A significant proportion of Australian law firms lack clarity on who within their organisation is responsible for cyber security and protecting client data, a new report has revealed.
The worrying findings come from a new research report from Australian cyber security organisation DotSec, which surveyed legal professionals across the nation.
The 2023 State of Cyber Maturity for Australian Law Firms report asked legal professionals what role in their organisation is the primary driver for maintaining, reporting on, and/or improving cyber security.
The majority of legal professionals (37 per cent) said cyber security was the responsibility of the IT department, while one in four believe partners are responsible.
One in 10 legal professionals said lawyers are primarily responsible for cyber security, 9 per cent see it as a job for the chief technology officer, and another 9 per cent said it’s the role of the compliance officer. Just over one in 10 (11 per cent) said “other”.
Commenting on the findings, DotSec owner Tim Redhead said that in most cases, business owners, partners, and C-level roles are the primary drivers for cyber security, placing a greater emphasis on overall…
