A UK-based managed service provider for law firms, CTS said it suffered a significant cyber attack that disrupted daily operations at hundreds of law firms across the country.
In a data security incident notification posted on its website, Cheshire-based CTS said on Friday that it experienced a “service outage” that “impacted a portion of the services” it provides to its clients.
“The outage was caused by a cyber-incident. We are working closely with a leading global cyber forensics firm to help us with an urgent investigation into the incident and to assist us in service restoration,” the company said.
While the company did not share any details about the nature of the cyber security incident or how much it impacted its systems and operations, it added that the IT team is working round the clock to bring its systems back online as soon as possible.
“We continue to work around the clock with the assistance of third-party experts. Whilst we are confident that we will be able to restore services, we are unable to give a precise timeline for full restoration. We will continue to communicate directly with those of our clients which are impacted by the service outage, providing regular updates on the status of our work to restore services and our investigations into the incident,” CTS added.
According to industry publication Today’s Conveyancer, the cyber attack affected almost 200 law firms across the UK. Several affected firms weren’t able to access their files since last Wednesday.
In a statement shared with the media, a spokesperson for law firm Taylor Rose MW said, “We apologize to our clients for the disruption. We are in close contact with the supplier and are expecting the issue to be resolved in the coming days.
“In the meantime, we are finding alternative solutions to deal with urgent client matters and keep clients informed,” he added.
“We are currently experiencing service difficulties due to a technical outage affecting multiple organisations within the legal sector. Our team of engineers are actively working towards a resolution, and we appreciate your understanding during this time,” said Talbots Law, a law firm based in the West Midlands.
Several individuals who are in the process of buying or selling their houses have been impacted as the law firms they are dealing with haven’t been able to provide services following the cyber attack. Many frustrated home owners and sellers took to social media to express their frustrations.
CTS has notified relevant authorities about the data security incident and is working with them to get its systems back online as soon as possible. Rashana Vigerstaff, a spokesperson for the Information Commissioner’s Office, Rashana Vigerstaff told TechCrunch that the company has reported the incident to the regulator.
