For law firms and vendors, making sure that remote document review can be done safely without hindering collaboration isn’t a new challenge. But a Tuesday session at Legalweek(year) 2021 noted that during a pandemic, it does require a host of new security considerations.

“A number of important industries are dangerously vulnerable to cyberattacks. Small businesses are far less prepared than big ones. And plenty of companies aren’t taking basic steps to improve their readiness, leaving them exposed to breaches that can threaten their existence.”

“Three factors will produce a perfect storm for insider threats next year: the fast shift to remote work as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, employees’ job insecurity and the increased ease of moving stolen company data. At the same time, the cost of insider breaches is growing. According to Ponemon, the average cost of insider threats grew 31% from 2018 to 2020, to $11.45 million.”

Here’s a comprehensive roundup. “Cyberattackers certainly haven’t given anyone a break this year. Data breaches, network infiltrations, bulk data theft and sale, identity theft, and ransomware outbreaks have all occurred over 2020 and the underground market shows no signs of stopping.”

[VIDEO] Without corporate firewalls, phishing attacks are far easier to carry out on WFH computers. Employees are also taking work computers home and using them for personal email, gaming and more, opening up vulnerabilities and providing attackers a doorway into networks.

Due to coronavirus, companies are seeing an unprecedented amount of remote work. Whether mandated by the government or the organization, businesses are asking many (if not all) employees to work from home. While this move creates obvious challenges for IT in terms of infrastructure and capacity, it’s also creating challenges for security teams as they push to scale remote work on a rapid and global level, according to Gartner.

Amid widespread concern for cybersecurity and interest in replacing passwords with biometric authentication, new solutions providing or supporting biometrics have been launched by SecureReview, Western Digital, and AirCUVE, writes Alessandro Mascellino.

Integreon’s Jamie Berry writes, “The global pandemic-driven Work from Home (WFH) transformation has completely changed the way legal document review is managed….The seemingly many variables presented by at-home work mean corporate counsel need to ask their law firms and legal service providers ‘who is doing my document review — and where?”‘

Read a roundup of businesses choosing WFH. “Following the coronavirus pandemic, more than half of Americans want to continue working remotely while two-thirds of companies may render their current work-from-home policies permanent.”