Ride the Lightning

Cybersecurity Incident Shuts Down Troutman Pepper’s Network

February 14, 2023

Above the Law reported on February 9 some good news – that the cybersecurity incident at Troutman Pepper did not appear to have compromised any client data.

But it did apparently shut down the law firm’s network.

It left attorneys using personal email accounts and locally saved documents for over a day, highlighting that the often neglected impact of a cyber breach is that it may leave the firm technologically at a standstill for an extended time while tech professionals restore full functionality.

Staff was initially told that systems would be up in several more hours, which proved optimistic. The firm finally advised that folks could work from home – if they came to the office, they were advised to use the guest network. Temporarily, employees were allowed to access Gmail, Hotmail and Yahoo through browsers on their firm computer.

Employees were given guidance to protect data and advised not to speculate when discussing the cyber incident with clients while the firm was pursuing “protective containment.”

Lessons here: The firm has a new logistical headache on its hands in making sure all those emails sent while the network was down get properly handled under the firm’s document retention policy.

All law firms need a plan for all the downstream issues a breach and service interruption causes. It is a good time to plan for how your law firm would handle a total tech showdown!

In other news, Atlanta-based national law firm Hall Booth Smith experienced a data breach during the first weekend of February 2023. Hall Booth Smith’s managing partner John Hall Jr. confirmed a service disruption to the firm’s server but said their email and transfer programs were not affected – and no data was known to be lost or compromised.

Two law firms in one week – can’t remember the last time I saw that. Batten down the hatches!

Sharon D. Nelson, Esq., President, Sensei Enterprises, Inc.
3975 University Drive, Suite 225, Fairfax, VA 22030
Email:   Phone: 703-359-0700
Digital Forensics/Cybersecurity/Information Technology
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