After being targeted by a ransomware threat, multinational law firm Seyfarth Shaw LLP has shut down all of its networks.
Established in 1945 in Chicago, Illinois, Seyfarth has over 900 attorneys across 17 branches, supplying clients all over the world with consulting, arbitration, and transactional legal services. More than 300 of the Fortune 500 businesses are represented by the Am Law 100 company.
Over the weekend, the company fell victim to a malware attack that spread violently across its network and forced it to shut down its email service and other services.
The company claims it was able to avoid the attack shortly after discovery, but not until the malware encrypted data on many systems.
Seyfarth was the target of a complex and violent malware attack on Saturday 10 October 2020, which seems to be ransomware. […] all of our devices were encrypted, and as a precautionary measure, we shut them down,’ Seyfarth announced.
The firm argues that at the same time, there seems to have been a concerted attack involving several individuals.
We acknowledge that this same attack was concurrently hit by a variety of other individuals. The unauthorized activity was detected by our monitoring systems, and our IT team acted quickly to prevent its spread and protect our systems,’ says the law firm.
Seyfarth further states that no proof was identified that consumer or business data was compromised or exfiltrated, but many previous ransomware attacks have resulted in the manipulation of personal data to persuade the victim to pay the ransom.
The business urges consumers to contact it by phone as its email service is unavailable at the moment. There is also an online communication form available.
“Our customers are our highest priority, and we will continue to do everything possible to protect their sensitive information and continue to represent them. We collaborate with the FBI and work around the clock to get our networks as fast and secure as possible back operational, “Seyfarth continues.”
