Law Revamps Web Security After Denial Of Service Attack

The cyber security of MacRoberts, a Scottish law firm has been upgraded after enduring a denial of service (DDoS) attack.

The strike, which took place towards the end of 2006, immobilized the firm's email services for a span of almost two days.

"Matters soon came to a standstill. Due to the constant movement of e-mails, one keeps getting barraged with infinite spams. We tried to motivate our long-standing security purveyor into activity but regrettably they were unable to be of any use to us", averred David Murphy, MacRoberts' IT director in a story reported in 12th April 2007 edition of Itweek.

Nowadays majority of the business interaction is conducted with the help of e-mails. They are by far more fast-paced, cost-effective and less bothersome than calling up the receiver. But, it can also initiate inadvertent and awkward difficulties when senders don't conform to certain essential regulations.

Soon after the attack by spam mails, MacRoberts placed spam filters to screen e-mails directed to the law firm, significantly lowering the odds of being attacked again.

Earlier the company's IT personnel had to sift through innumerable spams to make sure that the real messages weren't being barred. The spam filter has virtually saved half day's job daily for the law firm.

Several organizations, co-operatives and law concerns have in fact shifted to spam filters. A few companies and law firms still converse with their customers, since the staff are uncertain whether their urgent e-mail with attached text file will reach the pertinent receiver, and won't be marked as junk e-mail by their spam filter.

Ovum's principal analyst, Graham Titterington, alleges that a DDoS attack is an outcome of several elements.

"Strikes could be aimed by a rival seeking profit, or more possibly due to hatred towards the firm", he stated in Itweek's April 12, 2007 issue.

This proves that spams absorb the problems or instances assigned for a case. The spams jam in-boxes, uses up a lot of net bandwidth, keeps the spam filters engaged, and plagues one and all. Moreover, it has already started to become more vexing.

Related article: Law Firm Sues FIS for Compromising Data of 8.5 Million Consumers

» SPAMfighter News - 4/18/2007