Hackers are actively targeting data from law firms
The Law Firm Cybersecurity Scorecard includes an array of assessments – from cyber defenses, crisis management procedures, and post-hack responses. The report comes to a chilling conclusion: “…40% of surveyed law firms had experienced a data breach in 2016 and did not know about it.”
Behind every splashy headline is a legal industry that’s duking it out – helping to support entrepreneurs and big corporations in a power struggle to dominate their industry. From patent disputes to employment contracts, law firms have a lot of exposure to sensitive information. Because of their involvement, confidential information is stored on the enterprise systems that law firms use.
This makes them a juicy target for hackers that want to steal consumer information and corporate intelligence.
For an example of this, look no further than the Panama Papers – “…an unprecedented leak of 11.5m files from the database of the world’s fourth biggest offshore law firm, Mossack Fonseca.”
This was devastating, but it is only one example among many. Just a few weeks ago news broke that a ransomware attack was successfully executed against yet another multinational firm – DLA Piper. This ransomware attack left the firm, with estimated revenues of $2.5 billion, completely without access to its own data.
“Law firms are the subject of targeted attacks for one simple reason,” says John Sweeney, President of LogicForce. “Their servers hold incredibly valuable information. That includes businesses’ IP, medical records, bank information, even government secrets. For hackers looking for information they can monetize, there is no better place to start.”
