Christopher Ballod Speaks with Legaltech News About Holiday Hackers
(December 5, 2019) – Data Privacy & Cybersecurity Partner Christopher E. Ballod recently spoke with Legaltechnews about the cybersecurity challenges presented during the holiday period. In the article, titled “Wait on That Present: Firms Face Difficult Season with Holiday Hackers,” Mr. Ballod warned of a likely spike in malicious activity over the Christmas break.
“Holidays tend to be the biggest time [for cyber incidents] because the thinking is that the security teams are not at their computers — they are home. IT people aren’t there to see weird stuff happening,” Mr. Ballod told Legaltechnews, noting that, while this means different things for each firm, Lewis Brisbois tends to increase its number of cyber incident responders on call over the holidays, as quick response times are crucial.
“It’s like an arms race with incident response,” said Mr. Ballod. “If you can’t respond in 15 minutes with ‘conflicts are clear and we’re ready to jump on a call,’ you’re really not that helpful to the people who are in crisis.”
Mr. Ballod also noted that the issue of availability isn’t restricted to just the lawyers involved – clients and other third-party vendors who usually assist in the aftermath of a cyber incident may also be absent due to the holidays, so careful planning is required.
“When [clients] try and get the resources they need, sometimes that just isn’t available to them,” said Mr. Ballod. “So it’s really a ballet that we have to orchestrate all while staying completely calm for the client.”
Mr. Ballod is a partner in Lewis Brisbois’ Philadelphia and Pittsburgh offices. He is a regular contributor to the firm’s Data Privacy & Cybersecurity blog, Digital Insights, and a frequentcommenter on the intersection of technology, cybersecurity, and the law.
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