Protecting Passwords = Protecting Self
Protecting your passwords is certainly critical for personal reasons, such as protecting your identity and your bank accounts. But protecting your passwords is just as critical for professional reasons.
According to Model Rule 1.6, Confidentiality of Information, "[a] lawyer shall make reasonable efforts to prevent the inadvertent or unauthorized disclosure of, or unauthorized access to, information relating to the representation of a client."
In this day and age, everyone presumably understands the risks of the Internet and the importance of protecting passwords. News reports are rife with stories about compromised accounts and compromised information.
Therefore, it is certainly arguable that a court might decide that a lawyer whose client information was compromised due to unauthorized access and who did not take solid precautions to protect his password had not complied with Model Rule 1.6.
Protection of passwords typically involves several safeguards: long passwords, passwords with combinations of letters and numbers and symbols, passwords that don't include real words, hard-to-crack passwords, and new passwords for each account.
Passwords should be at least eight characters long, but the longer the better. Passwords should include more than just letters; they should include numbers and symbols, and the letters should be both uppercase and lowercase. Passwords should not include real words. If you want to use a real word to make your password memorable, insert numbers and/or symbols in the midst of the letters that make up the word. Don't use passwords that might be easy to figure out, such as "1111" or "abcd." Don't use the same password on more than one account.
In this world of technology, it is impossible to protect against every threat, but every reasonable effort should be taken to do so. It is not only in the best interests of your client, but it is also in your best interests.
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