On October 13, 2019, TrialWorks, a legal case management software platform, announced to its customers, that it was experiencing a hosting outage at its data center and would provide updates as more was learned about the situation. The update issued the next day admitted that TrialWorks was in the midst of a ransomware attack. It is reported that the ransomware responsible for the outage was REvil/Sodinokibi, related to GandCrab. This ransomware is known to target enterprises, managed software providers, and government agencies.
Although TrialWorks advised its customers – mainly lawyers and law firms – that it was working with experts to remedy the situation and restore systems, some customers were not able to access their data until October 17, while others were unable to do so until October 22.
As a result of the inability to access case management records, including documents necessary to prepare briefs and court filings, many lawyers were forced to request extensions for court deadlines.