The frequency and scope of cyberattacks are growing rapidly and breaches are a significant threat to any organisation’s reputation and sustainability. While media reports largely tend to focus on large-scale breaches, smaller organisations are at a higher risk of being breached.

A breach can result in significant financial, operational and reputational damage. However, a lesser known yet extremely serious result of a cyberattack is the potential for government investigation and/or legal proceedings. So, what do you do when a cyber-related case ends up on your desk? How do you make sense of the technical asset_31.pnglanguage?

Experienced cyber security experts are a valuable commodity as they help organisations and legal representatives translate technical and cyber security terms into common language. These specialised resources can help legal resources, risk managers, senior executives and other stakeholders understand the challenging situations and technical complexities associated with cyber security-related cases. Therefore, it is important for legal representatives to identify a trusted advisor who can provide greater insight into the cyber security event, as well as act as a translator and guide during the legal proceedings.

With cyber threats becoming more prevalent on a daily basis, legal representatives can best serve their clients by understanding a number of technical aspects of a cyber event, including:

  • Understanding the cyber-attack scenario
  • Evaluating the organisation’s response to the cyber event
  • Evaluating the recovery and remediation approach

Ultimately, experienced cyber security professionals can help to quickly discern and communicate the relevance, importance and overall impact of an attacker’s actions on a victim’s systems and operations.

Do you need support to better understand cyber security related terms for your organisation’s Government investigation or legal case? Contact Darren Booth for advice.

This article was adapted from an article published on the RSM US website on 9 August 2019.