Cyber security and cyber crime

Cyber security and cyber crime are among the biggest issues that businesses and other organisations must confront today. The law faces huge challenges to keep up with the rapid development of technology which provides opportunities for the misuse of both the internet and computers for commercial gain, espionage, or other criminal purposes.

The vanguard of cyber crime prevention

Everything valuable to an individual or organization – including intellectual property, confidential information, personal data, hardware and software – may be at risk from cyber attacks, data breaches or fraud. Those who fail to protect their property or client data face even greater danger when they fall victim to an attack. Given the complex and evolving regulatory landscape in this area and the potential for significant fines, expert advice is vital in identifying the relevant requirements and understanding the steps needed to ensure compliance.

At Penningtons Manches Cooper, our lawyers are leaders in this field, and at the vanguard of cyber security and cyber crime prevention. We recognised cyber law as a distinct and emerging legal specialism at a time when its parameters were first being defined, and our practice consistently offers clients both technical excellence and a practical understanding of the key issues.

Close collaboration between our data protection and privacy, reputation management, commercial dispute resolution and white-collar investigations teams ensures our lawyers are able to apply their knowledge and experience across the vast spectrum of civil, criminal and regulatory law to this area.

What we particularly appreciate about Penningtons is their excellent and rapid work and their high level of understanding of the context of issues.

As AI becomes increasingly integral to cyber security, it brings both opportunities and challenges. Our cyber security team is well-versed in navigating the complexities of AI integration, particularly concerning data sensitivity and regulatory compliance. We provide expert guidance on adhering to these fast-evolving regulations, as well as on their intersection with existing regulations around data protection. We can support our clients with risk assessments, ensuring transparency in AI operations, and developing robust data protection strategies to safeguard sensitive information.

Additionally, we defend and prosecute, representing individuals or organisations in relation to matters arising from a data breach or cyber attack, whether internal or external, and work seamlessly with in-house teams whenever necessary. Our lawyers also provide preventative advice and regularly implement cyber security policies and training.

How we help our clients

Advice on preventative measures and policies

Supply chain audits

Cyber security training

Data security and reporting

Control mechanisms for embedded devices

Compliance and regulation

Employee liability and protection

Data breach/incident response

Commercial espionage

Recoveries of ransomware payments

Cyber security disputes

Cyber crime prosecutions

Useful resources

Doing business in the UK

Penningtons Manches Cooper’s IT team is brilliant, reliable and responsive. The quality of service is outstanding.

Penningtons Manches Cooper is recognised for its strength in the technology sector.

Recent work highlights

Law Commission guidance

Providing guidance to the Law Commission and assisting with its review of current data protection and digital security legislation.

Data breach losses recovery

Acting for an international corporate headquartered in the Middle East on the recovery of its losses following a data breach, and investigating and identifying the method and perpetrator.

Ransomware response and remediation

Advising a national organization in relation to cyber/ransomware attacks and serious data breaches, including analysing the breaches and coordinating the response and remedial steps.

External ransomware attack

Acting for an international architectural firm on the mitigation of a ransomware attack involving two external threat actors and the release of personal data to the dark web, including co-ordinating with US counsel and liaising with the UK Information Commissioner.

Contracts for cyber security consultancy

Advising on contractual arrangements for a leading cyber security IT consultancy which designs, builds and supports secure collaboration environments for UK central government and organisations with the highest security requirements.

Data breach reporting

Assisting a multinational oil and gas company on the development of a global data breach reporting manual, developing FAQs for breach identification and reporting as part of the client’s compliance programme.