Representing clients in China? Prepare to be hacked; BigLaw is a frequent target
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At least 80 percent of BigLaw firms have been hacked, according to one expert.
And that number may be conservative, Blooomberg Business reports.
Peter Tyrrell, the chief operating officer of Digital Guardian, is the expert who told Bloomberg that at least 80 percent of the nation’s top 100 firms have experienced some sort of data breach.
Steptoe & Johnson partner Stewart Baker said the number could be higher, based on information he got from an FBI agent. He said that virtually every large law firm has faced a security breach.
Hackers hired by foreign nations, especially China, are behind an increasing number of security breaches.
“If you’re doing business in China or representing clients in China, you will get hacked,” said Richard Betjlich the chief security strategist for FireEye Inc., in an interview with Bloomberg. “And they’re not just stealing intellectual property for reproduction. They’re interested in mergers and acquisitions as well. It’s the way they conduct due diligence.”
