Law Firm Sued Over Massive Data Breach

WilmerHale, a major U.S. law firm, is facing a federal lawsuit in Washington over a data breach that allegedly exposed sensitive personal information earlier this year. Filed recently, the suit claims the firm did not adequately safeguard personally identifiable information, such as names and Social Security numbers, following a cyberattack.

Plaintiff Jason Perry is suing on behalf of himself and potentially thousands of others, characterizing the incident as a massive and preventable cyberattack. WilmerHale acknowledged that an unauthorized third party obtained a limited amount of information, stating the incident was isolated and no internal data was misused. The firm indicated that the third party did not directly access their systems or network.

The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, asserts that Perry and others were required to provide their private information to WilmerHale to receive services. This incident highlights an increasing trend of law firms becoming targets for cyberattacks, with other firms like Wiley Rein, Fox Rothschild, and Blank Rome also facing similar lawsuits.

The complaint specifies that WilmerHale's network was breached in May. While the hackers and the exact intrusion method were not identified, the suit alleges that unauthorized third parties accessed personal data. A notice on the Vermont attorney general's data breach website indicated that the breach affected 11 Vermont residents on July 10. Perry's lawsuit seeks unspecified monetary damages and improved data-security measures.