Annual 2017: Former DHS official to discuss protecting client data from cyberattacks

Recent large-scale cyberattacks ­­— such as the May 12 WannaCry ransomware breach — demonstrate that U.S. corporations, government entities and nongovernment organizations remain vulnerable, despite the best efforts of cybersecurity professionals to keep up with the ever-changing threat landscape. 

Law firms must protect their clients from such attacks. About two-thirds of law firms have experienced some type of data breach, according to Logicforce, a legal technology consultant, and about 40 percent of them were unaware they had been hacked.

How can we deal with the growing threat of cyberattacks?

Join Suzanne Spaulding, former Department of Homeland Security undersecretary for cybersecurity and critical infrastructure protection, and other cybersecurity experts for a discussion on the current cyber threat landscape and how to best mitigate risks at an showcase program during the American Bar Association Annual Meeting.

“Cyber Risk Management: How Should Lawyers, Corporations and Governments React?” will take place at 2-3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 12 at the New York Hilton Midtown, 2nd Floor, Beekman Room.

Spaulding said she will discuss how to evaluate relevant risks most important to your clients.

“Cybersecurity is not just an IT issue,” she said. “It must be part of broader risk management. This program will help lawyers understand how to think about cyber risk and how to assist their clients to reduce their risk.”

Spaulding also will outline the types of threats from foreign countries such as Russia, China, Iran and North Korea, as well as from organized crime and hacktivists.

“Lawyers and their clients need to understand the broad range of cyber threats,” Spaulding said. “We will talk about attacks that affect data confidentiality, reliability of data and access to data, as well as attacks that can have significant physical consequences. Managing these risks requires understanding the potential impact on your business.” 

Following her remarks, Spaulding will be joined by a panel of cybersecurity experts:

·       Harriet Pearson of Hogan Lovells is an internationally recognized corporate data privacy and cybersecurity pioneer, who brings decades of leading-edge experience advising companies and boards on cyber and data risk management and governance, breach preparedness and response, crisis management, global data privacy compliance and public policy strategies.

·       James A. Lewis of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, whose past government experience includes a broad range of political-military, negotiating and intelligence assignments. Lewis was the director for the CSIS Commission on Cybersecurity for the 44th Presidency and is an internationally recognized expert on cybersecurity.

·       Eric Hibbard, chief technology officer for Hitachi Data System, is a senior security professional with expertise in information assurance, privacy, storage, cloud computing, Internet of Things, e-Discovery and enterprise ICT.

The discussion will be moderated by ABA Cybersecurity Legal Task Force co-chairs:

·       Harvey Rishikof is director and convening authority for the Office of Military Commission and formerly senior counsel at Crowell & Moring. Rishikof served as senior policy adviser to the national counterintelligence executive; legal counsel to the deputy director of the FBI, focusing on national security and terrorism; and liaison to the Office of the Attorney General at the Department of Justice. Rishikof is also chair of the American Bar Association Standing Committee on Law and National Security Advisory Committee, co-chair of the ABA Cybersecurity Legal Task Force, and a lifetime member of the American Law Institute and the Council on Foreign Relations.

·       Judith Miller is past chair of the Department of Defense Legal Policy Board. She was senior vice president, general counsel and a member of the board of directors of the Bechtel Group for four years, and prior to that was a partner with Williams & Connolly LLP. She returned to the firm after serving as general counsel of the U.S. Department of Defense (1994-99). Miller is a trustee of Beloit College, past chair of the American Bar Association Section of Litigation, and a member of the Defense Science Board, the Council of the American Law Institute and the board of the Atlantic Council of the United States.

This event is sponsored by the ABA Cybersecurity Legal Task Force in collaboration with the ABA Section on Science and Technology Law.