Discover why law firms are among the most susceptible businesses to ransomware attacks an how to protect your business from the financial consequences
Canadian law firms face an ever-growing threat to be a victim of a cyberattack. With sensitive client financial and legal information available, hackers know the value of attacking law firms’ websites.
Ransomware is one of the most insidious forms of cyberattack. And the recent ransomware attack on TrialWorks, a leading case management software platform, brings the issue home for the nation’s barristers.
In a ransomware attack, a hacker infiltrates a law firm’s network and blocks access to all systems and files. As the name suggests, the attacker demands a ransom, usually in the form of untraceable cyber currency such as Bitcoin to regain access to files.
Ransomware attacks are often delivered via malware — software programs that are hidden in emailed attachments or website links. When an unsuspecting law firm employee clicks on the link or attachment, a program is launched that gives the hacker access.
The attacks can cripple law firms, not only financially but also reputationally. Consider the following statistics from the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security’s recent national assessment:
“Cybercriminals are — and will continue to be — the greatest cyber threat facing businesses of all sizes in 2019,” the assessment notes. “Cyber threat actors target Canadian businesses for their data about customers, partners and suppliers, financial information and payment systems, and proprietary information.”
Despite its relatively small market size, Canada was third worldwide in a recent study of 2,300 data breaches worldwide that exposed 2.6 billion records. In those 48 breaches, 12.5 million records were compromised, an average of 261,000 per incident.
“That Canada had the third most cyber incidents in the world is not surprising considering Canada continues to be one of the most ‘wired’ countries in the world,” noted Canadian Underwriter.
Law firms are an ideal target for cybercriminals for multiple reasons, including:
Third-party providers of software commonly used by law firms are also susceptible and can derail a law firm. In October 2019, TrialWorks, which provides case management software for law firms, was hit with a ransomware attack. Lawyers could not access documents stored on the platform. It took two full days for access to begin to become available, forcing law firms to ask for extensions on court cases and grinding many legal businesses to a halt.
Your business needs prevention and ransomware recovery for Vancouver law firms. Compunet offers comprehensive IT solutions designed with law firms in mind. Ransomware security and recovery services include:
Learn more about how your law firm can protect itself from ransomware attacks by contacting us for a free initial consultation.
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