Employees were instructed to turn off their computers and to unplug their laptops from the network as a precaution. The Petrwrap/Petya attack was found to have originated in the firm’s office in Spain but DLA Piper experienced effects of the attack in its offices globally. A DLA Piper spokesperson said: ‘The firm, like many other reported companies, has experienced issues with some of its systems due to suspected malware. We are taking steps to remedy the issue as quickly as possible.’

Expert team

DLA worked with external forensic experts, including the FBI and UK National Crime Agency, to get its systems back online and recover from the attack. In addition to DLA Piper, other large companies were hit, including Russian oil producer Rosneft and Danish shipping company Maersk. Though first reported in the Ukraine, where the most severe damage has been sustained, the virus quickly spread to the United States and Europe. United States-based pharmaceutical company Merck was also infected.

Twist of fate

In an ironic twist, DLA Piper published an article in the wake of the WannaCry ransomeware attack  ‘9 Things You Should Know to Protect Your Company from the Next Attack’. The fall out effect of the attack on DLA Piper and its client files has yet to be determined.