From the recent Wannacry malware attack, which affected an unprecedented number of companies worldwide, to recent cyberespionage thefts at law firms, it can seem like most in the legal space are dangerously vulnerable to cybercriminals' reach.

But for Tara Swaminatha, data privacy and cybersecurity partner at Squire Patton Boggs, this perception is more knee-jerk apprehension than reality. A former trial attorney at the U.S Department of Justice prosecuting cybersecurity cases, and former professor of computer crime law at George Mason University, Swaminatha has had a front row view of how the cybersecurity battle is being fought.

And she is optimistic. There are some, after all, who were able to repeal the Wannacry attack, and such protection against its ransomware malware has become common business knowledge. But Swaminatha, who was also previously of counsel at DLA Piper focusing on cybersecurity issues, also knows there is a lot still to be done.