Clifford Chance (CC) has developed and launched a smartphone app, which the firm expects to be the "first port of call" for clients subjected to a cyberattack.

According to the firm, the new Cyber Assist app will guide users through the various international regulatory requirements they might need to consider "in the critical hours and days following an attack".

The app will also connect users with CC's global team of cybersecurity lawyers "at the touch of a button – day or night".

CC tech group co-head Jonathan Kewley described the app as "a cyber emergency call".

He added: "Cyber is now a legal risk, not just an IT issue. Cyberattacks are on the agenda of every government, board and lawmaker globally. The risks for businesses are unprecedented and growing, and fines for failing to respond correctly to an attack are eyewatering."

Cyber Assist is the second app to be developed and launched by the firm on Google and Apple's online stores. It follows Dawn Raids, launched in February 2018, which according to the Google Play store allows a user to "respond quickly and appropriately" when faced with an "unexpected visit by a regulator".

Fellow magic circle firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has also launched two apps through the online stores – Antitrust 101 and Collaborate – which provide clients with access to its lawyer directory, key contacts and regulatory advice.

Other firms have also launched initiatives to help clients manage cybersecurity risks, including Taylor Wessing, which began piloting TW:detect in October, and Herbert Smith Freehills, which developed its own in-house software to help clients identify compromised data in the aftermath of a breach.