UK law firms hit by 77% surge in cyber-attacks: Are you prepared?

In the last year, the number of successful cyber-attacks against UK law firms increased by 77% vs. the previous 12 months, up to 954.

This dramatic increase highlights the problem faced by firms, that are perceived as both lucrative and easy targets to attackers seeking to exploit vulnerable infrastructures.

Phishing, ransomware, DDoS, advanced persistent threats (APTs) and insider threats are amongst the common types of cyber-attacks targeting the legal industry in 2025, though the common challenge is the lack of dedicated cyber expertise within firms.

In a security landscape where threat actors are increasingly sophisticated, legal IT teams have an array of advanced protective technologies to choose from.

Adopting core tools such as endpoint detection and response (EDR), multi-factor authentication (MFA) and privileged access management (PAM) is a common approach to safeguarding legal operations. These are increasingly supported by SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) platforms and zero-trust architecture, which treat every user, device and connection as untrusted by default, reducing the risk of lateral movement within networks.

How are you managing vulnerabilities?

For firms handling vast volumes of sensitive data, visibility of vulnerabilities is critical.

That’s where LIMA’s Vulnerability Detection & Remediation (VDR) service becomes a key differentiator. VDR provides continuous, automated scanning of your environment to identify and prioritise known vulnerabilities, and our team of security experts fix them before they become active threats, in line with timelines mandated by Cyber Essentials Plus.

Coupled with cloud-native tools like Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, Purview, and automated patch management, law firms can embed a secure-by-design model that meets regulatory obligations, strengthens client trust and enables scalable, long-term protection, without compromising user experience or performance.

A question of people and culture

Away from technical solutions, the first line of defence against cyber-attacks for any business, is its team. That’s why more organisations are placing greater emphasis on training to improve overall security and compliance.

Employees must be made aware of the threats posed by cyber-attacks and the importance of their role in keeping systems and data secure. Try and build some engaging elements into your cyber awareness training, beyond e-learning.

Why not try:

Gamifying the experience
Using real-world scenarios
Making it visual, interactive and personalised
Keeping it short and regular
Using humour and creativity

Take proactive steps to secure your law firm

Protecting your law firm against cyber-attacks needn’t become another burden for your team, but rather a task for a strategic partner to support with and ensure that your future is safeguarded.

A strategic IT partner can help you minimise risk with a proactive, secure-by-design approach that ensures your business runs smoothly and gives peace of mind.

The right partner will help you to:

Understand who currently accesses your data and how.
Prioritise the most valuable or vulnerable areas of your infrastructure.
Ensure security updates and patching happen reliably and efficiently, aligned with Cyber Essentials Plus timelines.
Manage all devices centrally – including personal mobiles – with Secure SSO access methods to provide access to systems and data.
Keep data protected during transfer.
Embed resilience at a technical level in business-critical areas.
Harness the power of cloud-based backup.

LIMA specialises in delivering IT services to legal organisations, helping them put technology and security at the centre of their business strategy.

Read LIMA’s new whitepaper, outlining our full blueprint for driving greater efficiency in legal organisations: Whitepaper: The law firm of the future – LIMA – Insight-led IT services

Contact the team at 0345 345 1110 or enquiries@lima.co.uk