Peer to Peer Magazine

www.iltanet.org 18 Peer to Peer ASK THE ExPERT How did you get into a risk management career? I was a mid-life career changer. At the age of 40, I didn't want to continue in the career I'd worked in for most of my life –– food service/restaurant/hotel management. I was looking for an intellectual challenge. Being almost computer-phobic at the time, I decided I needed to have computer skills if I were to be a success in any field I chose. I took a year-long sabbatical and went back to school. I started with a six-month program at Northern Virginia Community College called the Technical Re-Training Internship Program (TRIP), which was an intensive learning experiment for non-technical, career- switching individuals with BS degrees. I then continued for another six months to get my MCSE via George Washington University in DC. My prior college experience was my BS in Animal Science from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. I came to Kelley Drye prior to finishing my MCSE program and was given the position of IT manager for the DC office. I quickly realized that the area in which no one was sufficiently trained was anti virus. The day I arrived, we were fighting the Groovy virus by transporting a floppy from desk to desk and running a scan. Hired in early December, with the promise of being able to have a two-week vacation around the holidays, I took the McAfee documentation home with me. When I returned, I had a plan to create enterprise anti virus policy and procedures. I was given the go-ahead, and I've been the "security guy" ever since. My greatest challenge is keeping up with current vulnerabilities and exploits. They are changing and getting ever more sophisticated, and there simply is not time to cover all the bases. Jim Fortmuller Kelley Drye & Warren LLP systEMs sEcuRity ManaGER WashinGton, Dc number of attorneys: 350 number of offices: 6 As scary as that sounds, nothing keeps me awake at night. I exhaust myself daily; I can only do so much; I have a clear conscience; I have a great boss and the support of the management team. When my head hits the pillow, I am out for the night. Have you seen a change in risk management interest levels within your firm over the past 12-18 months? There has been a great change in management interest levels regarding risk management in the past 12-18 months. The need for widespread remediation apparently caused by malware like the Sality, other widespread security breaches, reports regarding GhostNet (http://www.lottaworld.com/2009/04/ ghostnet-social-malware-spear-phishing-and-social-engineerin), the report from the FBI regarding law firm attacks 11/17/09 (http://www.fbi.gov/cyberinvest/escams.htm), and the recent Google announcements have raised awareness with our firm, for sure. ILTA New Twist on Counterfeit Check Schemes Targeting U.S. Law Firms The FBI continues to receive reports of counterfeit check schemes targeting U.S. law firms. Scammers send e-mails to lawyers, claiming to be overseas and seeking legal representation to collect delinquent payments from third parties in the U.S. The law firm receives a retainer agreement, invoices reflecting the amount owed, and a check payable to the law firm. The firm is instructed to extract the retainer fee, including any other fees associated with the transaction, and wire the remaining funds to banks in Korea, China, Ireland or Canada. By the time the check is determined to be counterfeit, the funds have already been wired overseas. ILTA Source: FBI.gov

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