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HACKED! Computer systems at law fi rms, governments, corporations, courts, and other high-profi le groups have suffered from an increasing number of cyber attacks. By Daryl-Lynn Carlson C omputer systems at law firms, governments, companies, courts, and high-profile organiza- tions have been targets of increasing numbers of cyber attacks as perpetrators become more sophisticated in their ability to steal informa- tion. As recently as July, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the United States' Central Intelligence Agency were targeted. The CIA's web site was shut down for sev- eral days as a result, while the hackers who attacked NATO claimed they had infiltrated the organizations' computers and obtained classified documents; the United Nations, law firms in Canada and the United States, and Ontario's courts have been hacked over the last several months. Such attacks can result in the theft or destruction of information, along with the 32 SEPTEMBER 2011 www. CANADIAN Lawyermag.com release of spyware that will give the perpetra- tor access to monitor any and all information on the target's computers. And unfortunately, there are no signs the vulnerability to hacking attacks will subside any time soon as the vil- lains who want to access data are highly cre- ative and dedicate tremendous time towards achieving their goal. Chris Bennett, a partner at Davis LLP in Vancouver whose practice is focused on infor- mation technology and intellectual property law, had a client whose web site was hacked in July. The site's content was replaced with bogus materials that made the corporate client look bad. The client brought in a number of technology security professionals to see if they could find the source of the attack and wheth- er the company had any particular weaknesses MICK COuLAS