More people are working from home than ever before, which has resulted in a rise of electronic communication and information sharing. Many firms will have moved to remote working on short notice with little (or nothing!) in the respect of policies and procedures covering the way they should work to mitigate susceptibility to cybercrime. Law firms have always been a target as a result of the large amounts of client funds held, and the SRA have received specific reports about fraud attempts during lockdown. In addition, the National Cyber Security Centre reported a 400% increase in attacks across all businesses during the first two weeks of lockdown.
The SRA have published advice which covers their view on how cybercrime risk is affected by the requirements of social distancing, and what you can do to protect yourself and your firm. Read their full article here.
Examples of scams we have seen include the following:
- Emails that appear to be from other local law firms offering access to a document sharing site. When you click on the link, malware will infiltrate your system.
- A rise in falsified emails from clients, suppliers and even internal including changes in bank details.
- Criminals posing as organisations such as banks, the Government (including HMRC), the World Health Organisation, the NHS, etc.
Make sure that your staff are aware of the risks and the types of scams which are doing the rounds at the moment to avoid falling victim.