20 characters comprised of uppercase and Even if the amount of time spent working from home lowercase characters, numbers, and symbols. And since is minimal, all lawyers and staff need to make sure many router manufacturers all set the default username this device is properly secured. Not only is such a step as Admin on all their devices, pick a username that’s now ethically mandated in a number of jurisdictions; unique to you. but as their lawyer, your clients also expect you to take whatever reasonable steps are necessary to keep their 2) Change the network SSID (the name of your network) personal information and your communications with defaults. Every router comes with a default network them secure. Given that much of the work force shifted name. Change it to something unique to you but don’t to working from home in 2020, securing home routers have be something that might identify you. As with the has become particularly important because cyber router’s administrative password, also create a similarly criminals have shifted their focus to home devices. strong network access password. Heaven forbid your home router, or the home router of a staff person, ends up being the weak link that enables 3) Setup a guest network with its own unique SSID and a successful breach into your office network. password because all guests, to include friends of any kids, should never have access to your home network. The good news is that you don’t need to be an IT security expert to take care of most of the basics. Start 4) Make sure the firmware version of your router is by pulling out your instruction manual. If that’s no current. Update to the most current version if it isn’t longer available, instruction manuals are often available because version updates are how security patches are
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