Ride the Lightning

Cybersecurity and Future of Law Practice Blog
by Sharon D. Nelson Esq., President of Sensei Enterprises, Inc.

Dozens of Texas Law Firms Have Had a "Cyber Incident" or Data Breach

April 15, 2019

The Dallas Business Journal reported on April 9th that four out of five corporate law firms operating in Texas have experienced a “cyber incident” or an actual data breach during the past two years. Forty-two of the 49 business law firms surveyed by the Texas Lawbook report that they were victimized by a cyber attack in 2017 and 2018.

Thirty-one of the 49 firms, which represent companies in litigation, regulatory and transactional legal matters, say their operations suffered a “breach of law firm data” during the two-year period. That's a startlingly high percentage.

The full results of The Texas Lawbook survey were released April 11th. The survey found that 44 of the law firms – or 90% – reported that vendors that they use have experienced data breaches. “The survey confirms what many of us have long suspected: law firms in Texas – and the professional-service providers and vendors they work with – are actively targeted by cyber attackers,” says Aon’s Cyber Solutions Vice President John Ansbach, who is an expert on cybersecurity. While The Texas Lawbook data focuses only on corporate law firms, Ansbach and other legal and data privacy experts say accounting firms, consultants and other professional service businesses are equally as vulnerable and may face even more significant threats.

All 49 firms surveyed identified cyber attacks as a top-three risk. Two out of three firms said cybersecurity is their biggest risk. As the article notes, all the law firms have an incident response plan, but almost no one really tests them, which leaves them flat-footed when faced with an actual incident/breach.

We call it "headless chicken mode" – which pretty well describes it.

Hat tip to Dave Ries

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