Ransomware Attack Blocks Hundreds Of Law Firms From Their Trial Records

I could not come up with a better scenario to get sued by a pack of angry lawyers. Reams of digital legal documents have been held hostage under a ransomware threat to TrialWorks, a Florida software company that manages electronic records for thousands of law firms nationwide, the Miami Herald reported.

Earlier this month, TrialWorks began alerting its customers about the security breach and initially indicated it was caused by a Microsoft service outage affecting Outlook desktop and mobile apps, according to court records. But the company’s customer alerts became more ominous over the past two weeks, including one that cited a “ransomware incident.” Lawyers affected by the outage had to file motions to postpone important court dates. (PDF)

Company officials said they have not contacted federal authorities about the ransomware attack but plan to share information from the internal investigation with law enforcement. More details at the Miami Herald.