SolarWinds – What Do We Know and What Can We Learn From It?

By Eva Lorenz and Taylor Ey

SolarWinds made a name for itself as the developer of tools for network monitoring that help small and large companies efficiently run their environment. While not a security-focused company from a product standpoint, the understanding was that the code behind SolarWinds’ tools was protected as intellectual property and that updates were safe to run until it turned out that both of these assumptions were wrong.

How Was the Compromise Detected?

In late 2020, FireEye, a company focused on cybersecurity and internationally involved in helping companies post cyber incident, detected some unusual activity on the FireEye network. FireEye detected it was hacked after the attackers tried to register a device to FireEye’s multi-factor authentication system using stolen credentials. The system then notified the employee, whose credentials were stolen, and alerted the FireEye security team of this new device. This notice triggered an internal investigation to learn who was trying to register this device. FireEye performed in-depth code analysis and determined that the intrusion originated with a SolarWinds product called Orion. Some analysts believe that attacking FireEye was a mistake by the attackers since it sped up detection of the SolarWinds hack.
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Limited Licensing Proposal – Watch the Presentation to the State Bar on March 23, 2021

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Neither the North Carolina Bar Association nor the NCBA Paralegal Division has taken an official position on this issue.

On Jan. 22, 2021, the North Carolina Justice for All Project (NCJ4AP) team submitted a proposal to the North Carolina State Bar and the North Carolina Supreme Court seeking changes to N.C.G.S. § 84 (Unauthorized Practice of Law) to allow unlicensed law school graduates and qualified paralegals to provide limited legal services to low- and moderate-income North Carolinians. The proposal contemplates completion of certain requirements (e.g., examination, certification, education, experience) prior to licensing.

The documents submitted include the following:

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Remote Advocacy – Tips for Success

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By Kimberly M. Marston

We have all experienced the dread of another Zoom meeting or Webex hearing, but why is it so hard to keep your energy and attention up when the webcam light is on?

And why are we so exhausted at the end of the day?

Before you step in front of the webcam for your next court appearance, it helps to consider some of the “digital drawbacks” and how you can minimize their impact on your advocacy.

Digital Drawbacks

  • Audio-visual delays. Even if the technology is working perfectly, microseconds of delay can impact how we communicate and how we are perceived. Research has shown that even small delays in the transmission of auditory and visual signals affect interpersonal perceptions. Delays of only 1.2 seconds led to perceptions that a person was less friendly or less focused.
  • Eye contact. We all know that it’s missing from our online interactions. It matters because there is robust psychosocial evidence that eye contact improves not only connection, but also memory.
  • Distractions. Going to court over Zoom or Webex is like walking into the courtroom with a giant mirror and placing it between you and the bench. It’s too easy to spend the entire time looking at yourself. Meanwhile, your listeners are facing their own struggles — kids, pets, coworkers, technology failures (or user errors), email notifications, and the temptation of multitasking.
  • “Zoom Fatigue.” We normally process non-verbal communications automatically. However, the small amount of non-verbal communication that makes it onto our screens must be consciously observed. That’s taxing. Added to that is the heightened stress caused by the increased emphasis on facial expressions and cues. This “cognitive load” (the use of working memory resources) means your mind will want a break more often than it did when everyone gathered in one place. Read more
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