CYBER SECURITY OF ADVOCACY IN UKRAINE AND THE WORLD

Abstract

In the article the author conducted a research of cybersecurity of advocacy in Ukraine and the world in its theoretical and practical sense. The relevance of the study is due to a significant increase in cyberattacks on law firms; hackers seek access to confidential data, which can be anything from trade secrets to information about future mergers or access to financial accounts. The author’s understanding of “cybersecurity of a lawyer’s activity” is proposed – the state of information security in cyberspace, which is the subject of legal secrecy, which ensures its confidentiality, integrity and accessibility. At the same time, important aspects of the study focused on the significant marginalization of cybersecurity policy in the field of legal services in Ukraine and summarized the best practices to combat cyber-attacks on law firms in leading countries. Methods of cyber-attacks on law firms are analyzed: fishing, ransomware, malware and spyware, cryptojacking. The reasons why law firms are a convenient target for cybercriminals are identified and the grouping of such reasons into the following blocks is proposed: onestop shopping, particularly useful information, low hanging fruit. The standards of cybersecurity of advocacy are studied. Measures to protect and ensure the security of the law firm and its clients from cyberattacks are proposed. The focus is on the fact that law firms need to regularly assess their risks, and therefore they should turn to the most qualified external experts. Technology is constantly changing, and so are security threats. Ensuring proper cybersecurity is an ongoing process, not a one-time or sporadic measure. It is concluded that the time has come to make cybersecurity a priority in advocacy, which requires the use of professional knowledge, modern strategies and integrated technologies.