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From Dispatch Room
U.S. law firm Blank Rome is facing a proposed class action lawsuit over a cybersecurity breach that allegedly exposed the personal information of more than 57,000 current, former and prospective clients.
The lawsuit, filed in a federal court in Pennsylvania, accuses the Philadelphia-based firm of failing to adequately protect sensitive client data and delaying notification after the breach occurred.
According to the complaint, the cyberattack took place on May 21 and compromised the personal information of **57,554 individuals**, including names, addresses, dates of birth, Social Security numbers and taxpayer identification information.
The lead plaintiff, California resident Laura Delapaz, alleged that Blank Rome waited more than a month before informing affected clients about the incident and failed to implement adequate cybersecurity safeguards and employee training.
In response, Blank Rome acknowledged that it experienced what it described as a “limited incident.”
The firm said a cybercriminal group posing as members of its information technology department deceived one of its attorneys into uploading files to an external file-hosting platform.
“We believe the lawsuit has no merit and will aggressively defend against it,” the firm said in a statement.
The lawsuit claims the breach resulted from insufficient cybersecurity measures and inadequate staff training, leaving confidential client information vulnerable to hackers.
Blank Rome joins a growing list of major U.S. law firms facing legal action following cyberattacks. Firms including Fox Rothschild, Wiley Rein, Pillsbury and Kelley Drye have also been sued over recent data breaches, while several others have reached settlements in similar cases.
Cybersecurity experts have increasingly warned that law firms have become attractive targets for hackers because they routinely store highly sensitive financial, legal and personal information belonging to clients.
The case adds to growing concerns over cybersecurity risks facing professional service firms as cybercriminals increasingly rely on phishing and social engineering attacks to gain access to confidential information.
— Newspot Nigeria
