Law firms are “performing admirably” in response to daily cybersecurity threats, but are still being successfully compromised, research has found.
Threats against law firms are high volume, multi-faceted, and organised. Threat actors use multiple sophisticated tools and techniques.
In a recent report the legal sector earned a risk rating close to sectors like finance and energy, which are considered the most advanced and sophisticated in terms of cyber defence.
Threat actors steal and abuse credentials; probe for network vulnerabilities; use anonymising tools and proxies; and make use of persistent, advanced tactics in order to ‘crack’ law firms around the world.
The attacks come in many forms, including the criminal pursuit of sensitive financial information, ransomware, password breaches and leaks, and ‘hacktivism’.
Law firms were also sources of private identity information traded on the dark web.
They can be a weak link in the supply chain and we have seen a number of cases where clients have been attacked through their lawyers. For that reason, big companies, especially in financial services, are looking very closely at their law firms’ cyber readiness and doing cyber due diligence much more rigorously.
Peel – Uniquely placed to assist with the attraction and selection of your Information Security and Cyber Security talent.
The IT Skills Gap is an ongoing concern for CIO’s, particularly in the search for Cyber Security Talent. Complex and ever-evolving threats, from the rise in Ransomware to the emergence of Billions of BYOD and IoT Devices, mean the risks and staffing needs are always growing and changing.
More than half of organisations have suffered a cyber breach in the last 12 months and an overwhelming 82{2f5840df7cad5cef8516045bf5c83cf9550de338e8e836c189eefa8f44836af0} were expecting an increase in their budget specific to security to tackle the cyber threat. With other research suggesting a shortage of Cyber Security Skills, with some estimating a 1.8 million shortfall in skilled Cyber Security Professionals worldwide by 2022.
Working predominantly within the Law sector, we are uniquely placed to assist and attract the best Cyber and Information security specialists for your law firm. Call us on 01925 377 878 for more information.