Why the Legal Sector Attracts Cyber Criminals

Introduction 

The legal sector in the United Kingdom is vast and diverse, spanning from small local solicitors' practices to large multinational corporations, as well as independent barristers and chambers. This sector plays a crucial role in the UK's economy, contributing significantly to revenue and employment opportunities. However, the legal profession's commitment to preserving client trust and upholding confidentiality also makes it an attractive target for cybercriminals. In this article, we explore the reasons why the legal sector is in the crosshairs of cyber criminals and examine the distinctive factors that make it vulnerable to various cyber threats.

What Makes the Legal Sector a Distinctive Target?

• Highly Sensitive Data: Law firms handle a treasure trove of sensitive information, including confidential client data, commercially sensitive documents, and personal details. This trove of data is a goldmine for cybercriminals seeking opportunities for insider trading, negotiating advantages, or undermining the justice system.
• Disruption Costs: Any disruption to a law firm's operations can result in significant financial losses due to downtime and client expenses incurred during service interruptions. Ransomware attacks, which lock users out of their systems, are particularly enticing for criminals looking to extort money in exchange for the restoration of IT services.
• Financial Transactions: Law firms manage substantial funds, often related to time-sensitive transactions. These conditions are ideal for phishing attacks and business email compromise, making them attractive options for cybercriminals.
• Reliance on IT Service Providers: Many legal practices, especially smaller firms and individual practitioners, rely on external IT service providers. This reliance can make it challenging to assess and maintain robust security controls, leaving them vulnerable to attacks.
• Reputation at Stake: Reputation is paramount in the legal profession. Law firms are alluring targets for extortion schemes because damage to their reputation can have severe consequences.

The Increasing Threat to the Legal Sector

Recent years have seen a surge in cyber threats to the legal sector. A 2020 thematic review by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) highlighted the sector's susceptibility, with a significant number of law firms reporting cyberattacks. A prominent city law firm's data loss in 2021, and subsequent share value loss, emphasised the importance of robust risk management.

Potential Threat Actors Targeting the Legal Sector

• Financially Motivated Cybercriminals: A wide spectrum of cybercriminals seeks financial gain from targeting law firms. This includes professional groups and small-scale fraudsters. The rise of cybercrime-as-a-service has democratised cyberattacks, making them accessible to more criminals.
• Hackers-for-Hire: These individuals or groups execute cyber activities on behalf of third-party clients, often involving information theft for business or legal advantage.
• Nation-States: Some countries use criminal actors to advance their interests, raising funds and causing disruptions. Law firms in supply chains are particularly vulnerable, and intellectual property theft is a risk for firms handling intellectual property rights.
• Hacktivists: Hacktivists engage in cyber activities for specific causes, such as political agendas. Law firms representing organisations at odds with hacktivist agendas, such as those in life sciences or energy sectors, are at risk.
• Insider Threats: These threats can be deliberate or accidental and stem from individuals with authorised access. Disgruntled employees, untrained staff, or simple mistakes like falling for phishing attacks can pose risks.

Primary Categories of Cyber Attacks 

• Phishing: Cybercriminals use fraudulent emails, texts, or calls to deceive targets into visiting malicious websites or downloading malware. These attacks often blend with legitimate messages and are prevalent in the legal sector.
• Business Email Compromise (BEC): BEC attacks are meticulously tailored to deceive specific individuals. Law firms, given their involvement in financial transactions and access to sensitive documents, are appealing targets.
• Ransomware and Other Malware: Ransomware locks users out of their systems, posing a significant concern for law firms dealing with confidential data. Other malware, including adware, viruses, trojans, bots, keyloggers, and spyware, also threaten legal practices.
• Password Attacks: Weak passwords, password reuse, excessive permissions, open access, and the absence of multi-factor authentication can lead to unauthorised access. Robust identity and access management practices are essential.
• Supply Chain Attacks: Cybercriminals target organisations to gain access to their collaborators, making law firms in supply chains enticing targets for nation-states.

In summary, the legal sector's unique characteristics make it an attractive target for cybercriminals seeking financial gain, sensitive data, or opportunities to disrupt. With cyber threats on the rise, law firms must adopt robust cybersecurity measures to protect their clients, reputation, and operations.

Are you feeling any apprehension about the content of this post? Do you believe you have complete command over both your Law Firm's systems and personnel? Our sister company, Fusion IT, specialises in IT Security and proudly holds the globally recognised ISO 27001 accreditation, along with the esteemed Sophos Gold Partner status.

Leveraging these certifications, our expertise, and two decades of experience in the Legal Sector, we proactively address the threats outlined in this article. As the scale and complexity of cyber threats persistently expand, safeguarding your Law Firm and the critical data of your clients has never been more paramount.

Thanks

Richard