UK Legal Aid Agency faces system woes post-cyberattack

As reported by The Register, the UK's Legal Aid Agency (LAA) is reporting a return to pre-breach operations seven months after a significant cyberattack, but legal professionals are encountering persistent difficulties with the reinstated systems.

The LAA's Client and Cost Management System (CCMS), crucial for lawyers claiming payments, has been described as a "nightmare to use" since its December 1 reactivation. Users are experiencing random session timeouts and are now required to use an AWS Secure Browser, a new process implemented after the attack. These concurrency controls, initially warned about, led to abrupt session endings and temporary service shutdowns. Insiders report that stricter security measures, including mandatory document uploads through AWS, result in lost work if sessions terminate unexpectedly. Additionally, a new multifactor authentication portal, SILAS, can take up to six minutes to navigate, and file management restrictions, such as smaller file size limits and restricted naming conventions, further complicate workflows.

The cyberattack, which occurred in May 2025 and is considered one of the most sensitive in UK history, exposed data potentially dating back to 2010. The Ministry of Justice confirmed that a significant amount of personal data related to legal aid applicants was implicated. The ongoing system issues highlight the challenges organizations face in balancing robust security measures with user accessibility and operational efficiency following a major breach. This incident underscores the need for comprehensive post-incident recovery plans that address not only data security but also the usability of critical systems for end-users.

Source: The Register