The Solicitor’s Regulation Authority (SRA) has warned law firms to be “extra vigilant” during the Coronavirus lockdown as reports of cyberattacks rocket.
The SRA says increased criminal activity is a product of remote working, and as a result, lower levels of internet security, IT challenges, and a “different mindset people may have working from home”.
According to recent figures, the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) removed more than 2,000 online scams related to the coronavirus in the last month alone. These included 471 fake online shops selling fraudulent coronavirus-related items, 555 malware distribution sites set up to cause significant damage to any visitors, 200 phishing sites seeking personal information such as passwords or credit card details, and 832 advance-fee frauds where a large sum of money is promised in return for a set-up payment.
In a legal setting, criminals are also taking advantage of remote working by targeting law firms with increasingly sophisticated scams, such as phishing and mandate fraud.
The SRA highlights one incident where criminals attempted to create a standing order for £4,000 a month from a firm’s client account. Cyber criminals can carry out this kind of fraud by pretending to send spoof communications from an official-looking source, asking for funds to be diverted or moved. Without raising awareness and training staff to spot these types of scams, crimes will continue to financially ruin law firms.
To help protect the sector, the SRA has now launched new coronavirus cyber security information, including “targeted advice” from the NCSC and a checklist for firms to “reassure themselves” about eliminating risks.
Commenting on the risk of fraud, SRA Chief Executive Paul Philip said: “Cybercrime is a priority risk for the legal sector and it’s not going away during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Criminals are always looking to take advantage and they know that security arrangements are likely to have changed as people move to homeworking. Several agencies have reported a spike in cyberattacks and we are beginning to get reports from firms that have been targeted.”
To access the new coronavirus cyber security information, please click here.
