According to the ABA 2017 Legal Technology Survey Report over 22% of the law firms that responded to the survey had experienced a data breach in the past year. The highest percentage by firm size was 49% of the 10-49 attorney law firms having a data breach in the past 12 months.
One of the consequences of a data breach is when client data may be exposed to unauthorized access. Approximately 11% of the law firms stated that they gave notice to their clients after a data breach.
Another area that the survey focused on was viruses/spyware/ malware being detected on their systems. Fully 43% of the responding law firms reported some sort of infection in the past year.
According to the survey while there is a growing recognition of the need for cyber insurance by law firms and even though firms know that most general liability and malpractice insurance policies do not cover security incidents or data breaches only 26% of the law firms have purchased. When purchasing cyber insurance first read, Cyber Insurance—Know What You are Buying.
To read the entire survey article click ABA 2017 Tech Survey Report.