LEGAL SECTOR PENETRATION TESTING
Safeguard your legal firm against ransomware, data leaks and regulatory risk with expert-led penetration testing tailored to your environment.
Trusted by leading organisations
Why cyber security in the
legal sector is important
Protect trust, reputation,
and sensitive client data
with expert oversight
The UK legal sector has become an increasingly attractive target for cybercriminals, with 2024 research by NetDocuments showing that data breaches across UK law firms rose by 39%, compromising sensitive data related to approximately 8 million individuals and organisations.
Law firms routinely handle large volumes of sensitive client information, including contracts, case files, financial records and intellectual property. As a result, firms must prioritise cyber security, not only to safeguard client data and meet regulatory obligations, but also to preserve trust, uphold their professional reputation, and ensure business continuity.
Key cyber security considerations
for legal services firms in the UK
Meeting regulatory
demands and safeguard
client confidentiality
The processing of sensitive personal details by legal service businesses carries obligations under the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act (DPA). Legal firms are also required to follow ISO/IEC 27001, the international standard for information security management. Inadequate security practices or failure to meet these industry standards may result in regulatory fines from bodies such as the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) and the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), along with potential legal penalties and reputational damage.
Cyber security challenges
in the legal industry
Secure your full environment:
legacy, modern, and
outsourced systems
Legacy systems and outdated software
While some modern legal service providers have embraced cloud-based solutions, many established law firms continue to rely on legacy systems and outdated software to manage sensitive client data and legal processes. These systems are often no longer supported by vendors, making them highly susceptible to known vulnerabilities that cybercriminals actively exploit. This reliance on legacy infrastructure presents a significant cyber security challenge and demands a cautious, well-planned approach to risk mitigation.
Advanced persistent threats (APTs)
The legal sector faces increasing cyber threats due to the sensitive data it processes. Common attacks include phishing, ransomware, and insider threats, which can lead to data breaches and disruption. Groups like LockBit have targeted law firms with extortion tactics, encrypting data and threatening to publish it unless paid. These risks highlight the need for a strong cyber security strategy that includes training, penetration testing, monitoring, and response plans.
The risks of AI adoption
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming legal services, with many UK law firms integrating AI tools to improve efficiency in areas such as legal research, contract review, and case management. These technologies offer clear operational advantages, but they also introduce new cybersecurity risks. AI platforms often handle large volumes of sensitive data and may involve third-party services. This can expand a firm’s attack surface if not properly managed. As the sector embraces AI, firms must ensure they have robust security controls in place to protect against potential vulnerabilities introduced by these tools.
Challenges with file management
Secure file transfer is fundamental to legal operations, enabling the exchange of confidential documents between clients, courts, solicitors, and external experts. Ensuring that each file recieved is legitimate and safe to open is difficult, and requires legal teams to be well trained to spot the signs of a malicious email amongst a mass of legitimate communications. Furthermore, attackers have exploited flaws in widely used file sharing platforms to gain unauthorised access to sensitive data, heavily implacting law firms and their clients who trust their sensitive data is kept confidential.
Why pentesting is important
for the legal sector
Identify real-world threats
before they impact your firm
Legal firms handle a wide range of highly sensitive and confidential information, including client communications, case files, evidence materials, financial records and intellectual property such as patents and trade secrets. They may also store personally identifiable information (PII), medical records, corporate transaction data, and regulatory disclosures. Much of this data is accessed and shared through document management systems, email platforms, client portals and third-party integrations, making legal IT environments an increasingly attractive target for cyber attackers.
Conducting regular legal services penetration tests helps firms to proactively identify vulnerabilities across core systems, including document management platforms, email infrastructure and client-facing services. These tests help assess real-world risks such as phishing, lateral movement, and weak access controls which are common attack vectors in the legal sector. Penetration testing also supports compliance with industry standards like ISO/IEC 27001 and aligns with NCSC guidance on protecting sensitive legal data. It demonstrates a firm’s commitment to maintaining confidentiality, regulatory compliance, and operational resilience. By integrating penetration testing into their wider security strategy, legal firms can reduce risk exposure, protect client trust, and operate with greater confidence in an increasingly hostile threat environment.
Why choose Sentrium for
legal services penetration testing?
Leverage sector-specific
expertise for trusted,
actionable results
At Sentrium, we understand the unique challenges of cyber security in the legal sector. With our deep expertise in penetration testing across web applications, cloud infrastructure, mobile platforms and internal networks, we help legal firms identify and address weaknesses before they are exploited.
Our approach to legal sector security goes beyond a typical penetration test. We understand the importance of safeguarding client confidentiality, meeting regulatory requirements, and securing document management and communication systems.
We recognise that the legal industry operates in a sensitive and high-stakes environment, where security breaches can damage trust and disrupt operations. Our experienced team provide expert penetration testing and support to help you manage risk, maintain compliance and protect client confidence.
Our legal sector pentesting services
CREST-approved
pentesting tailored
to legal services
Protect your clients and your firm with targeted testing and cyber security services:
Website penetration testing
Legal firms rely on websites for onboarding, information, marketing and case management. We apply the OWASP methodology, expert tools and deep experience to provide robust assurance for your web applications.
Network penetration testing
Our network pentesting evaluates servers, network devices and endpoints for vulnerabilities. Systems often store confidential data, and our testing focuses on communications, compliance and data flow.
Cloud penetration testing
Legal firms increasingly use cloud to store and manage sensitive client data, gaining scalability and remote access. Cloud-hosted legal services may pose risks. We assess cloud configs to secure data and services.