By OBA Management Assistance Program Director Jim Calloway

Lawyers use Google apps in many ways. Some haven’t opened Gmail in years, but they use Google Drive as a collaborative workspace when jointly drafting legal documents with others. Others frequently watch YouTube videos when logged in without even realizing YouTube is a Google product. Chrome is also a Google product and provides more features when you are logged in. Others navigate in their vehicles with Google Maps.

This can present challenges when it comes to protecting your firm’s (and your clients’) private data. Several weeks ago, I wrote about “Gmail Under Siege” and highlighted a recent FBI warning and some additional reading on this subject. This week, we will outline how to lock down your Google account’s security more, and it takes only five to 10 minutes. For many, it will take even less time.

First, log in to a Google app and check what devices are authorized to access your account. You can do this with a computer or a phone. You can check by going to google.com/devices. PC World’s “Is a hacker logged into your Google account? Here’s how to check” includes step-by-step instructions to manually sign out these devices. You may find old phones you have traded in or other people’s devices that needed temporary access but no longer do. If you see unfamiliar devices logged in, then change your password immediately.

Next, review how many apps you have linked to your account. PC World also provides some help on that with its post, “It’s time to wipe those forgotten apps linked to your Google account.” At one time, you might have forgotten a password and took advantage of the “log in with Google” option when you logged into another site. Those connections persist, and they are a security weakness, because if your Google account is compromised, the hacker will have access to all the “logged-in” sites as well.

Taking these simple precautions will help prevent unauthorized access to your Google accounts, even for those who don’t regularly use Gmail.