China Hacked Major Law Firms

Hackers with ties to the Chinese government breached email accounts of partners at several well-known BigLaw firms, reports Fortune. Information obtained by the magazine indicated that the hacks took place in one-hour increments, and that the attackers returned repeatedly in search of new information. “In the case of one firm, the attacks took place over a 94 day period starting in March of 2015, and resulted in the hackers stealing around seven gigabytes of data, according to information obtained by Fortune.” The Wall Street Journal reported on the breaches earlier this year, saying the hackers targeted Cravath Swaine & Moore, Weil Gotshal & Manges and other firms. The Fortune article also names Cleary Gottlieb; Mayer Brown; Latham & Watkins; Covington & Burling; and Davis Polk & Wardell. The hacking may have been part of a larger initiative by the Chinese government, targeting big U.S. companies as well, including a major airline.