Legal services provider Epiq takes its systems offline following a ransomware attack discovered on Feb. 29 & launches an investigation into the incident.

Epiq, a legal services provider, has identified a ransomware attack that forced the company to take its global systems offline. To date, there is no evidence that any unauthorized data transfer, misuse or exfiltration took place during the ransomware attack, according to Epiq.

The Epiq ransomware attack was discovered February 29. Epiq detected unauthorized activity on its systems and later confirmed it was a ransomware attack, the company said.

Epiq is working to bring its affected systems back online and has launched an investigation into the ransomware attack. In addition, Epiq’s technical team is working with third-party experts to address the incident, the company indicated.

Epiq provides legal services to law firms, corporations, financial institutions and government agencies. The company has more than 80 offices and 5,500 employees worldwide.

Should Ransomware Victims Pay Cybercriminals?

Ransomware victims have paid more than $140 million to cybercriminals since 2014, according to an FBI study released last month. Meanwhile, some cybersecurity experts have predicted that ransomware costs could exceed $1.4 billion in the United States this year.

There is no stopping ransomware attacks, but there are many things that organizations can do to guard against these attacks, such as:

Create and deploy emergency response playbooks.

Teach employees about ransomware attacks and the risks associated with them.

Use spam filters.

MSSPs also can help organizations address ransomware attacks and other cyber threats. They can assess an organization’s security posture, as well as offer managed security services recommendations and support to ensure an organization can protect its data and systems against a wide range of cyberattacks.