Hacked off?

• Recent high-profile cyber incidents, such as the one at M&S, show the importance of having a robust response plan and cyber insurance.
• Law firms have unique challenges, but there is an industry of experts who can help in the event of an incident.

Cyber incidents are becoming increasingly prevalent. While news reports have recently picked up on the string of incidents affecting major retailers such as Marks & Spencer and Cartier, these reports represent a tiny fraction of the cyber incidents that occur on a regular basis.

No organisation is immune from a cyberattack and, unfortunately, the threat actors responsible are becoming more sophisticated in their selection of victims, their modes of ingress, and pressure they put on victims in order to extract ransom payments.

The message for the legal industry is clear: every firm and chambers is a target, and preparing for a worst-case scenario is