Conveyancers urged to check client files for cyber-attack risks

The Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC) has urged members to check their client files to see if they may have been affected by a cyber-attack that is hitting transactions.

Legal sector infrastructure specialist CTS said on Friday that it is “urgently investigating” a cyberattack on its services that could impact property exchanges and completions.

Almost 100 conveyancers and law firms are said to have been affected.

The CLC said: “We have been made aware that a cyber incident is affecting some conveyancing firms today and preventing some transactions from completing.

“The exact details are, as yet, unknown, but we advise all firms to check carefully if they have any reason to believe that client data has been compromised.

“For consumers expecting to complete a transaction today, we advise them to be extra vigilant and not to proceed unless they are confident they have all the necessary and accurate information.

“All parties should all also ensure they maintain secure records of any action taken over the duration of the incident.”

There hasn’t been a further update from CTS on the incident since its first update, which said: We are experiencing a service outage which has impacted a portion of the services we deliver to some of our clients.

“The outage was caused by a cyber-incident. We are working closely with a leading global cyber forensics firm to help us with an urgent investigation into the incident and to assist us in service restoration.

“We continue to work around the clock with the assistance of third-party experts.

"Whilst we are confident that we will be able to restore services, we are unable to give a precise timeline for full restoration.

"We will continue to communicate directly with those of our clients which are impacted by the service outage, providing regular updates on the status of our work to restore services and our investigations into the incident.”