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Cyber Security in the Legal Sector
Cybercriminals are relentlessly trying to steal the vast amounts of confidential corporate and personal data that law firms are entrusted to keep safe.
Find out how we are supporting the legal sector by preventing data loss, helping companies comply with industry regulations, minimising insider risk and protecting law firms’ reputations.
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Challenges facing the Legal Sector
Law firms of all sizes, barristers’ chambers and legal professional bodies are experiencing a never-ending barrage of cyber-attacks, such as ransomware and phishing attacks, from criminals who want to acquire and sell their data on. Many of these attacks go undiscovered until it’s too late to act.
Data trading is a very lucrative business for criminals who aren’t standing still; they continue to invest and innovate to find original ways to break into networks, whether that’s with new techniques or by exploiting what is sometimes the weakest part of any company’s defence – human behaviour.
Legal teams hold huge amounts of confidential corporate, government and personal data and depend on secure, trustworthy technology to store or transfer sensitive documents at any time. As in other sectors of the economy, one of the major threats to law firms has been the increase in frequency and sophistication of ransomware attacks since the start of the pandemic. As more people have worked remotely, organisations as a whole have become more vulnerable.
Quorum Cyber’s teams of qualified security professionals have years of experience defending organisations – including major law firms – from the latest cyber-attacks and threats. We have the expertise to protect you from data theft, financial loss and reputational damage, allowing your company to practice law in confidence.
Confidential data, clients’ money and professional reputation are all at risk
Law firms are experiencing a rising number of cyber-attacks by criminals who are usually financially motivated.
337%
rise in phishing scams in the first two months of the UK’s first national lockdown - Solicitors Regulation Authority
£150,000
the value of billable hours one firm lost in 2020 following a single cyber-attack which crippled their system - Solicitors Regulation Authority
8%
wiped off the share value of City Firm following statement client data had been stolen in a cyber security attack - Law Gazette
Some of the most serious cyber security challenges facing the legal sector
Cyber threats continue to evolve for every industry, but the legal sector has some particular challenges that urgently need to be addressed. In an increasingly hostile and unpredictable digital landscape, unsuspecting law firms are profitable targets for unscrupulous criminals.
Securing and housing large volumes of confidential data
Law firms are responsible for storing huge amounts of classified information, from corporate tax returns and merger & acquisition plans through to government secrets, details of legal cases and valuable financial data.
Ransomware attacks
Law firms are being threatened with data leaks if they don’t pay the hefty ransom fees demanded. As well as potentially being very expensive and severely damaging to a company’s reputation, they can compromise their ability to function properly for extended periods of time.
Phishing
Criminals have the time to carefully plan well-disguised phishing campaigns against busy employees in an effort to ultimately steal data from their employer. As in other industries, phishing is a persistent danger which can do real harm to any organisation when targeted at unguarded individuals.
Insider risks and threat
One of the biggest security weaknesses in the legal industry has always been from employees, former employees or contractors who may have knowledge of, and access to, the company’s computer systems and security practices.
Insufficient in-house cyber security skills and resources
While law firms might have the latest security technologies, they often don’t have in-house cyber security skills. All security products need to be managed by certified cyber professionals who are up to date with evolving and emerging threats and attacks.
Use of BYOD devices
Widespread use of personal devices is common among practising lawyers. This increases the number of endpoints that need to be secured from threat actors who take advantage of human working habits and are constantly searching for an easy way into corporate networks.
Lack of time to train lawyers on security best practices
Time-poor lawyers and support teams simply don’t have the time to stay up to date with the most effective methods of avoiding becoming an easy target for criminals.
Highly targeted by threat actors
Threat actors are often financially motivated, and they are skilled and experienced at attacking organisations when and where they are weakest – the legal sector is one of their prime targets.
Cyber Security Services for the Legal Sector
Learn how we are helping law firms become better prepared to proactively detect and respond to ever-evolving cyber threats with our comprehensive range of Managed Security Services.
Take advantage of our Strategy & Advisory Services which deploy pragmatic risk reduction strategies and ensure your organisation is fully compliant with all legal industry standards and regulations.
We have a specialist cyber security team who understand the persistent threats relevant to your industry, the mounting pressures to preserve the reputation of your firm and know how to support your IT team to enforce security policies and best practices without disrupting your lawyers or the business.
Our teams become an extension of your in-house teams, delivering a tailored service that focuses on critical threats, effectively reducing cyber security risk.
Why choose Quorum Cyber as your trusted cyber security partner?
Quorum Cyber are an award-winning, Microsoft Gold Partner and member of the Microsoft Intelligence Security Association (MISA), one of just a few UK-based companies to hold this distinction, specialising in cyber security managed and consulting services. Our team is qualified in deploying the most advanced Microsoft Security technologies while streamlining existing security tools from multiple vendors to optimise performance.
We’re experts at bringing your entire organisation up to date with the newest cloud services while maintaining compliance with regulations and legislations – all with minimum effort on your side. In addition, we continuously keep abreast of the latest Threat Intelligence advice, trends and analysis from Microsoft and around the world to keep danger at bay and keep you updated. We are accredited by CREST for the delivery of Vulnerability Assessments, Penetration Testing and Cyber Security Incident Response.
Reduce your law firm's cyber risk
Round-the-clock detection and response, delivered by our qualified teams in the UK
Meet industry compliance and regulatory obligations
Our service is delivered entirely in your environment, ensuring data ownership
Mitigate insider risk
Constant monitoring across your entire IT infrastructure significantly reduces the chances of external and internal threats from being successful
Safeguard your firm’s business reputation
Our experienced cyber security team not only defends your valuable assets and data, but they also protect your reputation in the legal industry
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