Cybercrime, digital evidence and incident response

Morais Leitão’s Digital Defense team has been involved in some of the most significant and complex cybercrime and digital evidence cases in recent years, representing companies, individuals and public bodies, both as victims and as defendants, and offering sophisticated and effective legal and technological solutions.

In a context where cyberattacks are becoming increasingly frequent, sophisticated and, to a large extent, inevitable, it is essential that organisations prepare not only to react, but also to prevent and mitigate the impact of cyberattacks, thereby protecting information, IT systems and business continuity.

Our work in this field encompasses representation at every stage of criminal proceedings in cases of cybercrime and crimes associated with the digital environment. These cases are often highly complex from a technical perspective and have an international dimension.

Cybercrime

• Advice and representation in criminal proceedings relating to cybercrimes, including ransomware, hacking, phishing, denial of service, computer sabotage and unlawful interception.
• Advice and representation in criminal proceedings relating to crimes incidentally involving IT, such as fraud (e.g. pig butchering, business email compromise and, in particular, CEO fraud), cyberstalking, cyberharassment and cryptocurrency theft.
• Recovery of funds following online fraud.
• Representation in cybercrime cases with an international dimension.
• Investigation and tracing of digital assets on the blockchain, using specialised tracing software.
• International consultancy on cybercrime matters.

Digital evidence

We have experience in supporting cases involving digital evidence, which is becoming increasingly important in criminal proceedings and other areas of litigation. This requires rigorous technical approaches to ensure the validity, integrity and probative value of the evidence.

• Collection, preservation and analysis of digital evidence for criminal proceedings or other purposes.
• Advice in non-criminal litigation requiring specialist knowledge of digital evidence.
• Cooperation with auditors and specialist technology experts.

Cybersecurity and incident response

Cybersecurity is no longer merely a technological challenge; today, it is an essential element of risk management and organisational governance. In this context, prior preparation and the ability to respond rapidly to incidents are crucial to organisational resilience, reflecting our experience in this area:

• Implementation of cybersecurity mechanisms and procedures.
• Training for company boards on cybersecurity matters.
• Crisis management following cyber-attacks.
• Internal investigations.
• Procedural cooperation in criminal investigations relating to attacks on computer systems.

Thanks to our team's strong practical and academic background, which is recognised both nationally and internationally, we are able to create effective and legally innovative solutions that are tailored to each case.

Contact: digitaldefense@mlgts.pt