Law Firm Seyfarth Shaw Hit by Apparent Ransomware Attack

Seyfarth Shaw fell victim to a crippling malware attack over the weekend, the global law firm disclosed earlier this week.

According to an official statement, unauthorized activity was detected by the company’s monitoring systems on Saturday.

“On Saturday, October 10, 2020, Seyfarth was the victim of a sophisticated and aggressive malware attack that appears to be ransomware,” the company said. “We understand that a number of other entities were simultaneously hit with this same attack. Our monitoring systems detected the unauthorized activity, and our IT team acted quickly to prevent its spread and protect our systems.”

Although Seyfarth stressed that it found no evidence that client or internal data was removed or accessed, many computer systems were encrypted, forcing the IT team to “shut them down as a precautionary measure.”

The latest update suggests the company has not been able to bring its systems back online. However, it is coordinating with the FBI to track down the culprits.

“Our team continues to work around the clock to resolve this incident,” Seyfarth said on October 13. “As reported earlier, we have found no evidence that any of our client or firm data was accessed or removed.”

Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, the Am Law 100 firm serves more than 300 of the Fortune 500 companies with a fleet of over 900 lawyers spread across 18 offices worldwide.