We know of a few law firms that recently had their entire computer system infected with ransomware where they were blocked from accessing their computers, client lists, emails, financial information and other digital files until they paid a ransom in Bitcoin.

The cause of the breach was likely a lawyer or employee clicking on a link in an attachment or email. Scams like this can happen anytime, but scammers are always looking for ways to take advantage when fewer staff are working, especially around vacation time

A few helpful tips to protect you against a data breach can be found in the article, Ransomware: How to Prevent and Recover from the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security.

If you find yourself in this predicament and need to report a claim or get some advice, email a description of the circumstances to cyberclaims@clia.ca or call 1-833-3831488 (toll free).

Remember to “Think before you click!”

Lawyers’ Insurance Programme – Law Society of Newfoundland and Labrador