New Cyber Threat Report
The latest Cyber Threat to the Legal Sector report has been published by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC). The purpose of the report is to assist law firms, lawyers and legal practices with understanding current cyber security threats, and the extent to which the legal sector is being targeted. It then offers practical guidance on how organisations can be resilient to these threats.
The report suggests that there are “over 32,900 enterprises in total including barristers, solicitors and other legal service providers operating in the UK”, with an “estimated total revenue of £43.9 billion” employing more than 320,000 people in the legal sector in the UK. The legal sector is particularly vulnerable to cyber threats as large sums of money are handled routinely as well as sensitive, confidential and personal information. In addition, law firms often rely on outside IT services and also on their reputations, creating increased opportunity for cyber threats and being more open to extortion. Client trust in their legal service providers can be taken advantage of with relative ease and cyber crime has become increasingly sophisticated.
Interestingly, the new report, an update to the previous version of 2018, cites the response to Covid-19 and continued flexibility since to have created a situation ripe for exploitation. From faux phishing emails to emulating the boss to hacking passwords, the report addresses all areas of potential threats and how firms can be vigilant against them as well as providing links to guidance.
Posted on 07/13/2023 by Ortolan
