DLA Piper Email System Restored after Cyber Attack

Summary: Days after an international hacking, law firm DLA Piper said that its email service has been restored.

After a ransomware attack, DLA Piper was without email for a few days. However, on July 2, the BigLaw firm announced on its website that its communication systems have been restored.

In late June, an unidentified hacker breached DLA Piper’s system in a ransomware attack, and the firm was temporarily without phones and emails. According to ABC News, DLA Piper’s operations were disrupted by data-scrambling software that was centered on harming companies in Ukraine, where DLA Piper has an office.

Ukrainian officials blamed Russia for the attack, although the investigation is still pending. Besides DLA Piper, other companies with ties to Ukraine such as Merck and FedEx were also targetted.

On its website, DLA Piper said that none of its client information was stolen and that the firm acted swiftly to contain the situation.

“Following the widely reported malware incident that occurred on Tuesday, 27 June, we have brought our email safely back online, and continue to bring other systems online in a secure manner,” DLA Piper said. “We have seen no evidence that client data was taken or that there was a breach of confidentiality of that data. Our investigation is ongoing and, as always, protecting client information remains our critical priority.”

Before the high-profile attack, DLA Piper was considered an industry leader in online security. Ironically, days before the incident, the firm had published an article called “9 Things You Should Know to Protect Your Company from the Next Attack.” In the article, they had described ransomware called, “WannaCry,” which was what was used to infiltrate their system.

WannaCry is a ransomware worm that targets Windows computers. Once a system is infected, the worm encrypts files and offers its victims a “ransom note” that states if they pay a Bitcoin sum then the infection will go away. The hackers in the DLA Piper attack reportedly were seeking $300.

WannaCry first emerged in May, and according to The Telegraph, it affected more than 200,000 organizations in 150 countries.

“The “WannaCry” ransomware appears to have used a flaw in Microsoft’s software, discovered by the National Security Agency and leaked by hackers, to spread rapidly across networks locking away files,” The Telegraph said.

For ransomware to work, someone would have to download the malicious software onto a device that is connected to the network. This is often done by tricking someone into clicking on a dangerous link by accident.

According to a recent survey by Ames & Gough, cyber attacks is one of the leading reasons for former clients to file legal malpractice lawsuits.