Law Firms Face the Scourge of Ransomware: How to Ethically Prevent, Respond and Recover

In 2021, 37% of all businesses were hit by ransomware attacks. Only 57% of businesses are successful in recovering their data using a backup. Out of all ransomware victims 32% pay the ransom, but they only get 65% of their data back. Recovering from an attack cost businesses $1.85 million on average in 2021. Scary stats.

Today’s ransomware often steals your confidential data before its encryption. Frequently, we now see two ransoms demanded, one for the decryption key and one for a promise (because cybercriminals are so honorable) to destroy your data. Many law firms are paying, sometimes because they have cyberinsurance and paying is cheaper than being inoperative for an extended period of time.

What are the ethical considerations in handling ransomware? We’ll go through the requirements of the most prominent ethical opinions.

How do law firms get ransomware? How can they defend against it? If stricken, how should they handle the attack? Should you pay the ransomware? Is it illegal to pay the ransomware? Spoiler alert: Sometimes it is. How do you recover from a ransomware attack? Our experts will offer chilling stories of law firms crippled by ransomware along with tips for defending against and responding to ransomware.