Summer brings a wave of fresh talent to law firms across Long Island. Interns, temps, and seasonal hires can offer much-needed support during busy months, but they can also introduce unexpected cybersecurity risks.
New and temporary staff may not fully understand your security protocols, which makes them more likely to fall for phishing scams, mishandle sensitive information, or accidentally expose your network to threats.
Here’s why intern season is a critical time to review your cybersecurity policies—and how to keep your law firm’s data safe while giving your new team members a great experience.
Why New and Temporary Staff Increase Cyber Risk
When you bring in interns or temporary employees, you’re often working with:
Inexperience with Legal Tech: New staff may not be familiar with the software and systems used in law firms, leading to missteps.
Lack of Cyber Awareness: They may not know how to identify phishing emails or security red flags.
Overly Broad Access: Law firms sometimes provide new hires with more system access than they need, increasing the damage if a mistake is made.
Short-Term Mindset: Temporary staff may not feel fully accountable for long-term security, which can lead to carelessness.
Common Intern Season Threats
Phishing Scams Targeting New Staff: Hackers love to target interns with fake emails pretending to be partners, IT teams, or clients.
Shadow IT: Interns may use personal devices or unauthorized apps to get work done, putting your firm’s data at risk.
Weak Password Practices: New users may reuse simple passwords across platforms or store them insecurely.
Improper Document Handling: Mistakes like emailing confidential files to the wrong address or using unsecured cloud storage are common.
5 Ways to Keep Your Firm Secure During Intern Season
Provide Cybersecurity Training on Day One
Make security part of your onboarding. Teach interns how to spot phishing emails, use proper password management, and follow your firm’s policies for handling sensitive data.Enforce Least-Privilege Access
Interns and temporary staff should only have access to the files and systems they absolutely need. Limit their permissions and set strict expiration dates for their accounts.Set Up Secure, Firm-Owned Devices
Whenever possible, provide firm-managed laptops or workstations with the proper security settings in place. Avoid allowing interns to use personal devices for work.Implement Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
MFA adds an extra layer of security to protect your accounts, even if a password is compromised.Monitor Activity Closely
Work with your IT provider to track unusual account activity, downloads, and login attempts from new users. Real-time monitoring can prevent small mistakes from becoming big problems.
Interns Are an Opportunity—Not a Liability
Bringing in new talent is an exciting part of growing your law firm. With the right cybersecurity precautions, you can keep your firm’s data secure while giving interns a valuable and smooth experience.
If your firm is adding seasonal staff this summer, ETS IT Solutions can help you quickly set up secure user accounts, manage devices, and monitor your network to keep your law firm protected. Contact us today to schedule a cybersecurity review.
