© Copyright Acquisition International 2025 - All Rights Reserved.

Article Image - Redefining Legal Security: The Power of the Edge
Posted 30th October 2024

Redefining Legal Security: The Power of the Edge

The 2023 National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) report highlights the UK legal sector's vulnerability.

Mouse Scroll AnimationScroll to keep reading

Let us help promote your business to a wider following.

Redefining Legal Security: The Power of the Edge
Privacy Policy laptop law online in Labor law for a business

The 2023 National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) report highlights the UK legal sector’s vulnerability due to a failure to: “maintain appropriate cyber security measures which can have exceptionally negative consequences for a legal practice and its clients“.

It was reported that 65% of UK law firms have experienced cyberattacks. Cyberattacks against UK law firms have surged by 77% in 2024, reaching 954 incidents, which is up by  538 compared to 2023 figures. 

Another report found that 72% of UK law firms have employee passwords exposed on the dark web. Exposing passwords on the dark web is a serious security risk. Hackers can purchase these passwords and use them to gain unauthorised access to law firms’ systems. Once inside, they can steal sensitive data, deploy ransomware, or disrupt operations.

The NCSC has confirmed that 80% of UK law firms have faced phishing attacks in the past year. Phishing attacks are a common tactic used by cybercriminals to trick victims into revealing personal information or clicking on malicious links. These links can then be used to install malware on a victim’s device or steal their login details. It is important for law firms respect these threats and take steps to mitigate them.

A 2024 report revealed that hackers have extorted payments from UK law firms eight times in six years, compromising nearly three million records in 138 ransomware attacks. Ransomware attacks involve cybercriminals exploiting security vulnerabilities to seize control of systems and demand payments in cryptocurrency. Law firms, due to the sensitive nature of the data they handle, are prime targets for such attacks.

What is causing these issue?

The ongoing increase in cyberattacks suggests a lack of urgency for law firms addressing these issue. Despite numerous warnings and reports highlighting the increasing vulnerability of law firms, the frequency and severity of these attacks continue to escalate.

Despite this, top UK law firms increased their cybersecurity spending in 2023: the top 10 firms, increase their spending by 21%, mid-tier firms increased theirs to 41%, and smaller firms by 67%. As good as the increase spend is, these firms need to be encouraged to conduct further analysis to gain a understand the effectiveness of their investments.

By doing so, they’d be able to evaluate the relevancy of their cybersecurity solutions against their specific needs, train their employees on the best cybersecurity practices and develop a comprehensive incident response plan to mitigate the impact of attacks.

Why is cybersecurity so difficult for the legal sector?

Medium-sized law firms that are often overlooked in cybersecurity discussions, are increasingly targeted and rely on external IT providers, making it harder to assess security controls.

Nevertheless, various resources, such as the NCSC’s Cyber Essentials scheme, can assist law firms in implementing essential technical controls to mitigate common cyber threats.

These programs should prioritise training, promote a vigilant culture that frequently engage with tech updates, and explore the likes of  edge architecture.

Edge computing, which brings computing closer to their data sources, offers several security benefits.

  • Edge computing reduces attack surface by decentralising data.
  • By keeping sensitive data closer to its source, edge computing can significantly enhance data privacy and security, reducing the risk of unauthorised access or breaches.
  • Edge computing improves remote work security by enabling secure access.
  • Edge computing speeds up cloud backups and disaster recovery.
  • As law firms increasingly adopt IoT devices, edge computing can enhance the security of these devices, preventing them from becoming entry points for cyberattacks.

Given the highly sensitive nature of the information that legal firms handle, including confidential client data, commercially sensitive information, and often highly personal details, they continue to be a prime target for cybercriminals. These malicious actors are constantly seeking opportunities to exploit vulnerabilities in legal firms’ digital infrastructure. To safeguard their sensitive data and maintain client trust, it is imperative that these firms extend their cybersecurity considerations to encompass every aspect of their digital infrastructure.

This includes not only their internal systems and networks but also the external systems and services that they rely upon, such as cloud-based applications and third-party service providers. By adopting a comprehensive approach to cybersecurity, legal firms can significantly reduce their risk of falling victim to cyberattacks and protect the confidentiality and integrity of their clients’ information.

PlatformEDGE™ integrates a colocation centre, connectivity, and distributed computing, enabling legal practices

Categories: Legal, News


You Might Also Like
Read Full PostRead - Eye Icon
Best Independent Investment Management Firm – Canada
Leadership
17/05/2016Best Independent Investment Management Firm – Canada

Matco Financial Inc. is an independent, privately-owned investment management firm.

Read Full PostRead - Eye Icon
How Businesses Can Improve Their Customer Call Engagement
News
23/12/2020How Businesses Can Improve Their Customer Call Engagement

Without a loyal and growing pool of customers, businesses can go down under. As such, it’s important to invest in tools and training that constantly improve the way that customers experience your service product. Businesses must have quality customer call en

Read Full PostRead - Eye Icon
Technology M&A – Shifting Paradigms
Innovation
15/07/2016Technology M&A – Shifting Paradigms

M&A in the technology, media and entertainment (TME) space has boomed over the last 24 months and while Brexit may dent confidence and activity, arguably this sector is better placed than most to remain buoyant.

Read Full PostRead - Eye Icon
LLC vs S-Corp: What’s the Difference and Which Will Help Your Business Grow Faster?
Legal
09/12/2022LLC vs S-Corp: What’s the Difference and Which Will Help Your Business Grow Faster?

When forming a business, the number of pivotal decisions you need to make is eye-watering. And yet if you choose correctly at this stage, it’ll be a much smoother ride to success. Picking a structure for your fledgling company is particularly important, with

Read Full PostRead - Eye Icon
7 Business Benefits of Hiring Managed IT Services
News
02/11/20217 Business Benefits of Hiring Managed IT Services

Besides accounting, one of the most outsourced jobs is managed information technology (IT) services. And for a good reason. Hiring managed IT services involves hiring third-party specialists to take charge of a business’ needs. As such, entities can focus on

Read Full PostRead - Eye Icon
Improve Your  Membership Management In 3 Easy Steps
Leadership
01/08/2023Improve Your  Membership Management In 3 Easy Steps

If you are looking for ways to improve your membership management, then look no further. In this blog post, we will discuss three easy steps that you can take to ensure that your membership management system is running as efficiently and effectively as possibl

Read Full PostRead - Eye Icon
Support for US Small Businesses
Leadership
13/11/2015Support for US Small Businesses

In run up to Small Business Saturday Alerus offers support.

Read Full PostRead - Eye Icon
Valuable Tips for Bootstrapping an API-Based Startup
Innovation
19/04/2022Valuable Tips for Bootstrapping an API-Based Startup

An API-based startup is one of the best business concepts to build up using the bootstrapping method.

Read Full PostRead - Eye Icon
5 Urbanisation Challenges That Could Be Easily Handled by AI
Innovation
08/11/20225 Urbanisation Challenges That Could Be Easily Handled by AI

The world is moving faster than ever with billions of people on the move. In fact, by 2050, more than two-thirds of the global population will live in cities.



Our Trusted Brands

Acquisition International is a flagship brand of AI Global Media. AI Global Media is a B2B enterprise and are committed to creating engaging content allowing businesses to market their services to a larger global audience. We have 14 unique brands, each of which serves a specific industry or region. Each brand covers the latest news in its sector and publishes a digital magazine and newsletter which is read by a global audience.

Arrow